Events

Museum Skills Workshops: Insect Pinning

Take a walk through any natural history museum and you’ll likely find yourself marveling at a wide diversity of specimens, from bugs to birds to reptiles and beyond.


Ever wondered how museum professionals prep and care for these specimens?


Join the Royal Alberta Museum for an Insect Pinning workshop and try your hand at prepping and pinning an insect specimen!


Learn first-hand from museum professionals about how and why natural collections prep and preserve animals for display and research.

Ram Festival

The work that happens in museums goes beyond our galleries. With a collection of over 5million objects and specimens, conserving, cataloging and researching them all in our collection is literally a full-time job.  


Meet Curators, conservators and Exhibit staff and other RAM experts and learn about the research, care and planning that goes on to make the museum what it is.  

Workshop: Printmaking Sampler

Instructor: Jonathan Creese, Jamie-Lee Girodat, Stephanie Hayward, Hannah Sandford, and Tracy Wormsbecker
Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025 from 10 am to 5 pm
Location: Alberta Printmakers
A/P Studio, #460 42 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
Cost: $135
Visit HERE to register

Want to learn more about the world of printmaking?

If you want to give it a go but have no idea where to start, this workshop is for you! You will get a hands-on taste of FOUR unique techniques, including screen printing, drypoint, linocut, and typesetting on a Nolan Proof Press.  Come away with four unique prints! This course is a perfect choice for those beginning in print or want to dabble in different techniques as a lead-up for taking further courses that Alberta Printmakers offers.

This workshop is for folks who are 18 years of age or older.

No experience necessary and all supplies are provided.

What is printmaking?

Printmaking includes a range of processes where ink is transferred from one surface (a matrix) to another (the substrate) to create an image. There are several printmaking techniques, including silkscreen, relief, etching, relief, letterpress, and lithography.

Printmaking has been used for both artistic and commercial purposes for hundreds of years (books, illustrations, artworks, newspapers, posters, textiles, etc), and it continues to be a popular and versatile medium for artists who print on various surfaces, such as paper, fabric, wood, and metal.

About each technique that you’ll learn in this sampler:

Drypoint is a process where a sharp, pointed tool is used to scratch a design into the surface of a matrix (often a copper or plexiglass plate). Ink is then applied to the plate and wiped off so that it remains only in the grooves before transferring the ink onto paper using a printing press that applies substantial pressure.

Participants will create, ink, and print their own 4”x6” plexiglass drypoint plate.

Typesetting: before digital applications like Microsoft Word or InDesign, compositions of text (as well as symbols, fancy decorative ornaments, and illustrations) were manually arranged and ‘set’ by placing movable physical pieces of ‘type’ onto a letterpress machine. The surface of the composed form is then inked and transferred onto paper.

Participants will work in small groups to compose a line of text using wood type before printing the text using a Nolan Proof Press multiple times.

Silkscreen is a process where ink is pressed through the openings of a fine fabric mesh (the screen, which was traditionally made of silk) onto a flat surface beneath using a squeegee.  Images are made by creating stencils that block some areas of the mesh, while leaving other areas open for the ink to pass through, resulting in a printed design.  

Participants will design and prepare vinyl stencils that they will attach to a silkscreen to print their own unique compositions onto paper.

Linocut is a process where the surface of a linoleum plate is carved into using special tools to remove areas of the linoleum. The areas that are not removed result in a raised design. Ink is then applied to the surface design and printed onto paper either through pressure applied by hand or using a printing press.

Participants will each carve and print a 4”x6” linocut plates by hand, as well as by using a table-top relief press.

What’s included with your registration:

- A directed drypoint carving, inking, and printing session on 4 x 6″ plexiglas plates
- A demonstration on type setting, followed by collaborating on a composition on the press
- Pulling your own prints off the Nolan press with the assistance of staff
- Designing and printing lino using a 4 x 6″ block
- Screen printing your own design using cut stencils

This event includes all project supplies, participants are recommended to prepare:

- Image ideas for drawing and carving
- Bring reading glasses if you need them for fine work.
- Wear suitable clothing for working with ink and/or a work apron.
- Wear close toed shoes and avoid overly loose long sleeves.
- Tie back long hair when operating machinery.
- Personal PPE (if uncomfortable with Shared Studio PPE)

Additional Notes:
Event limited to 16 Participants
This event is open to only participants of 18 years of age

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Want to learn more about printmaking, but don't know what is right for you? Try our Sampler class! No experience required!

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Workshop: Printmaking Sampler
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Want to learn more about printmaking, but don't know what is right for you? Try our Sampler class! No experience required!

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Want to learn more about printmaking, but don't know what is right for you? Try our Sampler class! No experience required!

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Ecology and Behavior of Orcas: A Global Perspective

Orcas can be found throughout all oceans in the world, but their behavior changes based on where they live. Much like diverse human cultures, each orca population has a unique way of feeding, diet, and migration.  


Join us for an evening with researcher Joshua McInnes from The UBC Marine Mammal Research Institute to learn about the feeding behaviors, diet, and ecology of Transient (Biggs) Orcas and Risso‘s Dolphins often found off the coast of B.C.


Your ticket includes admission to the RAM galleries, including Orcas: Our Shared Future

LIFE OF PI - Citadel Theatre

Life of Pi brings Yann Martel’s acclaimed novel to life in a visually stunning and emotionally captivating theatrical experience. The story follows Pi Patel, a young Indian boy who survives a shipwreck and is left stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with only a Royal Bengal tiger named Richard Parker for company. As Pi struggles to survive in the vast, unforgiving ocean, he confronts the limits of his faith, his resilience, and his understanding of the world.

Kaleido Family Arts Festival

Kaleido Family Arts Festival is a wildly joyful, wonderfully wacky, radically open celebration of the arts in the heart of the Alberta Avenue Arts District. 

This year’s theme, hearts a-glowin’, will light up the streets with music, theatre, dance, zany street performances, mouthwatering eats, vibrant artisans, pop-up galleries, and magical moments.

From alleys to rooftops, from parks to pavement, Kaleido is taking over Alberta Avenue from 90-95 Street with creativity everywhere. Come dance, play, and celebrate 20 years of art, love, and community with us!

Beyond the Postcard: Cuba’s Untold Stories

Behind every postcard is a story of struggle and survival.

Beyond the Postcard reveals Cuba’s untold truths—its humor, pain, and resilience—through Afro-Cuban Canadian artist Hebert Poll Gutiérrez. Experience film, puppetry, poetry, and animation in this urgent 60-minute live show. Hosted by Adania Reyes with Ameli Pereira, Samuel Kugbiyi & Sara-Maya Kaba.

“This isn’t just Cuban history—it’s human history. And it’s urgent.”
Listen. Stand with us. Act.

Don’t miss this powerful journey—secure your tickets now and be part of a story that demands to be heard!

When: Saturday, September 27, 2025 from 7 to 9 pm
Where: SpanicArts Calgary
131 6 Ave SW
Calgary, AB

Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-postcard-cubas-untold-stories-tickets-1555104943749?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Behind every postcard lies Cuba’s untold fight and fierce resilience. Experience this powerful live show of film, poetry, and puppetry—demanding your attention!

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Beyond the Postcard: Cuba’s Untold Stories
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Behind every postcard lies Cuba’s untold fight and fierce resilience. Experience this powerful live show of film, poetry, and puppetry—demanding your attention!

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Beyond the Postcard: Cuba’s Untold Stories
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Behind every postcard lies Cuba’s untold fight and fierce resilience. Experience this powerful live show of film, poetry, and puppetry—demanding your attention!

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