Summer Job Posting: Summer Art Camp Facilitators

Application closing date: Monday, May 12, 2025, 5:00PM MST

Download a pdf of the information listed below.

Position Title: Summer Art Camp Facilitator
Reports To: Education and Public Program Coordinator
Location: Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (AGGP)
Employment Type: Seasonal Full time, [35 Hours a week/ Monday to Friday]

Position Overview

Reporting to the Education and Public Program Coordinator (EPPC), the Summer Art Camp Facilitator develops and manages summer art camps for children and youth, contributing to interpretive and community programming at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about art and education as well as working with the public in a creative and community-oriented environment.

Key Responsibilities

● Summer Art Camps and Educational Programming:

○ Develop and manage a summer art camp program for children and youth ages 6-12.

○ Create and lead art lessons that are creative, fun and aligned with art fundamentals.

○ Maintain high-quality programming based on AGGP’s standards.

○ Lead in the preparation, set up and takedown of art camps and programs.

○ Advise the EPPC of any special material, space or scheduling needs.

○ Collaborate with volunteers on material preparation and delivery.

● Program Administration and Coordination:

○ Work within the summer art camp program budget set by the EPPC.

○ Oversee registration processes and communication with participants.

○ Provide on-site support during programs including participant check in, set up, photography and clean up.

○ Maintain stat collection and digital documentation of programming activities.

Qualifications:

● Passion for the arts, education and working with children and the public.

● Excellent verbal communication, organizational and problem-solving skills.

● Experience in educational programming or facilitation (formal or informal).

● Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

● Must provide current RCMP vulnerable sector check.

● Valid Class 5 Driver’s Licence.

Preferred Skills and Attributes:

● Familiarity with photography and video documentation.

● Strong initiative, flexibility and the ability to multi-task.

● Interpersonal and public speaking skills.

Eligibility Requirements (Canada Summer Jobs Program):

● Be between 15-30 years old at the start of employment.

● Be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident or protected person under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

● Be legally entitled to work in Alberta.

● For Canada Summer Jobs reporting purposes this position is formally titled “Education Program Administrator.”

Note: International students are not eligible for this position.

Compensation:

● [Wage] $15 per hour.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility:

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and strongly encourages applications from gender diverse, 2SLGBTQI+ and individuals who are Indigenous, Black or People of Colour.

While we strive for accessibility, we wish to be transparent about the limitations of our facilities. The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is not fully accessible in the following ways: doors to administration offices, ground floor and basement washrooms are not equipped with accessibility buttons, multiple doors require key entry, especially in the classroom and storage areas of the building, ramps in historic section of the gallery are sloped on a steep incline not in compliance with current building code.

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is not equipped with technology that supports those with hearing or visual impairments. We acknowledge that accessibility is an ever changing conversation that is unique depending on individual needs and circumstances. We encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about barriers to access at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.

Please send a cover letter and CV to:

Subject: Summer Art Camp Facilitator: AGGP

Email: hiring@elevationhr.ca

Application closing date: Monday, May 12, 2025, 5:00PM MST

We thank all who may apply, however, only those who are being considered for an interview will be contacted.

SNAP Northern Alberta Artist Print Residency

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Deadline: 5pm MST, May 16, 2025

SNAP (The Society of Northern Alberta-Print-Artists) and Travelling Exhibitions Northwest (TREX NW) invite applications from artistswith a printmaking practice who wish to work in the SNAP Printshop for a 4-week period to develop a new body of work. This body of workwill go towards an exhibition at SNAP Gallery and on the TREX WALL. This visiting artist program is open to artists based in NorthernAlberta who live outside of major centers such as Edmonton. The residency will take place between the months of July and August 2025 (unless otherwise negotiated).

SNAP is a Non-profit Artist-Run Centre in Edmonton, Alberta dedicated to the production, presentation and dissemination of Fine Art Printmaking and Contemporary Print Media. For more information about SNAP, visit our About section.

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) has supported a provincial travelling exhibitions (TREX) program since 1981 to provide as many communities as possible across Alberta with the opportunity to see visual art exhibitions, and to share the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts with the public. A provincially run program, TREX programs highlight the work of Alberta-based artists, helping to promote and encourage artistic careers in the province. The TREX program is host- ed by four different organizations across Alberta, whoeach manage the program for different region. TREX NW is hosted by the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie. For more information, visit aggp.ca

The Northern Alberta visiting artist residency will be selected by jury with representatives from both SNAP & the AGGP.

Visiting Artist Residency Program Includes:

24/7 access to the Printshop for a maximum 4 week consecutive period.
A $4000.00 CAD artist & accommodation fees (paid by TREX NW).
A $500.00 CAD materials stipend (materials purchased must be used during residency & will be administered by SNAP staff).
A future exhibition at SNAP and on the TREX WALL, using some of the works/techniques developed during the residency.
The opportunity for broad public engagement with the artist’s project and studio work.

Submission Requirements:

Artist’s curriculum vitae
10-20 jpegs with corresponding image list
A written project proposal of work to be completed during residency (500 words max)

Conditions

Visiting Artists at SNAP are expected to engage regularly with our community of studio renters, artists and SNAP patrons through attendance at events, informal critiques with emerging artists and others, attendance at exhibition openings and other events happening throughout the artist’s stay. Furthermore, Visiting Artists will be expected to become members of the Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists covering the duration of their residency term and sign the standard SNAP Print- shop rental agreement outlining terms of use and liability as well as adhere to all health and safety protocols in place during the time of residency.

One print or artist proof from each edition printed during the residency must be provided to SNAP for retention in the print archive. The work produced during this residency must go towards the future TREX NW exhibition.

Submissions close at 5pm MST, May 16, 2025.

To apply please email your submissions to: jamie-lee@aggp.ca

For more information about this program, contact Curator/Manager Travelling Exhibitions Northwest, Jamie-Lee Cormier: jamie-lee@aggp.ca

Artist Talk w/ Aurel Tchoumo Tsafack

Thursday February 20th at 6PM

In recognition of Black History Month, the TREX Program and the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie are pleased to host Aurel Tchoumo Tsafack as he shares his art practice and artworks currently in the Travelling Exhibition (TREX), Self Reflection.

Artist Statement:

My artwork is a contemplation, a research on my African cultural identity, which is gradually being wiped out by technology, pollution, and abusive exploitation of my birth land. It is also a questioning on the colonial education imposed on my childhood and that of many other youths in Africa by the colonial masters.

To express these ideas, I chose mixed media because it allows me more freedom to navigate through these complex ideas of mine. More so, when I assemble different found objects it usually paves the paths to other ideas hence making found objects a great source of inspiration for my art. It is sometimes during the assembly process that my creativity expands just like
an orchestra playing and building on different notes which ends up producing soothing auditory jazz sounds.

Vibrant colors have always been one of the major ways by which African culture is expressed. In my work colors inherently have a symbolic nature in many areas as they represent a variety of emotions, traditions, spirituality and victories. For example, Yellow and gold represent wealth, spirituality, wisdom, fertility and beauty. Black stands for royalty, maturity, spiritual energy and death. Blue on its part, is love, abundance, harmony and togetherness. Similarly, I use vibrant colors to give life to my paintings despite the fact that they depict the dark stories of colonialism, economic exploitation, and slavery, which are systematically hidden today.

In addition, I reinterpret old masters artworks using “black” figures and African symbols to captivate my audience and engage them in a discussion with the piece. Doing so is also a means for me to revive black art which was for centuries under-looked and not given its right value. For centuries, Africa has experienced turmoil which has led to the loss of a big portion of her culture leaving many African youth today like me in search for their lost identity.

Click here read more about the TREX Exhibition, Self Reflection.

A Second Horizon – Opening, Artist Talks + Tour

Mark your calendar for these 3 events!

January 29 – Artist Talk at NWP
January 30 – Opening Reception
February 1 – Member Event: Artist + Curator Tour

Artist Talk at NWP

Wednesday, January 29, 2025
6 pm
Northwestern Polytechnic, Room L106
10726 – 106 Ave, Grande Prairie
This event is free and open to the public.

In conjunction with the upcoming exhibition “A Second Horizon” join us Wednesday, January 29 at 6 PM, at Northwestern Polytechnic, room L106, for an artist talk with Lionel Allingham and Nam Duc Nguyen, moderated by curator Jessica Groome.

Opening Reception

Thursday, January 30, 2025
6 – 8 pm
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
This event is free and open to the public.
Artists will be in attendance.

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is pleased to present an exciting new two-person exhibition with Lionel Allingham and Nam Duc Nguyen: A Second Horizon opening January 30th, 2025.

Kicking off the AGGP’s 50th anniversary year, this will be a significant exhibition encompassing the entire ground floor of the gallery. The first in a series of artist pairings, A Second Horizon showcases a local artist from the Permanent Collection, Lionel Allingham, with a contemporary artist with ties to the region, Nam Duc Nguyen. The paintings of Allingham and Nguyen celebrate the abstracted landscape of Northwestern Alberta through two shared, yet unique perspectives.

Catalogue Launch
The Gallery has published a catalogue to accompany the exhibition, A Second Horizon, and it will be available at the January 30th opening reception. Be sure to purchase your copy!

Members Event: Artist + Curator Tour

Saturday, February 1, 2025
10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Free admission with confirmation of active membership.

Join curator Jessica Groome and artist Nam Duc Nguyen on Saturday, February 1st for a guided tour of the new exhibition, “A Second Horizon: Lionel Allingham and Nam Duc Nguyen.”

We’ll start the morning with a presentation by visiting artist Nam to hear insights into his painting process, including mixing his own pigments, followed by a tour of the exhibition with Nam and curator of “A Second Horizon” Jessica Groome. Nam is originally from Edmonton, AB and currently based in Berlin, Germany.

This event is a special invitation to members of the Art Gallery. Purchase or renew your membership online at aggp.ca.

Invitations to special member-only tours and curator talks are one of the benefits to being a Gallery member. Purchasing a membership is a great way for community members to show support for the Gallery and its programming. A regular membership costs $20 per person per year.

Learn more about the artists and exhibition, A Second Horizon.

Make a Faceless Doll with Us!

Community members of all ages are invited to visit the Montrose Cultural Centre to make a Faceless Doll!

We invite you to join us in hearing the story behind the Faceless dolls and creating one of your own in the spirit of friendship and reconciliation. Together, we will make approximately 55 dolls, which will be displayed at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie during the Faceless Doll exhibition until February 16.

Make a Faceless Doll Event
Thursday, January 23
5 – 8 pm
Teresa Sargent Hall
Located within the Montrose Cultural Centre
9839 – 103 Ave, Grande Prairie, AB

This initiative is a collaboration between the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie and the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre.

About the Project:
The Faceless Doll campaign is a project of the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre’s Pitone Youth Program. It was originally led by Knowledge Holder Natascha Okimaw and Elder Loretta Parenteau-English and is based on Loretta’s personal story and cultural teachings. Loretta, a member of the Piikani Nation and a longstanding Grande Prairie community member, had a collection of dolls made by her father as a child, that were lost to her just before she was forced into the residential school system. It was her vision that these dolls be made to honour both the victims and survivors of the residential schools, with the goal of creating 215 to be eventually entered into a permanent installation in the Traditional Healing Garden at the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre.

Learn more about the exhibition.

Travelling Exhibitions hit the road!

We sent FIVE new exhibitions out into our Northwestern Region last week! September marks the start of the TREX (Travelling Exhibition) touring year with the first venues receiving their exhibitions on September 5th.

The Travelling Exhibitions (TREX) program brings engaging art exhibitions directly into communities across Alberta by partnering with local venues to host month-long exhibitions in their spaces, helping to share art experiences with communities of all sizes. We welcome Northwest Alberta venues of all kinds, including schools, libraries, theatres, archives, museums, galleries, community centres, health centres, visitor centres, and tourism centres to book month-long exhibitions.

Read all about the program by clicking here.

Here are the exhibitions which started their two year journey;

Folk Memoirs

Folk Memoirs is a collection of visual narratives experienced while growing up on the Alberta prairies. Sourcing these rare historical moments from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts permanent collection, you will see paintings by Hazel Litzgus, Irene McCaugherty, William Panko and Doris Zaharichuk. The works are described as folk art, which is a unique style of art that reflects the cultural life of a community. Inspired by scenes from everyday life including: helping with housework, farm labor, playing outside, going to rodeos and more.

Mysterious Forest Life

Centred in the forest life of the Peace Country in Northwestern Alberta, the 24 photographs in Mysterious Forest Life embody three types of life forms: fungi, lichen and moss. As each striking image presents us with a new species, the viewer is taken on an exploratory tour of the forest. You will find seven different types of fungi displayed in this exhibition, but there are actually over 1.5 million species of fungi (6 times more than plants) and about 20,000 of them produce mushrooms. In the Mother Earth Boreal Beauty of the Peace Country book, included in this exhibition, you will learn that lichen is not actually a plant, it’s not a moss, it’s a relationship. Also presenting a close up, sensory view of moss in spruce bogs and fens, you will see sphagnum moss photosynthesizing under water, creating bubbles of oxygen.

Raed more…

Self Reflection

The four artists in Self Reflection employ unique ways of expressing their identities in the works on display while allowing the viewer to reflect and even relate them to their own identity. Kelsey Holzli’s artistic identity is composed of personal and collective experiences, using a vibrant colour pallet and small details to draw the viewer in. As Kelsey writes, ‘My artistic identity is composed of personal and collective experiences in relation to trauma, healing, gender expression, and nature.’

Rooted Connections

The exhibition, Rooted Connections tells a story. Storytelling is a way in Indigenous communities to pass down, teachings, traditions and language from generation to generation. The importance of learning how to hunt and tan hide, how to sew different patterns with beads, or how to play drums and rattles are shown here in this display. You will journey through the various cultures and teachings these artisans wanted to represent in their Indigenous heritage.

Touching the Sky

How can an artwork capture the dynamic experience of space? What does the smell of rain look like in a painting? Or our dream experiences in relationship to our waking experiences? Even in a moment when the landscape appears still, there is tons of activity happening that cannot be captured in a single frame—from the intricate and complex patterns of weather and climate to the buzzing of cellular exchanges on a micro level. The landscape is alive, and fluctuating—and so is our own journey through it.

The Path of Ashes

Join us on Thursday, September 5th, for the screening of “The Path of Ashes,” a documentary by the David McGregor and Forrest McGregor.

“The Path of Ashes” is a contemplative portrait of wood-fired ceramic artist Bibi Clement. The film unfolds over two years, following Clement in her home and studio while also observing the connection between the seasons and landscape in her practice. “The Path of Ashes” is a study of the ways in which an artist lives in a reciprocal relationship with their work.

David McGregor and Forrest McGregor are filmmakers and artists living and working in Goodfare, AB.

Event Highlights:
8:30 pm Q&A with the Filmmakers and artist Bibi Clement
9:00 pm Outdoor Screening
Venue: Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Westside Concourse Area, 99 St and 103 Ave

The documentary is supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Bring your friends, grab some popcorn, and join us for a night of art and inspiration.

The event is free and open to everyone!

Event is sponsored by Freshly Squeezed Entertainment.

Location

The film screening will take place at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Westside Concourse Area (pictured here), on the corner of 99 St and 103 Ave.

Bring your friends and join us for a night of art and inspiration.

The event is free and open to everyone!

We can’t wait to see you there!

Please Note….

Just a few housekeeping notes to ensure everyone has a wonderful and comfortable evening:

The duration of the film is 45 minutes.
Free parking is available on the street and the gravel parking lots north and south of the Montrose Cultural Centre.
General seating. There are no assigned seats.
There will be no public access to washrooms after 9 pm. The Montrose Cultural Centre will close at its regularly scheduled time.
The book, “Bibi: A Life in Clay” will be for sale for $20 (cash only) before the Q&A portion and after the film concludes.
The Gallery is providing complimentary popcorn, cookies, water and pop.
Seating will be provided, but guests are welcome to bring their own comfortable chair, like a camping chair or lawn chair.
Please dress appropriately and bring any clothing or blankets you need to be comfortable outside.
In the event of poor weather conditions, the film screening will move indoors.

About the Filmmakers

David McGregor is an artist and filmmaker from Goodfare, Alberta. He studied film at the University of Manitoba and holds a Master’s of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. In his art and film practice he focuses on themes of time, memory, ecology and the subtle moments that shape our lives and the environment.

Forrest McGregor is a dedicated wood-fired ceramics enthusiast, and lover of many other artforms as well. She has also been working on film and photography projects on and off for over fifteen years.

About Bibi Clement

Biography from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Permanent Collection

Born in Amersfoort, Netherlands, ceramic artist Bibi Clement has lived, worked and studied in France, Algeria and Canada. She studied sculpture in clay at Red Deer College; ceramics at Malaspina College in Nanaimo, British Columbia; apprenticed with a studio potter in Amsterdam; and studied watercolour and sculpture workshops in Paris. Bibi is also a professional dancer.

An extremely dedicated potter, Bibi has become an expert in wood-firing and takes great pride and pleasure in firing her pieces in her custom made kiln – one that has travelled with her to many locales. Although precarious, the wood-firing process produces interesting and unique finishes for her stunning pieces. Eastern art and philosophy are essential to Bibi’s life, as demonstrated by her simple approach to pottery that honours Japanese ceramic tradition. Inspired by the people and experiences in her life, both positive and negative – Bibi’s work is sometimes functional, but always expressive and aesthetically beautiful.

Bibi taught clay workshops in British Columbia and Alberta. Her work has been exhibited in Western Canada, and many of her pieces reside in private and public collections all over the world, including in Japan, China, Malaysia, England, Denmark, Switzerland, France, the United States and Canada. Bibi now lives near Hythe, Alberta.

Purchase the Book “Bibi: A Life in Clay”

The book, “Bibi: A Life in Clay” will be for sale for $20 (cash only) before the Q&A portion and after the film concludes.

Documents the life and work of Bibi Clement, a remarkable Dutch-Canadian maker of traditional Japanese pottery, living and working in northwestern Alberta. Published in 2009, to accompany the exhibition Vigil of Angels at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie (Alberta), Bibi: A Life in Clay illustrates and documents the remarkable life of Bibi Clement, whose skill and accomplishment in ceramics as well as her traditional Japanese kilns attract potters from around the world to visit her in northwestern Alberta to make and fire their work with her. Works from all periods of her long career are illustrated, as are her remarkable kilns, and her home and family. Introductions by Yasuo Terada and Ross Bradley, text by the artist’s own daughter Dymphny Dronyk.

Printmaking Workshop w/ Carolyn Gerk

*** Class is Full ***
Any new names will be added to a wait list.

Join TREX Northwest and the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie for a printmaking workshop on August 22nd!

Carolyn Gerk will be in Grande Prairie for a printmaking workshop, come learn the basics of linocut printmaking and explore your ideas in a group setting.

Printmaking Workshop

Thursday, August 22, 2024

6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Location: Art Gallery of Grande Prairie

Price: FREE! All materials provided. Limited Space – Call 780-532-8111 to register.

Caroyln’s exhibition, Otherhood, is now on display on the TREX Wall at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie. Caroyln was the very first recipient of the TREX Northwest “Northern Alberta Artist Print Residency” in 2022.

SNAP (The Society of Northern Alberta-Print-Artists) and TREX Northwest invited applications from artists in Northern Alberta with a printmaking practice who wish to work in the SNAP Printshop (Edmonton) for a 4-week residency to develop a new body of work. Otherhood is a curated exhibition of the work Carolyn produced during her time at SNAP in 2022. Otherhood has already travelled Northern Alberta for one year and, following the TREX Wall exhibit, it will be travelling to the Calgary and Edmonton regions later this year.

About the Exhibition

Otherhood raises the question, what happens when we look back at legend and lore and examine the evolution of the feminized other? In this exhibition, Carolyn Gerk features nineteen relief prints on various papers. Each piece depicts an interpretation of a monstrous woman who has appeared in legends and folklore. She may be frightening and gruesome in some ways, but in others, perhaps her authority shines through. Carolyn’s work seeks to depict recurring themes and patterns that arise in our literary views of the feminine. Learn more at aggp.ca.

Curated by Jamie-Lee Cormier, Curator/Manager of TREX Northwest

Otherhood is on view until August 28, 2024 at AGGP.

Opening on July 25th – Brenda Draney: Drink from the River

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is pleased to announce its latest exhibition, Drink from the River, featuring the work of Edmonton-based artist Brenda Draney.

A previous winner of the RBC Painting Competition and an artist short-listed for the 2016 Sobey Art Award, Brenda Draney’s exhibition, Drink from the River, features work that delve into the complex questions around the notion of intimacy and vulnerability.

“The soft images in her paintings are familiar, like cars, people, and rooms with furniture, but it’s clear the people and places are close to the maker’s memory,” shared Jessica Groome, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.

Sifting through images culled from her own personal archive, her memory, and the Internet, Draney refers to figures and moments that have shaped her lived experiences.

Throughout the exhibition, Drink from the River, suggests that what is truly intimate can also be truly horrific; that what is buried away can be agonizing. Oftentimes, these hauntings and sufferings can lead to a private understanding of oneself, independent of any cultural code. But to begin healing, we must be willing to drink from the river.

Draney hopes her exhibition “invites viewers to constantly reconsider what we think we know and what we remember.”

Brenda Draney: Drink from the River
Thursday, July 25th, 2024
Virtual Artist Talk at 5:00 pm (view in person at the Gallery)
Opening Reception with refreshments from 6:00 – 8:00pm.
Location: Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Both events are free and open to the public.

Drink from the River will be on view until Sunday, January 5th, 2025. LEARN MORE about Drink from the River.

Exhibition Generously Supported by Christine and Murray Quinn.

The exhibition was curated by Jacqueline Kok.

Jacqueline Kok is the 2021–23 Nancy McCain & Bill Morneau Curatorial Fellow at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Kok’s curatorial research pursues the political and social potentials of space through a deep exploration of the dialectical relationship among the bodies within it.

Brenda Draney: Drink from the River is initiated, organized, and circulated by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery (Toronto) in collaboration with The Arts Club of Chicago; Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton); and the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.

Paint a Puck Raffle

The Paint a Puck Raffle is a fundraiser for the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre.

In April, community members of all ages were invited to the Montrose Cultural Centre to paint a hockey puck! Following the event, we also received painted pucks from local schools and community groups.

Together, they painted approximately 700 hockey pucks, and the large-scale collage is now on view at the Design Works Centre in Grande Prairie.

View the mural of hockey pucks during the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships happening in Grande Prairie May 5 – 11, 2024. Purchase your raffle ticket online to support the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre and win a one-of-a-kind hockey puck artwork of your own!

Purchase your ticket before May 11, 2024 because at the end of the championships, the raffle draw* will take place Monday, May 11th.