Artist Profile

October 16, 2025

John Wort Hannam, a Lethbridge-based musician, is a JUNO nominee and three-time Canadian Folk Music Award winner with multiple Western Canadian Folk Music Award nominations under his belt. For more than 25 years, his music has celebrated the spirit of everyday Albertans, bringing their stories to life on stages across Canada and around the world.

The Artist in Residence program highlights the power of the arts to inspire creativity, connect communities and honour Alberta's rich cultural identity. Through this program, an Albertan artist receives a grant to serve a one-year term as Alberta’s Artist in Residence and Arts Ambassador, as they create an art project that showcases the power of the arts in Alberta. 

Through his one-year residency, John will engage with communities across Alberta, attend cultural events and offer an inside look at his artistic process as Alberta’s Arts Ambassador.

“I am excited to announce John Wort Hannam as Alberta’s new Artist in Residence. John’s music is powerful, echoing the stories of Alberta’s strength, culture and identity. I also want to thank our 2024 Artist in Residence, Samantha Williams-Chapelsky, for her inspiring collection of plein air paintings and meaningful contributions to Alberta’s arts community.”

Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women

John’s residency project, ‘Everyone Has a Story,’ will connect unique voices and put Alberta’s talent on centre stage with 10 songwriting workshops in rural, remote and inner-city communities across the province. Each workshop will conclude with a public listening session and performance, highlighting the stories and songs created during that session.

“Every Albertan carries a unique story and when we listen to one another, we connect and build stronger communities. As Alberta’s Artist in Residence and Arts Ambassador, I am honoured to use the power of music to bridge Albertans’ experiences and share their voices across the province.”

John Wort Hannam, 2025-26 Artist in Residence

Alberta is proud to be the only province in Canada to offer a provincial Artist in Residence program open to artists of all disciplines. The residency comes with a grant of up to $50,000. Hannam was selected from a shortlist of seven applicants, and his term runs until Sept. 30, 2026.

“The Artist in Residence program gave me time, space and support to explore my painting practice and truly connect with the landscapes across Alberta. It is a unique opportunity in Canada to be supported by a provincial government, and it was the honour of a lifetime to do this project.”

Samantha Williams-Chapelsky, 2024-25 Artist in Residence

“The Alberta Artist in Residence program celebrates the transformative power of art. Through the work of the selected artist, this initiative honours the cultural contributions of Alberta’s artistic community. At the AFA, we strive to inspire, connect and advocate for the arts across the province. Congratulations to John Wort Hannam on his selection as Alberta’s sixth Artist in Residence and Arts Ambassador.”

Cynthia P. Moore, Chair, Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Host the Artist in Residence 

As Alberta’s Arts Ambassador and a voice for artists across the province, John will be available to speak about the arts in Alberta at local and cultural events. Communities interested in hosting the Artist in Residence can apply online through Artist in Residence webpage.

Quick facts

• Budget 2025 invests a record $36.1 million in arts funding, with responsible investments growing to more than $43 million annually by 2027.
• In 2020, Alberta’s music sector generated $1.7 billion in provincial GDP and sustained more than 20,500 jobs in Alberta.

Related information

• Alberta’s Artist in Residence and Arts Ambassador Program

Multimedia

• Watch the news conference

Seven artworks from Black and Indigenous artists have recently been acquired into MacEwan University's Art Collection and will be on display in the John L. Haar Library for the campus community and beyond to enjoy.

Three of these artists are  also represented in the AFA Art Collection: Braxton Garneau, Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet and Kablusiak. In addition, Braxton Garneau and Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet are currently represented in the New Views exhibition at the AFA art house in Calgary, which recently opened its gallery space to the public in September.

View the AFA's holdings by these artists on our Virtual Museum:

• Braxton Garneau, Dine
• Kiona Callihoo, Heart Piece
• Kablusiak,  Piliutiyara (Saltwater Taffy)

Kablusiak's  Piliutiyara (Saltwater Taffy) is from the same series of artworks acquired by MacEwan.

Congratulations to these young artists for this important achievement.

About the Artists

Braxton Garneau

Braxton Garneau is a visual artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). A MacEwan University alumnus, Garneau graduated in 2017 with a Fine Art diploma. He works across mediums such as painting, printmaking and installation using a wide range of materials such as asphalt, sugar cane and raffia. His work has been acquired by numerous public and private collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, which acquired his work Pitch Lake (Pietà) in 2024 through the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago.

Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet 

Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet is an artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is a MacEwan University alumnus who graduated with a Fine Art diploma in 2017. Working in a variety of disciplines including painting, printmaking, drawing and installation, her art explores intergenerational grief, memory, family history, loss and enfranchisement. Ligtvoet is the recipient of multiple awards, and her debut graphic novel, We Were Younger Once (2022), was nominated for the Doug Wright Award for emerging talent.

Kablusiak

Kablusiak is a multidisciplinary Inuvialuk artist and curator based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). They are a MacEwan University alumnus who graduated with a Fine Art diploma in 2013. Their practice explores Inuit queerness, sexuality, comedy and nostalgia as well as feelings of displacement and loss. Kablusiak has been recognized through numerous awards such as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award (2020 & 2023), the Kenojuak Ashevak Memorial Award (2021 recipient, 2023 shortlist) and the Sobey Art Award (2019 shortlist, 2023 recipient).

About the New Views exhibition

New Views is the inaugural exhibition of the AFA art house in Calgary. The exhibition features 50 unique artworks from 40 extraordinary Alberta artists acquired within the last 10 years that represent only a sampling of the extensive collection of artworks in the vault of the AFA Art Collection. It is part of our goal to make more of the art from our collection available for the public to enjoy.

About the AFA art house

The AFA art house, located in the heart of downtown Calgary, is a space to for Albertans to see, discover, and experience the unique stories the artists of Alberta have to share. The Gallery will showcase works from the AFA Art Collection as well as other works from Alberta artists. The AFA art house is free to access.

Paul Reich, seen above with the Atlantic Ocean in the background, on tour with Les Ballet Jazz de Montréal in 1984. Photo supplied from Paul Reich's personal collection.

After 28 years of service with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Paul Reich has retired from his position as Arts Development Consultant – Dance.

Paul’s remarkable career with the AFA has been defined by his unwavering dedication and deep commitment to the arts community across Alberta. His impact has been especially felt in the dance sector, where his support and mentorship have helped countless individuals and organizations benefit from access to AFA supports and services. Paul’s extensive knowledge and passion for the arts have shaped the AFA in meaningful ways, and his legacy will continue to inspire us.

Paul Reich performing in the Alberta Ballet production of "Coppelia" in 1985 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Photo supplied from Paul Reich's personal collection.

In the lead up to his retirement, we sat down with Paul for a brief Q&A interview below.

Tell us about your career as a dancer: What type of dance was your primary discipline, where did you train, where did you typically perform, and do you have any performances that were highlights that you would like to share? 

Like many dance kids, I started in jazz where there was maybe two boys in the class. As I progressed, I was told that if you want to become “professional” I must take ballet. This guidance was not received with much understanding or enthusiasm. Regardless, my teacher shipped me off to an audition at the School of Les Grands Ballet Canadiens where I was accepted into a class with 25 other boys. A bit of a change for a kid from a small town. The intense physical demands of daily training in a French language environment felt like I had landed on the moon. 

Paul Reich performing for the Alberta Ballet in 1986 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Photo supplied from Paul Reich's personal collection.

Turns out it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had the opportunity of going on to become a member of Ballets Jazz Montréal and later the Alberta Ballet and Ballet North. Touring and performing for audiences in many parts of the world was the most rewarding part of the job. I am grateful to my first teacher for mentoring me in the right direction.

Through my years as Ballet North’s General Manager and here at the Arts Branch, I have tried to follow this example of supporting young dancers and all artists when they needed it the most. I always felt that I owed a debt of gratitude, and I hope I have repaid in some small way the opportunities created for me through the efforts of my teachers and the dance community pioneers in Canada.

Looking back on your AFA career, what moments stand out as the most personally meaningful?

Having the opportunity of working with a like minded team that have a passion for the arts has been a real privilege. I have been very lucky in that regard.

Paul Reich performing with Ballet North in 1987 with dance partner Sandy Croft. Croft went on to become Artistic Director of Cirque du Soleil's production of Mystère and Oh in Las Vegas. Photo supplied from Paul Reich's personal collection.

How have you seen the arts sector evolve during your time, and what changes have been most surprising or inspiring to you? 

I continued to be so impressed by how organizations continually adapt to very challenging circumstances. COVID-19, the post-pandemic period has had such a significant impact on the arts community. How artists and organizations come up with creative structural shifts in operations and program delivery is nothing short of amazing and I have the upmost respect for arts administrators, in particular, that shoulder much of this responsibility. 

What advice would you give to emerging artists or arts professionals entering the field today? 

For young artists, search out the best training you can find and learn from anyone and everyone that is more advanced. Young professionals can be successful if they stay open-minded to any opportunity and seek collaborations that help them grow. Improving technically and artistically is a one step at a time process. Madame Ludmilla Chiaraff, OC, founder of Les Grands Ballet Canadiens gave me the best advice, “Everyone is on their own schedule.” This advice proved very helpful over the years both in my professional and personal life.

Can you share a project or initiative you’re especially proud of, and what made it so significant to you?

It was a very satisfying experience to increase the number of participating schools in the Artists & Education program from 120 to 320 with many schools located in very rural areas. This meant an additional 60,000 students could partake annually in hands-on arts workshops across a range of arts disciplines. As a kid from a small town, that felt good.

Paul Reich performing in the Alberta Ballet production of Spanish Pas de Deux - Nutcracker with dance partner Barbara Moore in 1986. Photo supplied from Paul Reich's personal collection.

Paul Reich at his retirement party on October 3, 2025.

Joane Cardinal-Schubert
Ancestors (Keepers), 1991
paint, paper, newsprint, paper money and bingo card on paper
Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts

On September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canadians acknowledge the harms and multi-generational effects of the residential school system on Indigenous peoples and their communities across the country. 

The AFA also recognizes the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ contributions in and through the arts, as well as the important role the arts can play in the process of reconciliation. The AFA continues to support a thriving Indigenous arts sector in Alberta and provides funding specifically for Indigenous Arts individual artist projects. We are also proud to hold more than 275 artworks by Indigenous artists in the AFA Art Collection.

Featured artwork

In 2025, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the AFA is pleased to feature Ancestors (Keepers), 1991, by Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert. 

This piece is part of the Letter to Emily series, a deeply personal and evocative body of work. The series was inspired by Cardinal-Schubert’s interest in the life and legacy of Canadian artist Emily Carr. Cardinal-Schubert initiates a visual and textual dialogue with Carr through large-scale paintings that layer text and symbolic imagery.

These diaristic reflections explore themes of identity, memory, and cultural continuity. In this intimate exchange, Cardinal-Schubert not only contemplates Carr’s experiences but also affirms her own voice as a keeper of ancestral knowledge and Indigenous presence within the narrative of Canadian art.

Artist profile

Kainai/Blood artist, Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert was a multi-media, visual, and installation artist, a writer, lecturer, free-lance curator and director of film and theatre. Her writing has been published nationally and internationally in art magazines, catalogues and books and she has also served as an editor of Fuse magazine.

Cardinal-Schubert was instrumental in guiding the AFA in 2008 and 2009 in a special curatorial initiative focused on building up the holdings of the AFA Art Collection with contemporary Indigenous art. Her wisdom and guidance helped to significantly enhance the AFA’s holdings from Indigenous artists. She also provided an avenue to acquire artworks by Indigenous artists previously unknown to the AFA Art Collection and built new relationships with Indigenous artists along the way. Among the holdings of artworks in the AFA Art Collection, 23 artworks were created by Cardinal-Schubert.

Celebrate Indigenous art

Cardinal-Schubert’s Ancestors (Keepers) is currently on display as part of the New Views exhibition at the AFA art house in Calgary. Among the 50 artworks currently included in New Views, 20 per cent of them are by Indigenous artists. Other Indigenous artists featured in this exhibition include:

• Brandon Atkinson
• MJ Belcourt
• Maureen Callihoo
• Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet
• Nancy Desjarlais
• Alex Janvier
• Jane Ash Poitras

Closure notice

In respect of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the AFA’s offices in Edmonton and Calgary, and the AFA art house will be closed. We will be open again on October 1. 

Medicine Hat based artist, Jessica Plattner, was a successful applicant to the AFA’s Art Acquisition by Application (AAA) program in 2022. The program is designed to acquire contemporary works of art by any eligible Alberta artist.

Plattner’s piece, Exquisite Corpse, on display in the AFA art house exhibition, New Views, is a self-portrait based on a surrealist game in which each participant takes turns drawing a different body part (i.e. head, body, legs) on a piece of paper and then folds it to conceal their contribution. When everyone has taken a turn, the piece of paper is unfolded to reveal a unique figure.

Plattner’s work adapts this concept using a photograph of herself as well as contributions from her daughter to form a unique creation. The portrait captures her disjointed feelings during the time of production.

Watch as Plattner tells the story behind her work and what inspires her artistic practice.

View Jessica's Artist Spotlight

About the artist

Jessica Plattner is an American/Canadian artist living in Alberta. She earned a BFA from Washington University School of Fine Art in St. Louis, and an MFA in painting from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and Temple Rome, Italy. She has exhibited her work in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Italy. Artist residencies include Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, The Vermont Studio Center, SACI (Studio Art Centers International) and a Fulbright Scholarship in Mexico. Recent exhibition venues include Gallery@501 in Edmonton, Art Center East Main Gallery in Oregon,  the ASA Gallery in Calgary, Art Gallery of St. Albert, the Okotoks Art Gallery, the Esplanade Art Gallery in Medicine Hat, as well as biennial faculty exhibitions at Gallery One on One at Medicine Hat College. Her work is held in the public collections of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA), The City of Medicine Hat, the City of St. Albert, and several colleges and universities. She currently teaches in the Art & Design Program at Medicine Hat College and lives with her partner, artist/musician Dean Smale, their daughter Sofie, and their dog Caniche.

About the AFA art house

The AFA art house, located in the heart of downtown Calgary, is a space to for Albertans to see, discover, and experience the unique stories the artists of Alberta have to share. The Gallery will showcase works from the AFA Art Collection as well as other works from Alberta artists. The AFA art house is free to access.

Calgary based artist Rita McKeough has been named to receive the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta 2025 Distinguished Artists Award. She is expected to receive the awards’ patron in a ceremony held by Her Honour Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on October 4, 2025.

McKeough has 15 works held in the AFA Art Collection. You can view two these works, Manifesto of Mittenism and Urban Uprising in the AFA art house exhibition, New Views.

About the Artist

Rita McKeough’s interdisciplinary practice spans sound, installation, performance, video, and kinetic sculpture and has significantly shaped the contemporary art landscape in Alberta and beyond. For over five decades, her career has been marked by an unwavering commitment to experimentation, mentorship, and pushing the boundaries of contemporary art in Canada. McKeough has exhibited across Canada and the USA in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Recent works include: Remediation Room (Online, Calgary, 2022–ongoing); feel through deepness to see (Dunlop Art Gallery 2024); darkness is as deep as the darkness is (Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff, 2020); Veins (OBORO,Montreal, 2018), and Oh, Canada (MassMOCA, North Adams, 2015). In 2009 McKeough was awarded the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts.

About the Award

The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award is Alberta’s most prestigious recognition of outstanding achievement in the arts.

About the AFA art house

The AFA art house, located in the heart of downtown Calgary, is a space to for Albertans to see, discover, and experience the unique stories the artists of Alberta have to share. The Gallery will showcase works from the AFA Art Collection as well as other works from Alberta artists. The AFA art house is free to access.

In the first video of the Artful Place series, AFA grant recipient Ashley Laurenson, a resident of Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo, shares insight into the uniqueness of her local arts community.

About the artists

From Whangarei, New Zealand to a fifteen-year creative journey in Canada, Ashley is an award-winning talent recognized for both design and acting. With nine years invested in creating independent films and series, she is the driving force behind M'Guphynn Media's production design, crafting the sets, props, and costumes for projects like the fan film "Miles Behind: A Spider-Man Fan Film." Ashley also showcased her acting chops starring as Ash and Evil Ash in "Nerdvana: the Web Series." More recently, she turned her sights backstage in theatre, designing vibrant costumes and props for Waypoints Dinner Theatre shows ("AHOY! A Pirate's Life for Me!", "Ultimate Reality: 90's Edition!") and lending her skills to set design for Keyano Theatre Company's youth productions ("Disney's Moana Jr.", "Disney's Newsies Jr.").

The Artful Place

The Artful Place is an exploration of Alberta’s unique arts communities through the eyes of the artists that call these communities home. They provide their perspective on what makes their community special and what their communities mean to them.