About TREX NW

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 for their community using the request form.

Exhibition themes are varied to suit every audience, with historic and contemporary artwork in a wide range of mediums. Each exhibition comes with an educator’s guide that provides exhibition interpretation, curriculum connections, creative activities, and relevant historical information.

Exhibitions are designed for ease of handling and may be displayed in different ways depending on the type and amount of space available. The TREX program covers almost all fees for the exhibitions (including shipping and insurance). There is only a 75$ booking fee.

For a quick overview of TREX, click here for schools, and here for other community venue partners.

Featured image: Fantastic Worlds exhibition with students completing the interactive scavenger hunt. Artwork by K. Gwen Frank, Body and Soul, 1994, Etching, Aquatint on Paper, Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

HISTORY

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 hosted by four different organizations across Alberta, who each manage the program for different regions:

Northwest Alberta: The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie
Northeast and North Central Alberta: The Art Gallery of Alberta
Southwest Alberta: The Alberta Society of Artists
Southeast Alberta: Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre

Book an Exhibition

Want to book an exhibition for your space or classroom? Explore the booking catalogue and pick out which exhibitions and dates suit your programming needs. You can then submit a booking request form (found below in Forms) by email or contact us to find out about available exhibitions.

Booking Opens – MAY 1 at 8AM

The booking catalogue for 2025 – 2026 can be found below.

New Booking Approach: Supporting Equitable Access

The TREX program is committed to ensuring that exhibitions are accessible to a wide range of communities, with particular attention to those who may face barriers to accessing professional art experiences. This includes rural and remote schools, Indigenous communities, small-town libraries, and organizations that serve youth, seniors, newcomers, and other equity-deserving groups.

We also recognize that many urban schools and community centres—particularly in larger cities—serve diverse populations who face systemic barriers due to race, income, ability, or other factors. These venues are equally considered in our efforts to prioritize equitable access.

Rather than using a strict “first come, first served” model, we review all booking requests with the intention of balancing geographic distribution, community need, and programming capacity. If we are unable to fulfill a booking request in a given year, we do our best to prioritize that venue in the following cycle.