What’s New

Join us at the Gallery on July 11th from 7:00PM – 9:00PM to celebrate the Opening Reception of Ecology Is: Human | Nature. Free food, free admission and drinks are available!

This group exhibition includes six Canadian Artists; Alana Bartol, Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal, Carley Freisen, Lyndal Osborne, Marina Roy and Clint Wilson. There is no better time to consider our relationships to nature and each other than in this group exhibition which points out the fact that at its core, ecology is the biological need to co-exist within nature. The impact of human influence and economic development foregrounds the urgent need for a balanced conversation between industry and the environment.

Click here to learn more about Ecology Is: Human | Nature

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Presenting Partner

Exhibition Sponsor

Exhibition Partner

Thursday, June 27th from 7:00pm – 9:00pm join us for the Opening Reception of three different exhibitions. We will have free food, a bar, and as always, it’s free admission! Tiziana La Melia will be opening her newest exhibition, we will be presenting a long awaited restored painting by William Perehudoff, and our Permanent Collection Gallery will be presenting a series of regionally sourced portraits.

Tiziana La Melia is an accomplished poet and artist. Over the last decade she has exhibited her work in notable presentations across Canada and internationally. Early in her career she received national recognition for her work by winning the RBC Painting Competition in 2014.

Tiziana La Melia will be introducing her new exhibition, some of which will be created during her Artist in Residency at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie. This Artist in Residency is our first partnership with the Euphemia McNaught Homestead Society.

Click here to learn more about Tiziana

Thank you to this exhibition’s sponsors:

Presenting Partner:

Exhibition Sponsor:

Exhibition Partner:

Gifts & Gestures is the most anticipated unveiling of an acquisition into the Permanent Collection in recent history. The painting by the Abstract Expressionist painter William Perehudoff, represents the largest undertaking the gallery has made in the conservation of a work of national significance for future generations. The project will be accompanied by an artist book and a limited-edition artwork. Co-authored by Derrick Chang the Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, and the artist Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay.

Click here to learn more about Gifts & Gestures

This project is made possible with the support of the British Columbia Arts Council and the faculty and students of the Department of Art Conservation at Queen’s University.

Thank you to the Gifts & Gestures Presenting Partner:

Pioneering Portraits showcases works that explore the tradition of collecting portraiture that reflects the spirit of this region. The exhibition features work from the Estate of Bert Tieman, James Agrell-Smith, Edward Bader, Donna Barrett, James Daubney, Ken HouseGo, Harold Klunder, RFM McInnis, Judi Moscovitch, Holly and Gordon Perret, Walter J. Phillips and Jeanette L. Walker.

Click here to learn more about Pioneering Portraits

Thank you to Pioneering Portraits sponsors:

Presenting Partner:

Exhibition Sponsor:

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is proud to announce its Youth Ambassador for the 2019-20 fiscal year, Janay Rowland.

Executive Director Jeff Erbach anticipates that Janay will be involved in a number of Gallery initiatives throughout the year.  “Janay is a very bright and articulate person, with a real passion for a wide variety of artistic pursuits.  She’s going to really stand out as a spokesperson for our exhibitions and public programs this year.”

Janay is also excited about participating, “Being the Ambassador is a great opportunity that I am so excited to take on.  Throughout the year I hope to deepen my understanding of art and artists while being active in my community.  What better way to do that than be the Ambassador for one of Grande Prairie’s most essential community centres, the Art Gallery?”

Janay is a 14 year old student of Isabell Campbell school.  She was the winner of the Prairie Mall’s ‘Be the Voice’ project as part of the ‘Be You’ program and in 2018 was the recipient of the ‘Striving for Excellence’ Award from the Education Foundation.  Janay is interested in creative writing, visual and performing arts.

The Youth Ambassador program is proudly supported by the Prairie Mall.

We’re pleased to announce the addition of our new Development Coordinator, Hilary Gould. Hilary will be taking up the new, permanent part-time position within our organization and participating in all Gallery fund development activities.

Executive Director, Jeff Erbach, is eager for Hilary to settle into the role.  “Hilary is a very bright, very enthusiastic person, a great fit for the team.  We know that our government and private partners and donors will enjoy working with her.”

Hilary’s work will continue strong momentum seen in the past 2 years with Gallery fundraising, grants, donations, sponsorships and memberships, all to enhance the Gallery’s growing visibility and the further development, diversification and expansion of our revenue base.

Hilary says, “I am thrilled to jump in and work alongside the amazing team here at the Art Gallery. The gallery provides so many learning opportunities for the community, and getting to be a part of that is really exciting.”

Hilary is the former Manager, Visitor Services for Tourism Dawson Creek and worked alongside the South Peace Historical Society at the Visitor Information Centre and the Interpretation Centre where she oversaw the restructuring of the organization, inventory control, staffing, marketing and the visitor experience.  With a background in customer service and online marketing, Hilary specializes in client communication.

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is proud to launch this call for professionally finished artworks to participate in our 39th Annual Art Auction on November 2nd 2019.

The deadline for submissions is June 21, 2019.

Submissions can be in any style and do not have to be circus themed.

This 3 act, circus-themed event will feature several food vendors, games, and of course, the Peace Region’s premiere silent and live auction. The fundraiser is a special opportunity for selected Artists and Collectors to support the Gallery’s exhibitions and programs while promoting their work.

By many measures, 2018/19 was one of the most successful years on record for the Gallery.  You can be the first to see our Annual Report, and to contribute to wrapping up that fiscal year at our Annual General Meeting.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
When – Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 7:00pm
Where – Art Gallery of Grande Prairie in the Montrose Cultural Centre, 9839 103 Ave

We are pleased to invite you to the Prairie Gallery Society’s Annual General Meeting.  As a member of our organization you are welcome to attend and participate in the following agenda items;

• Voting on the 2019/20 Directors
• Voting on the 2019/20 Auditor

Copies of the Audited Financial Statements and full Annual Report will be available and presented at the meeting. View the meeting Agenda and minutes from the 2018/19.

Can’t make it? Vote by proxy! – Ask us for a ‘proxy authorization’ allowing you to delegate your vote to another participant.

Want to be on the Board of Directors? – we can take nominations at the AGM from the floor.  Our preference is to assist and educate potential new Directors, so reach out to us if you’re interested.

If your membership may have lapsed, you can simply sign up at the Gallery or at the meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at (780) 532-8111 or by email at info@aggp.ca.

The meeting information will also be posted to our website at www.aggp.ca. We look forward to seeing you!

We’re excited to celebrate International Museum Day on Saturday, May 18, 2019! As an art museum and one of the largest Free Admission galleries in Western Canada, on May 18th we’re excited to offer four current exhibitions and activities for all ages in the Carlstrom Family Green Space, as well as:

• 50% off art catalogues*
• 50% off Summer Art Camp registration fees*
• $5 Annual memberships*

*must be purchased in person, no orders by phone
*available only on May 18, 2019
*not compounded with other discounts
*while quantities last

About International Museum Day

Each year since 1977, International Council of Museums has organized International Museum Day, which represents a unique moment for the international museum community.

The objective of International Museum Day (IMD) is to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” Organized on 18 May each year or around this date, the events and activities planned to celebrate International Museum Day can last a day, a weekend or an entire week. IMD was celebrated for the first time 40 years ago. All around the world, more and more museums participate in International Museum Day. Last year, more than 37,000 museums participated in the event in about 158 countries and territories.

Are you a Member of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie? Are you also an Artist? We’d love to work with you! As part of our commitment to showcasing local artwork, and to celebrate our dedicated members, we have released a Call for Submissions for 2D or 3D artwork to be featured in the Gallery’s reception area. This is an incredible opportunity for emerging artists looking to build an exhibition history, as thousands of visitors interested in the Arts will see this work.

Memberships can be purchased for $15 at the Front Reception desk.

Deadline: May 30th, 2019

Renumeration: Honorarium based on the length of term

Submission Criteria:

• Please send a .JPEG image of your work, along with any questions to info@aggp.ca.
• Submissions must be no larger than 75 inches on the longest side, and appropriately framed.
• Submissions must include the name of the artwork, date, medium, size, and an artist statement.
• Must be an emerging artists with little to no exhibition history.

Successful submissions will be featured in the Gallery’s reception area for up to 4 months.

Please apply via email:

[e] info@aggp.ca

[p] (780) 532 – 8111

Call for submissions deadline: Monday, May 13th 2019 at 5:00pm MST

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie welcomes applications from youth ages 13 – 17 ready to share their voice through active participation in the 2019 – 2020 Youth Arts Laboratory program. The Gallery will select up to three participants for this year.

Deadline: Monday, May 13 2019 at 5:00 pm MST

Time Commitment: up to 50 hours of projects/meetings from June 2019 – April 2020. Youth Arts Laboratory work is always scheduled around school obligations.

Remuneration: $1,000.00 per participant

Process: e-mail up to 1 page describing your involvement with the community (e.g. volunteerism, awards, participation), your interest in the Arts, and your interest in the program.

The Youth Arts Laboratory offers an exceptional opportunity for young people to receive mentorship at a professional organization. Developing their leadership skills through the Arts, the program aims to inspire, empower, and challenge each participant to hone their skills in a professional gallery setting and under professional guidance.

This year’s Youth Arts Laboratory focuses on the research, program development, promotion and facilitation of Sonic Youth, a group exhibition of 13 artists that revolves around and revisits the role of youth in the avant-garde.

Sonic Youth is about making noise, disrupting the peace and challenging the concept of the status quo. It contains work by artists that address issues of politics, protest and civil rights: queer spaces, Indigenous rights, feminism and the agency of youth voices. Sonic Youth will be shown at the Gallery from November 28, 2019 until March 19, 2020.

For any questions and to submit, contact:

ATTN: Curator, Learning

[email] info@aggp.ca

[phone] (780) 532 – 8111

All applications must be received by the Gallery by the due date.

We thank all who may apply, however only those who are shortlisted will be contacted.

The Youth Arts Laboratory is sponsored by: 

Through this past year, which began on April 1, 2018 and ended on March 31, 2019, we’ve been privileged to have worked with our first Ambassador, Campbell Davis, on raising awareness of Gallery programs and activities in our community.  Through his tenure, Campbell attended many Gallery art openings and events, speaking to the importance of our ongoing operational funding and of the impacts of our work in the community.

Executive Director Jeff Erbach says that ‘Campbell was a real breath of fresh air for us.  We found it very useful to ask his opinion on a range of activities, from public programs to fundraising, which has helped us shape what’s coming this year’.

The program, beneficial to the Gallery, was also a development program through the Arts, meant to inspire and deepen the participant’s awareness of work in the Arts and its value in the community.

The final word goes to Campbell Davis, “Through the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie’s Ambassador program I have been able to grow connections through the city and help spread word of the Art Gallery through my previous contacts. This has been a fantastic experience for me and I believe I have learned quite a lot about the Art Gallery with the community and Gallery events. I think that the structure of the Ambassador program is well thought out and it is good for the Gallery to be incorporating the community within programs like these. My term went well and the events that were chosen to go to worked well for the program. I am excited for the future of the Ambassador program and the Art Gallery.”

While Campbell will not be serving as our Ambassador this year, and a new Ambassador will take his place, we know that Campbell will continue to be involved in our activity and we look forward to our new relationship.  Thank you again Campbell!

Thank you to our Program Sponsors

Photo: Campbell Davis (L) with Jeff Erbach, Executive Director of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (R).