Learn more about our Artist in the Classroom program.

Click on images to enlarge photo.

View the renderings of the exterior of the building.

View a 3:31 minute video by the Edmonton Journal to hear the artist speak about the exhibition of AutoPark during the 2010 The Works Art & Design Festival in Edmonton, Alberta.  Watch the video.  Learn more about The Works Art & Design Festival.

A temporary installation of AutoPark will be on view in Grande Prairie at the Street Performers Festival July 23 – 25, 2010 and will continue through the summer and fall at the the Prairie Art Gallery/Montrose Cultural Centre location.

Montrose Cultural Centre design earns award
JOSEPHINE LIM – Daily Herald-Tribune staff

Grande Prairie’s Montrose Cultural Centre building design has been recognized with the 2010 Prairie Design Award of Excellence.

The award was presented to Toronto-architectural firm Teeple Architects Inc. at the Festival of Architecture in Saskatoon in late June which was held by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Saskatchewan Association of Architects.

It celebrates “new standards in creativity and skills” and is presented every two years by the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Association of Architects.

The 60,000-square foot building opened in June 2009 and houses the Grande Prairie Public Library and Prairie Art Gallery as well as, community meeting rooms and a café.

“We’re very pleased about it,” said Lois Harper, the city’s culture, grants and awards manager. “We think the building is a benchmark for the city of Grande Prairie and certainly one that will draw people to that site.

“I just think it’s unique and contemporary and new to Grande Prairie.”

Harper said she also thinks the building won because it’s built towards a LEED silver standard, which means that it’s very sustainable.

The ranking is determined by a third-party certification program which looks at the building’s water and energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality and sustainable site development.

She added the Toronto firm’s reputation for winning architecture awards was one of the reasons the city chose them to build the centre.

It was the architect’s decision to submit the building for the award, she said.

Stephen Teeple, the principal architect at the company, said that jurors chose the building based on its regional qualities.

“That’s a nice thing you know because we’re really trying to get the quality of light and the sense of being on the Prairie and that kind of the aspect,” he said.

Teeple added that buildings are chosen based on their design quality, urban design, sustainability and the contribution they make to the community.

But this criteria changes from year to year based on the jury, he said.

The company will continue working in Grande Prairie as they work on restoring the old Prairie Art Gallery building on the west side of the Montrose Cultural Centre.

Teeple calls this the second half of the project since they’re right beside each other.

Construction is expected to be complete by 2012.

Harper can’t wait until it’s done.

“I’m looking forward to the completion of the existing gallery which would give us another opportunity to seek other awards,” she said.

josephine@dailyheraldtribune.com

Article ID# 2658101

What Lies Beneath
Many of us wish to understand what exists mere inches below the earth’s surface.  This exhibit asks the question: ‘What lies beneath?’ by exploring various artists’ representations of the substrata.  From underground mines to root structures, What Lies Beneath investigates the wonder positioned just below our feet.  This exhibition is bound to ignite further passion to maintain and care for the earth, both above and beneath its surface.  What Lies Beneath features works from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collection and the Prairie Art Gallery permanent collection.
Curated by Todd Schaber and Missy Finlay of the Prairie Art Gallery.

What is TREX?

View other travelling exhibitions

Record number of visitors for local art gallery
The Prairie Art Gallery had a record number of visitors last year, despite being closed for nearly 20% of the year.

For its fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 17,765 visits were made to the gallery and this after being closed from April 1 to June 11 in preparation for the move into the new Montrose Cultural Centre (MCC).

Read more. . . .

Visit The Prairie Art Gallery during the 2010 Street Performers Festival! Gallery staff and volunteers will be downtown with chalk drawing that is open to visitors of all ages. 

View four different art exhibitions:

• AutoPark by Laura St.Pierre is an outdoor performance installation located downtown on 100 Avenue
• Le Jardin du sommeil by Canadian artist Spring Hurlbut at The Prairie Art Gallery
• The Wild Side of Art on view at The Prairie Art Gallery
• Children’s Art Exhibition featuring the art work created by the students of this year’s summer art camps on Saturday, July 24 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Learn more about the Grande Prairie Street Performers Festival on their official website, www.gpstreetfest.com.  Be sure to read their page with tips on how to make the best of your weekend.

Between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010:

17,765 people visited the Gallery,
2,553 students were visited by Gallery staff,
77,798 visited the Gallery’s travelling exhibitions,
3,005 school children participated in gallery programs,
At least 359 artistic & cultural events were held by the Gallery,
217 volunteers donated at least 2394 hours,
277 current members,
37,347 visits to the website,
$985,000 raised for endowment,
All this while being closed to the public for 72 days from April 1 to June 11 (20% of the year)

View The Prairie Art Gallery’s 2009/10 Annual Report online to learn more. 

Some of the many highlights of 2009/10:
In 2009/10, we worked to inspire the community and the region by offering free year-round interactive activities for all ages, by partnering in four community-wide festivals, by leading 42 tours and 37 public programs, by visiting 2206 students in their classrooms, by touring 19 travelling exhibitions to 33 communities, by presenting eleven exhibitions in Grande Prairie, accompanied by nine interpretive guides and two major publications, and by sharing all of this with the whole world through the internet.

The Prairie Art Gallery is pleased to welcome this year’s board of directors.

Chair                     Grant Berg
Vice Chair            Alan Segal
Secretary              Maryse Maurice
Treasurer                Pam Chorney
Past Chair             Murray Quinn

Directors
Elroy Diemert
Fred Estlin
Terry Gorgichuk
Carrie Klukas
Barbara McPhee
Tina Nelson
Patricia Trout