Travelling Exhibitions

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Travelling Exhibition Program

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) has supported a provincial travelling exhibition program since 1981. The mandate of the AFA Travelling Exhibition Program is to provide every Albertan with the opportunity to enjoy visual art exhibitions in their community.

Current Travelling Exhibitions

Three regional galleries and one arts organization coordinate the program for the AFA:

• Northwest Alberta: The Prairie Art Gallery, 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

Each year more than 300,000 Albertans enjoy nearly 100 exhibitions in communities ranging from High Level in the north to Milk River in the south and virtually everywhere in between. The AFA Travelling Exhibition Program also offers educational support material to help educators integrate the visual arts into the school curriculum.

A major part of the program assists in making the AFA’s extensive art collection available to Albertans. This growing art collection consists of over 7,000 artworks showcasing the creative talents of more than 1,700 artists. As the only provincial art collection in Alberta, the AFA collection reflects the development of the vibrant visual arts community in the province and has become an important cultural legacy for all Albertans.

The Prairie Art Gallery’s involvement with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition Program dates back to its inception 17 years ago. The Gallery values its role in the promotion of art in communities throughout Northwestern Alberta. Residents of the region served by The Prairie Art Gallery have experienced, through the Travelling Exhibition Program, new opportunities to view and learn about art. One of our current venues is ‘Menno Simmons Community School’ in Cleardale, Alberta. Coordinator Joanna Moen sums up the importance to her community; “Last year we hosted three exhibitions at our tiny school in Northwestern Alberta. The children here have no opportunities through the school to visit Art Galleries or to have much exposure to the arts or artists. Distance is too great of a barrier. As a result, it is quite an event when our new exhibition from the art gallery in Grande Prairie (via the AFA program) is hung! We always invite the community…and dovetail with other events. How fortunate we are to have such a program come to us.”

Region 1: Current Active Venues (2005/2006 )

• Arts & Culture Society on the Edge at The Pearkes Centre (Hudson Hope)
• Aspen Grove School (Grande Prairie)
• Beaverlodge Elementary School
• Beaverlodge Regional High School
• Dixonville School
• E.W. Pratt High School (High Prairie)
• Fairview Fine Arts Centre
• Fort Vermilion Public School
• Fox Creek School & Municipal Library
• Good Shepherd School (Peace River)
• Grande Cache High/Municipal Library
• Grande Cache Tourism & Interpretive Centre
• Grande Prairie Public Library
• High Prairie & District Museum and Historical Society
• High Prairie Municipal Library
• Hines Creek Composite High School
• Hinton Municipal Library
• Holy Family School (Grimshaw)
• Mackenzie Crossroads Museum & Visitors Centre (High Level)
• Manning Elementary School
• Montrose Jr. High School (GP)
• Paul Rowe Jr./Sr. High School (Manning)
• Peace River High School
• The Prairie Art Gallery
• Queen Elizabeth II Hospital (GP)
• Rainbow Lake Library
• Rocky Lane School (Fort Vermilion)
• Rosary School (Manning)
• Sexsmith Shannon Library
• Slave Lake Library
• Spirit of the North School (High Level)
• St. Joseph Catholic High School (GP)
• St. Mary’s School (Sexsmith)
• Wabasca Library
• Worsley Central School