Check out Looking Back, Moving Forward: Reflecting on ‘The Curve’ on Art at Home for images, activities, and interesting facts about this recent exhibition!
Thank you to the exhibition sponsors and partners:
Exhibition Sponsor
Exhibition Partner
Exhibition Partner
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) Travelling Exhibitions Program Northwest (TREX NW) is currently accepting submissions from artists based in Treaty 8.
The deadline for submissions is March 15th, 2021.
For more information about submissions guidelines and requirements, please see our TREX Submission Page
Thank you to our program sponsor:
From left to right:
Tyler Los-Jones: A Slow Light, Grande Cache Tourism & Interpretive Centre, 2020
Curbside Museum, Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, 2020.
Mittinism and the Quest for Empathy: Rita McKeough, Grande Prairie Public Library, 2019
We are excited to re-open the Carlstrom Family Green Space!
At this time we have opened bookings on Tuesday-Fridays at 11:00am or 2:00pm for 1.5 hour time slots. We have implemented guidelines to keep everyone safe with sufficient time allotted to deep clean after each group. There is a limit of 8 people per booking and they must all be part of the same cohort. *A cohort, is a small group whose members are always the same people.
To book a time in the Carlstrom Family Green Space click here!
A special feature for Members of AGGP – With your membership you will have the ability to book Saturdays from 1:00 – 3:00pm in the Carlstrom Family Green Space. To become a member click here.
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is honoured to share the addition of three key new staff as it continues on a path of enriching our community through art. Each of their detailed biographies follows.
Executive Director, Jeff Erbach, elaborates on the importance of these positions, sharing “these are leadership positions in our organization, and so also for culture in our region. The gallery has ambitious plans and we’re confident we can make these real with the addition of these talented women.”
The new Curator, Exhibitions and Collections is Manar Abo Touk. Manar has worked with a wide range of artists and disciplines in a variety of settings all over the world. “My curatorial practice looks at ideas, stories, and artists that encourage diversity, artistic experimentation, and new interpretations of art in society. My role as a curator is to make a connection between art and the public and I’m very excited to continue my work at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie and be part of this amazing team and community!”
The new Travelling Exhibition Manager/Curator is Robin Lynch. Robin, a former pre-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, is eager to join the Gallery. “I am unbelievably excited to join the already vibrant team at the gallery. I look forward to continuing the travelling exhibitions program, which provides an amazing opportunity to share stories and have conversations with a wide variety of communities and institutions.”
Lastly, the Gallery’s new Manager, Development and Administration is Brittany Kelsey. Brittany held an important role with the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, and is eager to continue to contribute to local culture. “I’m excited to build and develop the Gallery’s relationships in our community and ensure its sustainability through a diversified approach to fund development. Being part of an organization that is inclusive, supportive, and adheres to a community standard is extremely important to me. As we navigate these difficult times, I’m honoured to be a part of the future of the Gallery.”
Manar Abo Touk – Curator, Exhibitions and Collections
Manar Abo Touk is a Syrian Canadian curator specialized in international contemporary art with a focus on Canadian and Middle Eastern Art. She has an MA in Museum and Gallery Studies from Kingston University London, UK and a BA in History and Theory of Arts and Arts Administration from the University of Ottawa. Manar’s career includes work at the Canadian War Museum and Studio Sixty-Six Gallery in Ottawa, aluCine Latin Film+Media Arts Festival in Toronto and more recently as the Arts Manager and Curator at Al Riwaq Art Space in Bahrain. She is Fluent in English and Arabic.
Robin Lynch – Travelling Exhibitions Manager / Curator
Robin Lynch is an art historian, educator, curator, a Ph.D. Candidate in Art History at McGill University, and a former pre-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Since 2015, she has co-directed a curatorial research group based out of Singapore that brings together international scholars and artists to examine the relationships between art, economics, and infrastructure. She has an MA in Curatorial Studies from Bard College, NY, and has been involved nationally and internationally in the cultural sector for over 8 years with institutions such as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Rennie Museum, Vancouver; Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway; and the Hessel Museum of Art, NY; amongst others.
Brittany Kelsey – Manager, Development and Administration
Living most of my adult life in Grande Prairie and making it my family’s home, I’ve grown to care about our community and our cultural sector. I’ve been an active, lead volunteer on a range of events, which has included the KMSC Law charity golf tournament, the 2018 Alberta Summer Games and the 2019 Men’s and Master Men’s Canadian National Fast Pitch Championships. Prior to joining the Gallery, I served in a wide range of duties at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, which included leading and coordinating community outreach, communications and events.
Come celebrate with us during Alberta Culture Days!! This year culture days runs all September long so the gallery has events happening September 1-30!! Here is a list of our events.
Free Creativity Kits
September 1 – 30
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
As part of our Art at Home online initiative, we have created FREE take home creativity kits for you to explore your creativity and enjoy art-making your way! Glue, stick, twist and tie, build and have fun! Feel free to mix and match the materials provided how it makes sense to you! You can pick up your FREE Creativity Kit at the gallery during our regular hours. Kits are for all ages. Limit 1 per person. *while quantities last
Spiral of Breath: Community Art Kit
September 16–22
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Everyone is invited to participate in Spiral of Breath, a community art project that explores the community’s individual and collective experience in 2020. Displayed as a temporary public visual poem in the common area on the North Side of the Montrose Cultural Centre, it will create an emotional picture of our community.
To contribute to this unique project, pick up a FREE take home activity kit at the front desk of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, complete your card and return it to the Art Gallery by Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 5:00 pm. *while quantities last
Artist Talk: Chris Beauchamp
Sept 26, 11 am – 12 pm
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Join Grande Prairie based photographer Chris Beauchamp talking about his collection of photographs in The Curve: Community Art Installation which explore some of the changes in our community and the resilience of individuals to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic in Grande Prairie. Chris Beauchamp also has an extensive background in journalism, advertising, communications, and graphic design.
Everyone is welcome to this free event. Space is limited to 10 participants. Please register by Friday, September 25 by calling 780 532-8111, or email: info@aggp.ca.
SPIRAL OF BREATH: COMMUNITY ART ACTIVITY
Sept 26, 1:30 pm – 4 pm
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Everyone is invited to participate in Spiral of Breath, a community art project that explores the community’s individual and collective experience in 2020. Displayed as a temporary public visual poem in the common area on the North Side of the Montrose Cultural Centre, it will create an emotional picture of our community.
Stop by the Art Gallery to complete this FREE activity. All materials are provided.
ZACHARY KAY: MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Sept 27, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
Zachary Kay is a local singer-songwriter who has garnered a cult following in the Peace Country Region with his band, The Northbloods. Zachary will be performing his latest original song featured in The Curve: Community Art Installation, Strange Dreams, a reflection of the unexpected emotions associated with quarantine isolation. He will also be playing some of his new originals from his soon to be released solo album as well as some of his songs from his band catalogue.
Everyone is welcome to this free event. Space is limited to 20 participants for each performance. Please register by Friday, September 25 by calling 780 532-8111, or email: info@aggp.ca
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 $10 at the Front Reception desk. (Learn more about Memberships)
Deadline: Wednesday, September 16th, 2020
Renumeration: Honorarium based on the length of term
Submission Criteria:
Please apply or send inquires via email to info@aggp.ca
Image: Heide Enzmann, Pandemonium, 2020. Alcohol Ink and Paint Marker on Canvas, 36 inches x 36 inches. Heide is our current Featured Member and her artwork is on display at the Gallery until September 30, 2020.
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is proud to launch this call for professionally finished artworks to participate in our 40th Annual Art Auction on November 2nd – 7th 2020.
The deadline for submissions is August 15, 2020.
Due to the pandemic and uncertainty around live events, this year’s auction will have a strong online presence. As a free admission museum, now more than ever this fundraiser will prove an important part of the gallery’s financial outlook. We’re proud to launch this open call for donors and artists to contribute by generously donating work in support of our exhibitions and programs.
For more information on how to submit artwork check out the
If you have any questions please contact Curatorial Assistant, Learning, Jamie-Lee Cormier at jamie-lee@aggp.ca
We have launched our Summer Art Camps! Offered in a professional gallery setting, this year, students will display their artwork in The Curve: Community Art Installation. To keep children safe, we will be limiting our camps to 6 children per camp to maintain the proper amount of social distancing. View the Summer Art Camp Handout to see the steps we are taking this summer to keep everyone safe.
Week-long camps for 6 – 12 year olds.
$95 Non-Members / $75 Members
To register: call (780) 532 – 8111 or email jamie-lee@aggp.ca
Students will learn a variety of painting and drawing techniques inspired by our natural environment.
Students will explore a variety of exciting mediums inspired by The Curve and nature.
With a unique focus on sculptural forms and space, students will create contemporary 3-dimensional art.
SUMMER ART CAMPS are sponsored by:
We acknowledge that we are located on Treaty 8 territory—the ancestral Land of the sovereign Dane-zaa, Nehiyawak, Dene, and Otipemisiwak Nations. We acknowledge the many Indigenous Peoples who have lived and cared for these lands for generations. We are grateful for the traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who are still with us today and those who have gone before us. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and gratitude.
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie also recognizes that Land Acknowledgments are not enough. Through our actions we commit to truth, reconciliation, decolonization, and allyship in support of Indigenous lifeways and wellbeing.
