Work of the Week

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 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. 

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Image of artwork by Joane Cardinal-Schubert titled Ancestors (Keeprs) from 1991.
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On this day, the AFA is pleased to feature Ancestors (Keepers), 1991, by Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert.

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

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

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Work of the Week celebrates Bold Women and International Women's Day

Faye HeavyShield
blood, 2004
cotton, cotton string, acrylic

In celebration of International Women's Day we are proud to share, bloodthe work of  Kainai artist Faye HeavyShield. 

Bold Women

Two of HeavyShield’s installation artworks, blood and homecoming, from the AFA’s Art Collection have been selected for Bold Women, a landmark exhibition at the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas. 

The show features over forty primarily Indigenous, Black, Newcomers and LGBT women artists as well as those of gender non-conforming identities whose visionary ideas and experimentation demonstrate the concept of boldness through challenging dominant institutional, cultural and social boundaries and reshaping historical narratives. 

Set to open February 18 and running through to July 6, 2025, the exhibition includes 75 artworks from various disciplines including photography, sculpture, textiles, paintings, video, installations and is organized across four galleries each exploring one element of boldness:

  • Portrayal / Resistance: ways that portrayals can deny visibility
  • Collective Preservation / Liberation: women preserving, healing, and liberating communities across generations
  • Nature / Erasure: the erasure of women’s contributions, in conversation with nature
  • Wisdom / Knowledge-keeping: transmitting knowledge and women as connectors

The exhibition was curated by Susan Earle, the Spencer Museum’s curator of European and American Art, along with a team of diverse curatorial collaborators from across North America including the Brooklyn Museum’s Curator Dr. Kimberli Grant and Wanda Nanibush, an Anishinaabe curator from the Beausoleil First Nation in Ontario among others. 

About the artist

Faye HeavyShield is a member of the Blood Nation. She graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1985, and continued her studies at the University of Calgary. Gaining prominence and recognition in the past few years, her work has been the subject of many solo shows including major exhibitions of First Nations contemporary art. HeavyShield's work is a fusion of highly evolved personal and powerful imagery influenced by her Christian and Blood upbringing. Her minimalist installations are metaphors of the human body and a reflection of her personal experiences.

Bold women accelerating action at the AFA

Meet the bold women of the AFA's Board of Directors that are passionate about the arts and work steadfastly to support a vibrant Alberta arts community that sparks innovation, bursts with creativity, fosters understanding, and promotes belonging.  

Click the names of the board members and watch as they share their personal takes on the importance of the arts in Alberta.


Cynthia P. Moore
AFA Board Chair
Calgary

Yasmin Jivraj
Edmonton

Melody McKnight
Red Deer

Shana Yang
Calgary

 

About International Women's Day

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 around the globe. IWD has been celebrated globally since 1911 and is an important day that highlights the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

This year’s IWD theme focuses on accelerating action for gender equality. We encourage you to take part in an IWD event within your community and continue supporting women in the arts throughout the year.

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Two of Kainai artist Faye HeavyShield’s installation artworks, blood and homecoming, from the AFA’s Art Collection have been selected for Bold Women.

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Work of the Week celebrates Bold Women and International Women's Day
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Two of Kainai artist Faye HeavyShield’s installation artworks, blood and homecoming, from the AFA’s Art Collection have been selected for Bold Women.

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Work of the Week celebrates Bold Women and IWD
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Two of Kainai artist Faye HeavyShield’s installation artworks, blood and homecoming, from the AFA’s Art Collection have been selected for Bold Women.

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A special holiday greeting from the AFA

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A special holiday greeting from AFA Board Chair Cynthia P. Moore.

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The holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect with family and friends. At the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, we are forging a deeper understanding of our role and responsibilities as Alberta’s provincial arts funder and principal supporter. We are in a period of renewal as we look forward to new opportunities. Whether it is the performing arts, literary, visual, film or video, the AFA’s job is to help individual artists and organizations explore, practice, create and promote their exceptional work.

We have a profound sense of optimism for the years ahead that is buoyed by the Alberta government’s commitment to increase AFA funding to a record-level $39.1 million by 2027. 
We look forward to continuing our work with government for the betterment of Alberta’s arts sector.

Art and Alberta’s artists are at the heart of everything that we do. In that vein, I’m proud to continue the AFA’s tradition of highlighting an artwork from our collection. This year, I’m pleased to feature Crowsnest Mountain and the Seven Sisters by Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert. 
This beautiful Indigenous work is representative of the mountain landscape in Southern Alberta. Cardinal-Schubert’s use of color is so appropriate during the holiday season.

On behalf of the AFA Board of Directors and staff, please accept my best wishes for a safe and restful holiday season, Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

 

Cynthia P. Moore, Chair

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

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A special holiday greeting from the AFA
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A special holiday greeting from AFA Board Chair Cynthia P. Moore.

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A special holiday greeting from the AFA
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A special holiday greeting from AFA Board Chair Cynthia P. Moore.

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Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert
Title
Crowsnest Mountain and the Seven Sisters
Year
1989
Medium
oil on paper
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Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert
Crowsnest Mountain and the Seven Sisters
1989
oil on paper

A special holiday greeting from the AFA

Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert
Crowsnest Mountain and the Seven Sisters, 1989
oil on paper
Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts


The holiday season is a wonderful time to reflect with family and friends. At the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, we are forging a deeper understanding of our role and responsibilities as Alberta’s provincial arts funder and principal supporter. We are in a period of renewal as we look forward to new opportunities. Whether it is the performing arts, literary, visual, film or video, the AFA’s job is to help individual artists and organizations explore, practice, create and promote their exceptional work.

We have a profound sense of optimism for the years ahead that is buoyed by the Alberta government’s commitment to increase AFA funding to a record-level $39.1 million by 2027. 
We look forward to continuing our work with government for the betterment of Alberta’s arts sector.

Art and Alberta’s artists are at the heart of everything that we do. In that vein, I’m proud to continue the AFA’s tradition of highlighting an artwork from our collection. This year, I’m pleased to feature Crowsnest Mountain and the Seven Sisters by Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert. 
This beautiful Indigenous work is representative of the mountain landscape in Southern Alberta. Cardinal-Schubert’s use of color is so appropriate during the holiday season.

On behalf of the AFA Board of Directors and staff, please accept my best wishes for a safe and restful holiday season, Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

 

Cynthia P. Moore, Chair

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

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A special holiday greeting from AFA Board Chair Cynthia P. Moore.

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A special holiday greeting from AFA Board Chair Cynthia P. Moore.

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A special holiday greeting from the AFA
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A special holiday greeting from AFA Board Chair Cynthia P. Moore.

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Work of the Week showcases Harry Kiyooka

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The AFA has loaned 8 artworks to be included in The Nickle Galleries exhibition of Harry Kiyooka, curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette.

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This week’s Work of the Week spotlights the exhibition HARRY MITSUO KIYOOKA – Artist. Educator. Activist., on now at the Nickle Galleries in Calgary. 

A 70-year retrospective of abstract art, portraiture and early abstract landscapes!
 

The AFA has loaned eight artworks to the gallery for inclusion in the exhibition. The exhibition is curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette and runs until April 27, 2024.

Learn more about the exhibition: nickle.ucalgary.ca/exhibition/harry-mitsuo-kiyooka/

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The AFA has loaned 8 artworks to be included in The Nickle Galleries exhibition of Harry Kiyooka, curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette.

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Work of the Week showcases Harry Kiyooka
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The AFA has loaned 8 artworks to be included in The Nickle Galleries exhibition of Harry Kiyooka, curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette.

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Harry Kiyooka art
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Art discipline
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Collections Database Image
Image
Title
Red Contiguous
Year
1972
Medium
acrylic on canvas
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Harry Kiyooka
H K Self Portrait
2019
oil on board
Harry Kiyooka
High Yellow
n.d.
silkscreen on paper
Harry Kiyooka
Red Contiguous
1972
acrylic on canvas
Tuscania
c.1962-1966
oil on canvas

Here & Now - Simone Saunders

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Simone Saunders' artwork, The Messenger, is featured in the 2024 AFA exhibition Here & Now at the Royal Alberta Museum.

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About the artwork

The AFA acquired this painting through its Art Acquisition by Application program. This program is designed to acquire contemporary works of art by any eligible Alberta artist. The next deadline to apply is April 2, 2024. Read the guidelines and apply.

The AFA acquired this artwork through its Art Acquisition by Application program in 2023. This program is designed to acquire contemporary works of art by any eligible Alberta artist.

Artist statement:

The following is an excerpt of Simone Elizabeth Saunders' artist statement. Read the full artist statement

My work uplifts Black womanhood, and the resilience, joy and the strength of being a Black woman. Textiles engage upon a search for belonging, a connection to a community, to personal identity and a connection to Black history. I create narratives through cultural mythology, current iconography, and personal landscapes. A big source of inspiration within my work is Art Nouveau, an era in which female portraiture was highlighted and exuded tremendous grace and femininity. This is reflected within The Messenger, capturing a sensuality, mystery, vigor and charm amongst the vibrancy of colour. It is a style that I capture within my textiles which I have called, Black Nouveau.

Artist profile

Simone Elizabeth Saunders (she/her) is a textile artist based in Mohkinstsis - Calgary, Canada. She holds a B.F.A. with Distinction from the Alberta University of Arts in 2020. Her textiles are hand tufted in the medium of rug-making using a punch-needle and tufting machine.

Saunders explores themes of the diaspora, ancestorship and Black womanhood. Her colourful textiles highlight motifs and iconography from her Jamaican heritage and engage with socio-cultural factors reclaiming power from oppressive ideologies.

Simone has a career in the theatre arts, a previous B.F.A. from the University of Alberta’s Acting Conservatory. Weaving her theatre experiences and integrating dramatism and story-telling within her creations - Simone uplifts narratives of Black joy and resilience. 

​Simone was the recipient from Calgary Black Chambers 2023 Achievement Award for Arts, Media and Entertainment. Simone was named one of 20 "top Compelling Calgarians for 2022" and "Top 40 Under 40" of Calgarian Professionals, by Avenue Magazine. Simone was awarded the National Winner for the Bank of Montreal's 1st Art Competition in 2020. 

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Work of the Week: The Messenger by Simone Saunders
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Celebrating Black History Month 2024, we feature our recent acquisition from Calgary-based artist Simone Saunders.

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Work of the Week: The Messenger by Simone Saunders
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Celebrating Black History Month 2024, we feature our recent acquisition from Calgary-based artist Simone Saunders.

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Artist
Simone Saunders
Title
The Messenger
Year
2021
Medium
velvet, acrylic, wool, and metallic yarn on rug warp
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Simone Saunders
The Messenger
2021
velvet, acrylic, wool, and metallic yarn on rug warp

Work of the Week selection inspired by Pink Shirt Day

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Pink Shirt Day is a significant day that raises awareness about bullying.

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February 28, 2024 is Pink Shirt Day. It was first started in Canada in 2007 and is a significant day that raises awareness about bullying.

In recognition of this day, we would like to share the late Violet Owen’s Pretty in Pink.

You can access resources to help you or someone you know who is being bullied, and learn how to prevent bullying.
 

www.alberta.ca/bullying

Violet Owen
Pretty in Pink, 1995
Oil on canvas
Collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts

About the artist

Violet Owen passed away on January 21, 2024, at the age of 93.

Owen was a professional artist for over six decades and played an important role in molding the foundation of Edmonton's art scene. The AFA is proud to hold a number of Owen's artworks within its Art Collection.

We extend our condolences to her family and friends.

Violet Owen’s oeuvre features paintings, drawings, and sculptural work, all deeply rooted in explorations of the female form. Inspired by modernist art movements including post-impressionism and German expressionism, Owen wrestles with ideas of form and mood in her work, articulated through pose, placement, and the strongly accentuated forms of the models she paints.

Owen graduated from the Department of Drawing and Painting at the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1953, and has continuously developed her strong aptitude for drawing and colour. There is a spontaneity and restless energy in Owen’s work, as if the artist clearly follows her own path rather than following a group esthetic. She attributes this attitude and her ability to work without fear to the longevity of her practice. During an interview in the early 1970’s, she explained more: "As you get older, you get more aggressive. Sometimes you're afraid to do certain things but the older I get, the less afraid I am … what the hell!"

Owen worked solely with artist and model Mimi Mah for fifteen years, capturing the many facets of this single personality with utter clarity. She once declared the figure to be the most challenging subject to paint, and after building up a lifetime of body art captured in chalk, pencil and paint on paper, canvas, and Plexiglass, she has grown comfortable in her own skin, and with exploring the essence of female sexuality.

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Work of the Week selection inspired by Pink Shirt Day
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Pink Shirt Day is a significant day that raises awareness about bullying.

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WotW selection inspired by Pink Shirt Day
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Pink Shirt Day is a significant day that raises awareness about bullying.

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Artist
Violet Owen
Title
Pretty In Pink
Year
1995
Medium
oil on canvas
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Violet Owen
Pretty In Pink
1995
oil on canvas

International Women's Day 2024

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Inspire inclusiveness and celebrate women in the arts.

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In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD), we are proud to share artwork from Alberta based artist Karrie Arthurs

About the Artist

Karrie Arthurs received her B.F.A. with distinction from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2000. She had her first solo show entitled “Paper Weight” at the Christine Klassen Gallery in 2012. She continues to exhibit locally and internationally participating in solo and group shows. Her work is found in numerous private collections such as that of Paul Hardy Design, in Calgary.  
 

Karrie currently resides in Airdrie with her two children. She is a practicing tattooer since 2001, and has a shop in Calgary, Karrie is currently represented by the Christine Klassen Gallery. 

Watch Karrie talk about her artistic practice and her work in the AFA video "Diversifying the Collection":

IFrame

About IWD

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 around the globe. IWD has been celebrated globally since 1911 and is an important day that highlights the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

This year’s IWD theme focuses on inspiring inclusion. We encourage you to take part in an IWD event within your community and continue supporting women in the arts throughout the year.

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International Women's Day 2024
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Inspire inclusiveness and celebrate women in the arts.

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International Women's Day 2024
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Inspire inclusiveness and celebrate women in the arts.

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Artist
Karrie Arthurs
Title
Revenant Portrait No. 3 Family Revenants
Year
2016
Medium
ink, charcoal, conte
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Karrie Arthurs
Revenant Portrait No. 3 Family Revenants
2016
ink, charcoal, conte

Work of the Week: Resting in Awareness by Gordon Harper

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The AFA will be closed for Family Day.

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The AFA will be closed today for Family Day. 
 

We are pleased to feature Gordon Harper’s, Resting in Awareness for the Work of the Week.
 

About the artist

Gordon Harper was born and raised in Medicine Hat, and began his formal studies in the Art and Design Program at Medicine Hat College. He received a B.F.A. from the University of Calgary and a M.F.A. from the University of Alberta.

He has lived and painted in Edmonton since then. His work has been displayed at commercial and public galleries, including the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.

Gordon is represented by the Peter Robertson Gallery in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Work of the Week: Resting in Awareness by Gordon Harper
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The AFA will be closed for Family Day.

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WotW: Resting in Awareness by Gordon Harper
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The AFA will be closed for Family Day.

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Artist
Gordon Harper
Title
Resting in Awareness
Year
2011
Medium
oil on panel
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Gordon Harper
Resting in Awareness
2011
oil on panel

Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Expanded Frame

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Our Work of the Week features selected images loaned to for this touring exhibition travelling from Alberta to Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

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Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Expanded Frame examines the explosion of textile art from the Canadian Prairies during the last century.
 

This touring exhibition featured sixty artworks by forty-eight artists. The AFA was pleased to loan nine artworks through our exhibition loans program, four of which can be viewed above. 

  • this exhibition was hosted by Nickle Galleries in Calgary, from September 9 to December 17, 2022.

The exhibition toured across the prairies until February 2024.

For more information about the artists and artworks included in this exhibition, visit prairieinterlace.ca

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Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Expanded Frame
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Our Work of the Week features selected images loaned to for this touring exhibition travelling from Alberta to Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

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Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Exp
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Our Work of the Week features selected images loaned to for this touring exhibition travelling from Alberta to Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Art discipline
Collections Database Image
Collections Images Slideshow
Eva Heller
Heat
1983
wool, cotton tapestry on cotton board
Cindy Baker
I KNOW PEOPLE ARE STEALING MY THINGS RUG
1998
atch-hook, acrylic yarn, wool yarn, cotton canvas backing on canvas
Amy Loewan
A MANDALA "THE CIRCLE AND THE SQUARE"
1996
rice paper weave, Chinese ink, charcoal, printout on paper
Hazel Gladys Evelyn Schwass
UNTITLED
1974
wool, sheep fleece tapestry, wool, bones, wooden beads