Artist Profile

To honour the memory of Eric Cameron and his invaluable contributions to the visual arts, we present his artwork, Thick Painting: Edwin’s Egg (1979 – 2006), which is part of the Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. This artwork is one of three pieces created for Cameron’s three children and was made with 5,212 coats of paint.

Eric passed away on January 29, 2026 in Didsbury, Alberta at the age of 90.

About the Artist

A leading figure in contemporary art, Eric Cameron shaped future generations of artists through his work as a conceptual artist, painter, video artist, educator, and mentor.

Born in Leicester, England, he moved to Canada in 1969 where he taught at the University of Guelph and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. From 1987 to 2020, he was a professor within the University of Calgary’s Art Department.

Cameron was known for “Thick Paintings,” which involve the method of applying thousands of layers of gesso to images or everyday objects, at times continuing to build on the work until a gallery or collector acquired it. This meant that the artworks were laboriously worked on for months and eventually years and even decades. As he continued to add more coats of gesso, the Thick Paintings got to be transformed in ways that took him by surprise.

Black History Month in Alberta celebrates the contributions of Black Albertans to our communities and cultural fabric, including in the arts.

The AFA is pleased to share Dine (2021) by Braxton Garneau. This artwork is currently on display in the New Views exhibition at the AFA art house in Calgary, which has free admission.

About the artwork

Dine is part of a series of five works by Braxton Garneau that was included in the …bring a folding chair exhibition organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta in 2022 for the AFA’s Travelling Exhibitions (TREX) program. The exhibition was curated by Shane Golby. It was inspired by Black History Month and recognizes the significant contributions Black Canadians – particularly Black artists – make to Alberta.

This piece joined the AFA Art Collection when it was purchased as part of the Art Acquisition by Application program in 2024.

Since the mid-1800s, the Black community has had a long and rich history in Alberta. However, even in 1944, many restaurants in Edmonton discriminated against Black people and banned them from their restaurants. 

The year 1944 is when Hatti Melton opened Hatti’s Harlem Chicken Inn in downtown Edmonton, serving up her own recipes of fried chicken, biscuits, hot tamales, steak, and more. The restaurant became a hub for the Black community and became known as the Black gathering spot for travellers, celebrities, and athletes. 

To Hatti, the place was more than just a business. It was a way for her to provide jobs to women in her community who, because of racial discrimination, otherwise wouldn’t be able to find meaningful work. It was also a way for Hatti to provide food for people who couldn’t afford it.

When it comes to the history and experience of Black Canadians, they have always been at the table, but the story hasn’t always been recognized, appreciated, or acknowledged. This artwork, which depicts Hatti Melton whipping up a dish, is about being heard and being seen and the more we tell these unique stories, the more they become everyone’s story.

About the artist

Braxton Garneau is a visual artist based in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Canada). He holds a BFA from the University of Alberta and has had solo exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton (2024), GAVLAK, Los Angeles (2023) and Stride Gallery, Calgary (2021). 

Creative practice

With a focus on painting, sculpture, printmaking and installation, Garneau’s practice is rooted in materiality, costuming and transformation. Working in-between cultures, he combines visual influences from classical and contemporary forms with material investigations to consider cultural, social and historical implications. 

Garneau’s work investigates transformation through both natural cycles and the inherent human tendency for adornment, costuming and masquerade. Connecting materials, customs and clothing, he explores the ability of the natural world, and of the people in it, to adapt and transmute to whatever circumstances they may find themselves in.

Exhibitions and recognition

His work was featured in the retrospective exhibition Black Every Day at the Art Gallery of Alberta (2021), It's About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900 - 1970 and Now at Mitchell Art Gallery, Edmonton (2020), curated by Seika Boye, and New Direction, curated by AJ Girard and Artx at Château Cîroc, Miami, Florida (2021). 

In 2024, his work Pitch Lake (Pietà) was acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego through the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago, and he was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award. He opened a solo exhibition at Efraín López in New York, NY in September 2024, and was accepted into the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), Brooklyn, NY in 2025.

More information

Learn more about the New Views exhibition at AFA art house. 

Joan Stebbins, former Director and Curator of the Southern Alberta Art Gallery Maansiksikaitsitapiitsinikssin (SAAG), passed away on December 13, 2025 at the age of 84.

Joan had been involved with SAAG beginning in 1979 shortly after the Gallery opened to the public. She worked her way through the organization and became Director / Curator in 1985 and served in that position until her retirement in 2007. Her leadership has been credited with the gallery being viewed as one of the country’s leading contemporary arts institutions.

Throughout Joan’s career, she has received a number of honours, which include The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artists award, a Member of the Order of Canada, an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Lethbridge, and an RCA Medal from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

To honour the memory of Joan Stebbins and her invaluable contributions to the visual arts, we present her artwork, Heart Attacks (1979), which is part of the Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.