Exhibit Schedule
The mandate of the Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery is to present in-person and virtual exhibitions of work by local artists, as well as stimulate creativity by showcasing art never seen before in the province. We promote, connect, and support artists, art-lovers, and the community through a variety of programming. Our efforts contribute to the dialogue of contemporary art and stimulate engagement with the art, along with cultivate creative community.
See our submission guidelines and upcoming calls for art submissions by clicking here.
The Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery is curated by award-winning artist and arts advocate Alexis Marie Chute.
Event cancelled.
March 1 – May 26, 2023
“Chromatopia” Group Fiber Arts Exhibition
Gallery Run: March 1 – May 26, 2023
Opening Party: Saturday, March 4, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Exhibit Description:
Chromatopia is a FAN (Fiber Art Network) exhibition inspired by Picasso’s monochromatic works in his blue period. Each artist was challenged to explore their own individual theme through the creation of two monochromatic textile artworks using two assigned colour hues.
The exhibition visually explores the colour spectrum while preserving the unique individualistic style of each artist. Each set of 2 pieces (which will be hung in columns of 2), are textile/fibre pieces that reflect a unique theme of the individual artist depicted through two distinct monochromatic colour schemes. Each work is a 12” x 12” x ½” monochromatic canvas-wrapped textile/fibre piece. Pieces move through the spectrum in one direction on top and the reverse on the bottom. Together the exhibition will visually impact the viewer by the representation of the colour spectrum through both the upper level artworks and the lower. The viewer will be drawn to the distinct themes explored by each individual artist while supporting the inclusivity of the spectrum.
The Fibre Art Network (FAN) is a co-operative of Western Canadian artists committed to promoting fibre as an art form and each other as artists. FAN membership includes emerging fibre artists, teachers, authors and judges. Many members have been recognized both nationally and internationally for their work. FAN was inaugurated in 1998. Since then FAN has created 30 exhibitions exhibited at 94 Canadian venues and 8 International venues. Chromatopia will be our 28th show, an exhibition of 47 fibre artists each contributing 2 art pieces.
Featured Artists:
The work of 47 FAN members, two pieces per artist, will be represented in this exhibition.
Sharon Allman, Karen Arends, Terry Aske, Diana Bartelings, Janet Bednarzcyk, Yvonne Bilan-Wallace, Joyce Brown, Anette Cameron, Laine Canivet, Gisela Carroll, Jan Clark, Michele Craigen, Margie Davidson, Ranjeet Dhaliwal, Donna Fay Digance, Eileen Findlay, Robin Fischer, Leslie Forbes, Victoria Gray, Susan Greenwell, Janet Harper, Jaynie Himsl, Linda Ingham, Margaret Jessop, Christine Johannink, Karen Johnson, Connie Kadey, Angie Kok, Judy Leslie, Linda MacKay, Judy MacLeod, Marie McEachern, Sandra Melnik, Thelma Newbury, Marianne Parsons, Colleen Peake, Cindi Plant, Yvonne Rempel, Bonita Rozander, Janet Scruggs, Susan Selby, Lilly Thorne, Cathie Ugrin, Gay Walker, Judy Weiss, Nan Williams, and Valerie Wilson.
December 12, 2022 – February 23, 2023
“Eternal Summer” Group Exhibition & Book Launch
Gallery Run: December 12, 2022 – February 23, 2023
Opening Party & Happy Hour: Tuesday, December 20, 2022, 4:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Exhibit Description:
Experience the Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery like never before. In the coldest months of the year in Alberta, we all need a little sunshine. Step into the immersive garden of the “Eternal Summer” group exhibition. Local artists present their colour-rich landscapes, flowers, summer skies, beaches, garden close-ups, locations near and far, and the plants and animals that inhabit them. The gallery is in full bloom! The “Eternal Summer” exhibit presents sunny summer days where visitors can soak up vitamin D without an expensive plane ticket.
See herbarium specimens collected by the Centre’s Organic Master Gardener program students. Plus, take home part of the garden with you with the coffee table book The Eternal Summer of Alberta’s Herbarium.
Featured Artists:
Carmella Haykowsky, Suzan Berwald, Ania Telfer, Doug Downey, Brenda Lakeman, Jeanette Spencer, Rocio Graham, Amanda Boudreau, Aeris Osborne, Tina Mueller, Meghana Gauthier, Tammy Taylor, Deirdre McCleneghan, Cailey Mrochuk, Sharon Rubuliak, Teresa Graham, and Laurie MacFayden.
Featured Organic Master Gardener Students:
Devan Bailey, Shenae Borschneck, Janet Chalan, Georgina Coté, Kelly Dunn, Coleen Harman, Katie Ingram, Janice Sinclair, Jackie Skett, Tierra Stokes, Amber Brennan, Alayna Dornbush, Susan Walters, and Michelle White.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
December 20, 2022
“Memorable Murals: The Visual History of the Town of Stony Plain, Alberta” Book Progress Presentation
Presentation Event: Tuesday, December 20, 2022, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Location: PERC Building boardroom, 5413-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Event Description:
Hear the stories and see the photos that make up the Memorable Murals book, which tells the vivid and enterprising history of Stony Plain, Alberta.
Join us for lunch. RSVP to artgallery@multicentre.org
Presentation Host:
Author and photographer Alexis Marie Chute.
Thank you for the support for this project from the Alberta Government Stabilization Grant.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
November 19, 2022
“Multi Gala”
Gala Event: Saturday, November 19, 2022, 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Location: PERC Building gymnasium, 5413-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Event Description:
Get dressed up for our first ever fashion-focused Multi Gala. Channeling the style of the New York Met Gala, we welcome you to our red-carpet event. Bring a date and invite your friends!
Enjoy four runway shows featuring Indigenous designer Derek Jagodzinsky of LUXX Ready to Wear, conceptual clothing created by local artists, a selection from Red Brick Vintage, and an exclusive feature of local Stony Plain celebrity Cornelia Wood’s famous hat collection. Watch a sculpture and painting being created LIVE before your eyes. The event will be MC’ed by beloved drag queen Artaisa and will feature the beats of local DJ Yomi. Savor charcuterie, sweet desserts, and waiter-served appetizers.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
September 7 – November 23, 2022
“Party Paintings: Life of the Party in Narrative Portraiture” Exhibition by Campbell Wallace
Gallery Run: September 7 – November 23, 2022
Opening Party & Artist Talk: Thursday, September 29, 2022, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Artist Statement by Campbell Wallace:
I choose the subjects for my paintings from a growing collection of “found” images. As I’ve worked intuitively selecting from thousands of photos, certain themes and recurring motifs within this body of paintings have made themselves known to me. This series of paintings consists of a large sub-group of pictures I’ve come to think of as the “Party Paintings.” Some are straight-up portraits of people in the act of partying — going to, enjoying, or leaving a social gathering — while others contain unique narratives which shift based on what the individual viewer brings to it.
This shifting narrative has been the focus of this group of paintings since I began working on them. These images and people seem important to me, and I feel compelled to separate them from the “pack” and elevate them for the viewer’s contemplation. The best way for me to accomplish this is to recreate the original image with traditional painting methods, while still referencing the original photo and its flaws – flash, heavy shadow, or “red-eye.” I use a combination of acrylics and oils to best capture the moods, lighting, and textures that would constitute the memory of a moment. This slower painting process allows me time to understand what inspires me about the source material and what symbols and/or art-historical references I need to emphasize in the final painting.
These recent portraits have been selected from a larger ongoing body of work concerned with extraordinary moments – highs and lows found within the ordinary events of people’s lives. The “Party Paintings” focus on both the potential highs of social interaction, as well as the potential unease of its after effects.
About Campbell Wallace:
Campbell Wallace grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He began drawing in earnest at the age of four and completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Alberta in 2000. He has maintained a studio practice focusing on acrylic and oil portrait painting, primarily working from a growing collection of vernacular photographs appropriated from various sources. These narrative portraits depict ordinary yet compelling people and situations that invite a viewer to make up their own mind as to the meaning of each piece.
Cam works as the Technician Demonstrator for Visual Fundamentals, Drawing, & Media Arts for the University of Alberta Art & Design faculty. An active member of the Northern Alberta Wood Carvers’ Association, he also plays the great highland bagpipe alongside the Wajjo West African Drum Group. Most recently, he’s been learning guitar in his one spare hour a week.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
June 1 – August 26, 2022
“Light in Darkness” Photo Exhibition by Tope Akindele
Gallery Run: June 1 – August 26, 2022
Opening Party: Thursday, June 9, 2022, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Virtual Exhibit Premiere: Thursday, June 23, 2022, 7:00 pm MT
Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel
Description:
Light In Darkness is a collection of work that invites us to examine life’s journey as extremes on a continuum of sameness. It examines the contradictions and often tensions that arise from our experiences of love, laughter, trauma, inequity and the pandemic.
The artist encourages hopeful curiosity as we engage with the exhibition in finding our joy in sadness, pain in happiness while awakening our learners mind to evoke light in darkness.
About Tope Akindele:
Tope is a Nigerian born artist whose love for creativity began very early on in his life when he was introduced to the art of sketching, painting and reproducing images in elementary school. Tope’s creativity grew into a passion for the arts in general, dabbling in performance and visual genre before settling with photography.
Tope has explored the world from behind the lens for over 15 years in multiple countries across the world including but not limited to Nigeria, Ghana, Rep. of Benin, Canada and USA. Tope’s work covers the histories of societies to moments and memories on life’s journey.
Tope is part of artists’ collectives across Alberta, sharing and exploring the influence of art in community development which he has committed to volunteerism and in 2021 was recognized for his contributions in the community building and advocacy space by the Government of Alberta. (2021 Alberta Northern Light Volunteer Award)
Tope’s professional career aside the arts, includes being a Business Analyst and Process and Performance Specialist, he is also the Co-founder of Hexagon Wellness Solutions.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
June 1 – August 26, 2022
“Mystery Box Art Challenge 2” Exhibition
Gallery Run: June 1 – August 26, 2022
Opening Party: Thursday, June 9, 2022, 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, Alberta
Virtual Exhibit Premiere: Thursday, May 19, 2022, 7:00 pm MT
Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel
Featuring Artists:
Amynah Pirani, Brenda Lakeman, Brooke Gander, Cailey Mrochuk, Keran Dunnink, & Paige Watt
Description:
The Mystery Box Art Challenge 2 (2022) was a creative opportunity for local artists. These artists received a box of collage, art, and unexpected materials. The challenge: Use at least a little bit of each material (box included) in the creation of an original artwork. They had 8 weeks to make their art.
The artists were told they could combine these materials into a sculpture, add them to canvas, or whatever their imaginations could conceive. Most importantly, they were encouraged to have fun, make art, innovate, and present their Mystery Box Art Challenge 2 artwork in the Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery.
The Mystery Box Art Challenge was organized and curated by Alexis Marie Chute, art gallery curator at the Multicultural Heritage Centre.
The first winner of the Mystery Box Art Challenge, Jennifer Rae Forsyth, was the guest judge to award the new Challenge winner who received a $250 gift card to The Paint Spot art Store, a gift basket, and more.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Meet the Alberta Artist In Residence Arts Ambassador
When: 2:00 – 3:30 pm, Saturday, May 28, 2022
Where: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, 5411-51 Street, Stony Plain, AB
Description: Learn from the current Alberta Artist in Residence Aeris Osborne. Ask Aeris your burning artsy questions and get inspired. Enjoy afternoon tea and treats!
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
March 13 – May 25, 2022
“Project Sketchbook” Group Exhibition
Date: Gallery exhibition runs March 13 – May 25, 2022
Location: Art Gallery, Red Brick Schoolhouse, Multicultural Heritage Centre
Sketch at the Multi Centre: Saturday, March 19, 2022, 10:00 AM – 12:00 NOON, meet in the gallery
Exhibit Opening Party: Saturday, March 19, 2022, 12:00 NOON – 2:00 PM
Virtual Exhibition YouTube Premiere: “Project Sketchbook” Virtual Exhibit Link – Click here!
Thursday, April 14, 2022, 7:00 PM MT. Tune in a few minutes before 7pm to see the countdown, plus join in the real-time chat window. Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel
Exhibit Description:
Sketchbooks have become their own artform. From art-collage to double-page spreads to sketchbook challenges and beyond, the bound-page has transcended the mere home for preliminary drawings. “Project Sketchbook” presents over 60 artist sketchbook pages enlarged and covering the walls, as if viewers have walked into a sketchbook itself. “Project Sketchbook” will inspire and entertain through botanical sketches, portraits in a variety of mediums, word-and-image collages, and much more. This is a must-see exhibit for anyone who loves to peer into the creative practice of working artists.
Featured Artists:
Stella Kaufman | Imelda Wei Ding Lo | Maria Sieben Jessica Semenoff | Jennifer Anderson | Beth George Ken Khoo | Terrie Shaw | Caitlin Sian Richards | Eva Nagy Deltra Powney | Deepa Mahajan | Nikki Stoyko | Ryan Wolters Michael Schwabenbauer | Melissa Baron | Mady Piesold Kristi Tencarre Herd | Arlene Westen | Alan Henderson Courtney LeBaron | Janice Blaine | Angie Sotiropoulos Mary Whale | Athina Kanonidou | Shikha Banerjee Brenda Lakeman | Laura Erdman | Amy Cotterall
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
March 13 – May 25, 2022
Permanent Collection Exhibition
Date: Gallery exhibition runs March 13 – May 25, 2022
Location: Art Gallery, Red Brick Schoolhouse, Multicultural Heritage Centre
Exhibit Opening Party: In conjunction with “Project Sketchbook” opening | Saturday, March 19, 2022, 12:00 NOON – 2:00 PM
Exhibit Description:
The sculptures in this permanent collection exhibition were generously donated by Rose & Bill Almdal. The exhibit includes nine sculptures along with window gallery in the Multicultural Heritage Centre public art gallery.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Edmonton Short Film Festival with Black History Month
Date & Time: Saturday, February 26 at 1:00pm
Location: PERC Building (5413-51 Street, Stony Plain, AB), gymnasium. Event hosted by the Multicultural Heritage Centre.
What: Film screening of local Black filmmakers to celebrate Black History Month.
December 12, 2021 – February 28, 2022
“The Thread That Runs Through Me” Solo Exhibit by Zana Wensel
Date & Location: The exhibit runs December 12, 2021, to February 28, 2022, in the Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery.
Meet-the-Artist Open House: Saturday, January 22, 2022, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Virtual Exhibition Premiere: Thursday, January 20, 2022, 7:00 PM MT on the Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel
Exhibit Description:
Cell memory (sometimes interchanged with ‘body memory’), is the theory that memories can be stored beyond the brain, deep “in a psychosomatic* network [that] extends into the body” (Pert 1997). Due to the ways in which traumatic events flood the brain’s memory receptors, they are thereby “distributed along pathways to internal organs and the very surface of [the] skin,” (Pert 1997). As such, cell memory refers to the ‘imprints’ trauma makes on the psyche and soma, and the impacts this has on the mindbody** thereafter.
The Thread That Runs Through Me is a body of work that explores this notion of cell memory in relation to trauma. Through the pairing of text and visual form, the artist sheds insight upon what constitutes cell memory, and aims to bring consciousness to her own experiences. In doing so, she confronts and materializes her relationship with cell memory as a form of catharsis, and reveals several psychosomatic effects that arise as a result.
Using fabric and thread as metaphors of the body’s interwoven composition, the artist communicates the sensory and palpable nature of cell memory, while simultaneously mending the relationship with her cells in the process. Through her use of various analogue methods, the integration of the body within these processes becomes essential as it simultaneously inhabits and conceives these works as both conduits and forms of self-realization. Through these means, the artist cultivates a space for herself to both reflect upon and release her embodied memories, and offers these works as reflections on the fabric of our human existence.
*Psychosomatic: of, relating to, concerned with, or involving both mind and body; of relating to, involving, or concerned with bodily symptoms caused by mental or emotional disturbance (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
**Mindbody: connected with the relationship between the mind and the body and how mental processes and physical processes affect each other (Cambridge English Dictionary)
Reference: Pert, C. B. (1997). Molecules of Emotion. New York, NY: Scribner.
We gratefully acknowledge support during 2022 from the Government of Alberta Stabilize Program: Adapt and Innovate.
November 19 – December 6, 2021
Permanent Collection Exhibition
Date & Location: The exhibit runs November 19 – December 6, 2021, in the Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery.
Exhibit Features: A vintage artist oil painting metal box sits at the center of the gallery, surrounded by two-dimensional artwork from the Multicultural Heritage Centre’s Permanent Art Collection. Artwork by Brandon Atkinson, June Harrison, John Kulak, Roger Caisse, and others.
October 21 – November 15, 2021* Extended till December 6, 2021!
Ashley Stelter Art Feature
Artist Statement: I am the granddaughter of residential school survivors, the daughter of sixty scoop survivors, and I myself had been in foster care for 10 years from 5 to 15 years old. I have survived cancer once and hope to do it again while battling low-grade ovarian cancer. I want to inspire young Indigenous youth to follow their passion even though they may face the most difficult challenges.
Date & Location: The exhibit runs October 21 to November 15, 2021, in the Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
“Ask The Curator” Event
About the Event: This is your chance to ask the Multicultural Heritage Centre’s Art Gallery Curator all your burring questions. How do you take your artwork to the next level? How do you apply for art gallery exhibits? What will make your application stand out? What are art gallery curators looking for? Art Curator Alexis Marie Chute will share her experience and knowledge from her nearly 20 years experience as a professional artist and her decade of experience as a curator. Bring your questions and get ready to learn and be inspired.
This event is FREE!
Date & Location: Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Google Meet
Register your Attendance: Email Alexis Marie Chute at artgallery@multicentre.org to save your spot!
Saturday, September 18, 2021
“Video Art: Art & Inspiration In Moving Images” Film Screening
About the Event: The “Video Art” film screening will present films featuring Alberta creatives, both on the screen and behind the lens. The event will be a creative catalyst for all who attend. Get inspired and stimulate your own creativity.
Presented in partnership between the Multicultural Heritage Centre, the National Film Board of Canada, and the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta.
Date & Location: Saturday, September 18, 2021 | 7:00 pm Seating | 7:30 Screening Outdoor amphitheatre | Oppertshauser House | Multicultural Heritage Centre | Stony Plain
Bring a blanket and get inspired at this unique film screening!
Film Line-up:
Normalizing Awkwardness by Daelan Wood
Normalizing Awkwardness is a short documentary about the creative process of Edmonton Based comedian and artist Caroline Stokes. Daelan Wood is an Edmonton Based filmmaker. He has directed numerous short films and music videos that have shown at festivals around the world. 2021 | 3 min
A Short film about Tegan & Sara by Ann Marie Fleming
In this joyful portrait, filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming animates the formative days and musical career of Calgary- born identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin. Their remarkable journey over the past 20 years has often intersected with notions of identity—as artists, as individuals, as sisters, as queer women, and as leading activists in the LGBTQ community. Their musical progression parallels and amplifies their commitment to bringing the marginal to the mainstream. 2018 | 04 min 46 s | National Film Board of Canada
Unbroken Film, Edmonton Ballet, by Adam Kidd
UNBROKEN from Ballet Edmonton. Watch an unveiling of Ballet Edmonton’s creative victories during a year like no other. This digital piece by Adam Kidd features interviews and highlights of two new works by choreographer Karissa Barry and Ballet Edmonton Artistic Director Wen Wei Wang. Both pieces were created for collaborative projects with Edmonton arts organizations, including the SkirtsAfire Festival and the Brian Webb Dance Company. This film serves as an archive of an important moment in time when we did what we could to keep creating and discovered new ways to stay connected to our community. 2021 | 30 min
June Night by Mike Maryniuk
Working in sublime self-isolation during the strange pandemic spring of 2020, avant-garde filmmaker Mike Maryniuk composes a surreal ode to rebirth and reinvention. Juxtaposing archival imagery with handcrafted animation, he conjures up a shimmering utopian dreamscape, a post-COVID world shaped by the primordial forces of nature—haunted by the genial spectre of Buster Keaton. Part of THE CURVE, a collection of social distancing stories that bring us together. 2020 | 4 min | National Film Board of Canada
The Real Place by Cam Christiansen (John Murrell)
Puccini’s famous aria from the opera Tosca, Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore (“I lived for art, I lived for love”) provides a fitting summation of playwright John Murrell’s life and work. Since the age of 13 Murrell has peopled his life with the creations of his own imaginings. “In opera and in Shakespeare, in locations that were both natural and supernatural, I have escaped the limitations of my own mind,” he says. Born in Lubbock, Texas, John Murrell became a playwright in, of all places, an Alberta high school. Caprice and serendipity have marked his work ever since. Animator Cam Christiansen gives Murrell’s imagination free rein, suspending the laws of time and space, to create a visual accompaniment to the playwright’s fights of poetic fancy. Despite its more fantastic elements, Murrell’s work is grounded in a profound appreciation for the real. History and place play a critical role in his work, where everyone from Sarah Bernhardt to Walt Whitman puts in an appearance. But behind the spectacle, the masque, and the play itself, is a man happily creating his own world. 2009 | 05 min 26 s | National Film Board of Canada
Patrick Ross by Ervin Chartrand
Patrick Ross is Ervin Chartrand’s second short film. In the 6-minute piece, Chartrand renders a beautiful cinematic portrait of ex-prison inmate, 29-year-old Patrick Ross, a Dakota from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, Ross was not an artist, nor a spiritual person, until he came to Manitoba’s Stony Mountain Institution. There he met artist inmate Terry Southwind, and started to paint. His work quickly evolved to a point where he felt most comfortable using white paint over black canvases – a style that can only be described as ‘seeing’. We watch Patrick create one of his extraordinary paintings while he shares his thoughts on his art, his time in jail and his hopes for the future. 2006 | 5 min 44 s | National Film Board of Canada
Shea, By NASRA
A family displaced by greed searches for a new home in a foreign place. As they explore they discover pieces of themselves; old and new. “Shea” celebrates what has always remained in Black/African peoples, an innate sense of home, luxury and interconnectedness. 2021 | 2 min 40 s | FAVA
Hard White Spring, By Jennifer Mesch
Hard White Spring: A strain of spring wheat. A 16 mm filmic poem in which six dancers contend with the limits of interior and exterior spaces. 2017 | 4 min 49 s | FAVA
Lifetimes of Snow, By Truthful Work Productions
Lifetimes of Snow is a portrait of musician Jom Comyn from the year he released his iconic album In The Dark On 99 (All The Time, All The Time). Captured on a kaleidoscopic array of formats including 16mm and 8mm film, the short documentary is a fleeting glimpse into the life of a quietly brilliant musician at the height of his powers, with special consideration for how the city of Edmonton has informed the respective practices of both the subject and the filmmaker. 2015 | 9 min 8 s | FAVA
JULY 25 – NOVEMBER 11, 2021
“Mystery Box Art Challenge 1″ In-Person Exhibition
The Mystery Box Art Challenge (2021) was a creative opportunity for local artists. These artists received a box of collage, art, and unexpected materials. The challenge: Use at least a little bit of each material (box included) in the creation of an original artwork. They had 8 weeks to make their art.
The artists were told they could combined these materials into a sculpture, add them to canvas, or whatever their imaginations could conceive. Most importantly, the artists were encouraged to have fun, make art, innovate, and present their Mystery Box Art Challenge artwork in the Multi Centre’s virtual exhibition.
The Mystery Box Art Challenge was organized and curated by Alexis Marie Chute, art gallery curator at the Multicultural Heritage Centre.
Mystery Box Art Challenge 1 Artists include: Norma Callicott, Jennifer Rae Forsyth, Arlene Westen, Tara Jones, Ashley McIsaac, Barbara Mitchell, Tiana Schneider, Lynn Gale, and Keeley Sato.
Visit the Multicultural Heritage Centre public art gallery to see the artwork created during the challenge.
Virtual Event 1: Live exhibit premiere and chat on YouTube: Thursday, June 10, 2021. 7:00 – 7:30 pm MT
Virtual Event 2: Mystery Box Art Challenge: Words from the Curator + Winner Announcement via Google Meet (Link: meet.google.com/weq-fihb-swt)
JULY 26 – October 22, 2021
“The Giving Trees” In-Person Exhibition
“The Giving Trees” features the fine art documentary photography of Calgary photographer Angela Boehm. This exhibition is presented in partnership between the Multicultural Heritage Centre public art gallery and Wild Skies Art Gallery. The exhibition takes place in both galleries during Alberta Culture Days and Month of the Artist. “The Giving Trees” is curated by Alexis Marie Chute.
MAY 13 – JULY 26, 2021
“Body Beautiful” Virtual Exhibit
“Body Beautiful” is a self-love exhibition that celebrates curves, hair, our inner and outer workings, movement, wrinkles, scars, and folds. The artwork invites us to experience traditional and contemporary ideas of portraiture, nudes, and beyond. Viewers will gain new appreciation of the human body and witness the artists’ unique ability to capture the subtleties that make us human.
“Body Beautiful” features artwork by Marnie Blair, Benjamin Riley, Andra Ragusila, Ellie Shuster, Claudette MacLean, Savana Page, Maia Gray, Maren Kathleen Elliott, Susan Casault, Ania Telfer, and Debbie Laninga.
Event1:
Live exhibit premiere and chat on YouTube: Thursday, May 13, 2021. 7:00pm MT
See the artwork in “Body Beautiful” as if visiting the gallery in-person.
Event 2:
Artists Feature 1 premiere and chat on YouTube: Thursday, May 27, 2021. 7:00pm MT
Hear from the “Body Beautiful” artists about their work in the show.
Event 3:
Artists Feature 2 premiere and chat on YouTube: Thursday, June 24, 2021. 7:00pm MT
Hear from the “Body Beautiful” artists about their work in the show.
Head to the Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube channel a few minutes before the premiere. You will see a live countdown when we get two minutes prior to 7:00pm MT. Be the first to see the exhibit live with others across Alberta and around the world.
During the premiere, join in the discussion via YouTube’s live chat window. Interact with the art gallery curator and exhibit artists in-real-time. Say hi & introduce yourself. Join in the conversation.
SEPTEMBER 16 – DECEMBER 14, 2020
“Word-and-Image: Creative Crossovers” In-Person & Virtual Exhibit
Featuring: Jenny Brown | Kristi Tencarre Herd | Cheyenne Kean-Lemery | Rick Rogers | Suzan Berwald Mychele Joyes | Claudette MacLean | Father Douglas | Deb Laninga | Gerry Dotto
Exhibit Description: Books are not only for words and canvases not only for paint. Experience how words and visual art collide to create innovative creative crossovers that touch us on multiple levels. Relationships between words, art, and meaning are explored.
Visit “Word-and-Image” in the Gallery: September 16 – December 14, 2020
Multicultural Heritage Centre, 5411 – 51 Street Stony Plain, AB
Virtual Exhibit Premiere:
Thursday, October 8, 7pm MT, Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel
Artist Feature Video Premiere:
Thursday, October 22, 7pm MT, Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel
AUGUST 29, 2020
“Video Art: Modern Artmaking in Moving Images” Socially Distanced Film Screening
Click here to RSVP to the Facebook Event.
Film Screening Date: Saturday, August 29, 2020
Physically Distanced Seating Begins: 8:30pm
Screening Time: 9:00pm
Location: Outdoor amphitheatre at the Multicultural Heritage Centre between the red brick schoolhouse and the Oppertshauser House (5411-mi51st Street, Stony Plain).
Local Artists: “Bionomics” and “Wing Annimation” by Lisa Matthias, and “We” by Becky Thera
National Film Board: “Souvenir” a series of short films by Indigenous artists courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada.
Screening Description: Video art is a dynamic and interesting artform. It combines visual artistic thinking, such as composition and artistic intent, with the moving video image, sound, lighting, direction, movement, and action. It delves into neighboring creative and professional fields, such as documentary filmmaking and photography, historical research and recording, and new technological advancements and innovation. Video art became an artform in the 1960s with the advent of the consumer camera. In “Video Art: Modern Artmaking in Moving Images,” we see the work of two local video artists, plus enjoy a presentation from the National Film Board of Canada.
JULY 22 – AUGUST 26, 2020
“Real Women” In-Person & Virtual Exhibit
Watch the virtual exhibition created by curator Alexis Marie Chute on the Multicultural Heritage Centre YouTube Channel.
Exhibit Description: Visual art is about telling stories. While all artists tell stories, however, it is the art establishment which largely determines which stories are shared with the wider world. These stories shape viewers’ perceptions of the world and the actual knowledge that is possessed and passed on to future generations.
According to western mythology, the first drawing ever made was by a young woman in ancient Greece. While women have been involved in the arts throughout history, however, their stories have largely been absent from the art historical records of western Europe and North America. Changing economic, political and social structures throughout the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, however, contributed to changing the status of women in western societies and these transformations are being reflected in the art world.
Acknowledging this progression, the exhibition Real Women creates space for women’s experiences and stories to be told and recognizes the contributions women make to our communities. Inspired by cultural shifts such as international Women’s Marches and the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the art works in this exhibition question societal perceptions of women, art making itself, and express how the featured artists define what it means to be a woman and how they personally wish to be seen.
The exhibition Real Women was curated by Shane Golby and organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. This exhibition features works by Lisa Brawn, Kasie Campbell, Allison Tunis and Marlena Wyman.
JUNE 25 – AUGUST 20, 2020
“Powerful Profiles: Black Women Painters” Virtual Exhibit
“Powerful Profiles” Virtual Exhibit features the artwork of Serena Saunders, Kiarra Elliott, and Mariana Sguilla. The exhibit is curated by Alexis Marie Chute, with co-curator Serena Saunders, for the Multicultural Heritage Centre. “Powerful Profiles” presents portrait paintings and drawings all depicting black individuals, painted by black women.
Watch the artist feature on Serena Suanders
Watch the artist feature on Mariana Sguilla
Watch the artist feature on Kiarra Elliot
Exhibit Description: “Why is it important to promote and exhibit Black Woman Artists” was the original question presented to me. The answer my gut replied with, that sat with me for some time was – “Duh”. That answer is still relevant. However, being a Black Woman Artist, who was once, an aspiring young black girl artist, I can remember looking for myself in museum rooms and on gallery walls only to come up empty handed. That emptiness created a dwelling place where I would plant seeds that would produce the fruit to contribute to changing that narrative.
Black women artists have had the courage to create in an arena not structured for their success and where they have thus been underrepresented. Their powerful and necessary stories must be told. To promote a deserving talent because the work produced through their dedication to the craft is profound and the results are purposeful and profitable. I could continue to list the statistical, systematic and racial disparities as to why such a time as now, is just as good of a time as ever to promote the work of Black – Woman – Artists.
Instead, let us talk about the need society has to have this artwork be a part of the thread of community.
The artwork being created is healing. It is nurturing and flourishing at the same time. The work is coming from mother’s and wives and activists and educators and community leaders and creators birthing visions and sculptures molding futures and writers without selective history recording filters – but true storytellers, and painters brushing away pain, “and” – I kept saying “and” because they are not some of these, but all of these things – the sum of these things, and still muster the courage and time to push out artwork, that warrants being promoted, collected and celebrated.
All of that and the millions of more personal, spiritual and cultural reasons are great answers to the question as well – but why should they lead the conversation? If the artists have clearly created work that should put them in the room, the collection, the history of Fine Art, outside of and inside of their color and sex – exhibit it, promote it, collect it – because it was earned.
—Serena Saunders, Artist, “Powerful-Profiles” Co-Curator
JUNE 17 – JULY 15, 2020
“Nitssaakita’paispinnaan: We Are Still In Control“
Virtual exhibit created by the Multicultural Heritage Centre art curator Alexis Marie Chute, narrated by artist Kristy North Peigan. Click here to watch the virtual exhibit video.
Exhibit Description: The exhibition Nitssaakita’paispinnaan: We Are Still In Control features works by Kristy North Peigan, Lori Scalplock and Smith Wright. This exhibition was curated by Troy Patenaude and Kent Ayoungman and organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta (TREX Region 2). This exhibition was generously funded by Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Our mainstream society in Canada is nested within a larger and deeper well of life than people may know. This well of life is comprised of myriad Indigenous cultures and lands, which together have animated and underwritten everything we now have to be thankful for as Canadians. This exhibition honours the well of life in the place these artists and curators live: Siksikaissksahkoyi (Blackfoot land/territory).
Nitssaakita’paispinnaan: We Are Still In Control features work by three contemporary Blackfoot artists, all working in different styles. We all gathered in a series of visits with Blackfoot ceremonial knowledge keeper Kayihtsipimiohkitopi (Kent Ayoungman), who shared about Blackfoot ways of life, places, and knowledge. Those visits helped us learn more about ourselves, the places we live, and the responsibility we have here to each other and our future generations. They also inspired these artworks, for the Blackfoot people, culture, and ceremonies are still very much here, still shaping our society to this day.
MAY 14 – JUNE 15, 2020
“Joy + Passion 2.0” Exhibit
Multicultural Heritage Centre Art Curator Alexis Marie Chute shares her colourful artwork to inspire viewers online and in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Video & Exhibit Description: Go behind-the-scenes with Multicultural Heritage Centre Art Curator Alexis Marie Chute as she returns to the gallery for the first time after the COVID-19 lockdown. Experience what it’s like for Alexis as she takes her first few steps into the gallery. Also in this video, Alexis takes down the “In-Between: Explorations in Mental Health” exhibit and installs a new exhibition, which happens to be a show of her “Joy + Passion 2.0” abstract paintings, exhibited in between other scheduled shows in the gallery. Alexis hopes the bright colours and playful compositions will help inspire viewers as the social distancing and isolation continue.
MAY 2020
“Outside-The-Frame” Virtual Exhibit
Watch the exhibit on YouTube by clicking here.
Watch the artist feature on Michelle Erickson.
Watch the artist feature on Elyce Abrams.
“Outside-the-Frame” is the first virtual exhibition at the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada. While COVID-19 has the world in lock down, the arts continue to thrive and play an essential role in communities. The Multicultural Heritage Centre is proud to support artists and art during this important time.
Exhibit Description: “Outside-the-Frame” is an exhibition that scoffs at right angles. It includes artwork by Michelle Erickson and Elyce Abrams, showing circular, triangular, and other uniquely shaped art. The artists in this exhibit literally think outside the box to create work that titillates our imaginations with their unconventionally created and presented work.
FEBRUARY 26 – MAY 10, 2020
“In-Between: Explorations in Mental Health Through Art” Exhibit
Art by Callan Field, Cheyenne Kean-Lemery, Meghan MacMillan, Suzan Berwald, Yvonne DuBourdieu, and Darren Snopek
Exhibit Description: The artists in this exhibition interact with art in regard to their mental health in two distinct ways. First, there are those that use their art to help them cope through mental illness, expressing themselves. Their work aids them, though is not about their struggle. Secondly, there are artists that engage with mental health directly in their artwork as a subject. This exhibition, “In-Between: Explorations of Mental Health Through Art,” presents artists of both approaches. They use their art to cope and to comment on their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of society.
JANUARY 28 – FEBRUARY 17, 2020
“Bystanders” Exhibit
In partnership with TREX, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Art Gallery of Alberta
Exhibit Description: Chance is an enigmatic aspect of human experience. It determines whom we meet and what we encounter. Chance can be fortuitous, or it can be a stroke of bad luck. Its impact can meaningfully alter our life’s course or become a bump on the road that we scarcely remember. For street photographers, chance is monumental. It is something they seek, anticipate and, in a split second, capture. Armed with a camera and few preconceptions, street photographers enter public spaces as “bystanders” to the scenes that unfold before them. They raise their cameras and hold a mirror to everyday life, hoping to capture a candidness that cannot escape the physiognomy and accuracy of the medium. They bide for a moment when the elements of a compelling image come together with clarity – a moment that leading twentieth-century photographer Henri Cartier- Bresson famously described as “the decisive moment.”
JANUARY 2020
Multicultural Heritage Centre Permanent Collection Exhibit
Artwork from the Multicultural Heritage Centre permanent collection. Theme: Winter Days in Alberta.
Featuring artists: Don Sharpe | Viola Martin | Doris Surbeck | Mareike Clark | Lino Tonin | Adeline Rockett | Helen Weeks | Isabel Levesque | Greg Johnson | Helen McCuc
Watch curator Alexis Marie Chute share a virtual tour of the gallery and permanent collection.
Exhibit Description: The artwork in this exhibit from the permanent collection of the Multicultural Heritage Centre focuses on winter scenes in Alberta. Some of these paintings are snowy landscapes, others show the life of Albertans as they live and work in the province.
CONTACT THE ART GALLERY CURATOR:
Alexis Marie Chute
Multicultural Heritage Centre
Art Gallery Curator
Direct: 780-499-4311
artgallery@multicentre.org
We are grateful for the support from:
Land Acknowledgement:
The Multicultural Heritage Centre acknowledges that it is located on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting grounds, gathering place, and traveling route to the Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Métis, Dene and Nakota Sioux. We acknowledge all the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries.