Visual arts & new media

On September 10, I was pleased to be joined by the Honourable Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, members of the AFA Board of Directors and the arts community to officially open AFA art house – a new home for Alberta artists. 

Located in the heart of Downtown Calgary in The Edison building, AFA art house is dedicated to exhibiting Alberta artists and displaying works from the AFA Art Collection, the world’s largest collection of Alberta art. The first exhibition, New Views, is now open to the public. It features a diverse selection of 50 AFA artworks in the AFA Art Collection, including the first piece that started the Collection in 1972, and some of which have never been publicly exhibited before. Today, the AFA Art Collection features some of Alberta’s most prominent artists. You can learn more about the collection and the amazing Alberta artists at affta.ab.ca.

I was proud to announce the first solo exhibition in AFA art house will feature Samantha Williams-Chapelsky, the 2024-25 Alberta Artist in Residence and selected works from her “Sky, Stone, and Prairie: Plein Air Perspectives of Alberta” project. This exhibition will open later this fall. 

The AFA thanks the City of Calgary and Aspen Properties for being our partners in bringing AFA art house to fruition. We thank Alberta’s government for their ongoing support allowing the AFA to deliver on our mandate to support and celebrate Alberta art. We are proud to contribute to the revitalization of Calgary’s downtown core through the creation of art house. 

I encourage everyone to come visit AFA art house and discover the incredible talent and diversity of Alberta’s visual artists. Admission is free and we are open Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 4 p.m., or by special appointment. Learn more at affta.ab.ca/art-house.

Sincerely,

Cynthia P. Moore, Chair of the Board of Directors 
Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Watch the AFA art house reel

Watch the AFA art house recap video

On September 10, 2025, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) launched the AFA art house, a new visual arts gallery located in Calgary dedicated to exhibiting Alberta artists. The gallery features works by Alberta artists including artworks from the AFA Art Collection, the largest collection in the world of visual arts by Albertan artists. 

The AFA art house is located on the second floor in The Edison building (150 9 Ave SW) in Downtown Calgary. The inaugural exhibition, New Views, opened to the public on September 11, 2025 and features a diverse selection of 50 AFA artworks acquired by the Collection. The exhibition features Portrait of Don Getty, a print featuring former Alberta Premier Don Getty’s Edmonton Elks (formerly "Eskimos") player card. The exhibition also features artworks that have never been publicly exhibited before. 

“The AFA art house celebrates the creativity, history and talent that define Alberta’s arts community. The AFA art house is another way we are supporting artists and providing opportunities for Albertans to view and experience Alberta art, including pieces from the AFA’s own collection. We are pleased to be partnering with the City of Calgary and Aspen Properties to bring this space to life and contribute to Calgary’s downtown revitalization.” 

Cynthia P. Moore, AFA Chair

"The AFA art house is an inspired new addition to downtown Calgary. A space that celebrates and showcases the incredible talent of Alberta artists, expanding public access to the largest collection of visual artworks by Alberta artists in the world. Alberta's government is proud to invest over $40 million to the arts through Budget 2025, fueling creativity, economic growth and vibrant communities."

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

In addition to New Views, the AFA is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition in the AFA art house will feature Samantha Williams-Chapelsky, the 2024-25 Alberta Artist in Residence/Arts Ambassador, and selected works from her “Sky, Stone, and Prairie: Plein Air Perspectives of Alberta” project. This exhibition will open in October 2025. 

The AFA art house strengthens the AFA’s commitment to celebrating local art while contributing to Calgary’s downtown revitalization.

The AFA welcomes the public to visit art house. Admission is free and the gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. 

Quick facts

• The AFA Art Collection was established more than 50 years ago in 1972, initially proposed as “an opportunity to support and encourage Alberta artists by purchasing original works, as well as creating a legacy collection for the people of Alberta.”
• The AFA Art Collection includes 9,565 artworks by more than 1,700 Alberta artists.
• In 2023, the visual and applied arts and live performance industries contributed approximately $1.3 billion in GDP and sustained over 18,000 jobs in Alberta.

Multimedia

• Download the press release (PDF)
• Watch a preview video about the gallery
• Watch the AFA art house opening event reel

Download photos from the event

• Photo 1: AFA art house opening September 10, 2025 - main floor lobby of The Edison building. Photo credit David Kotsibie.
• Photo 2: AFA Chair Cynthia P. Moore is joined by Honourable Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women to open AFA art house on September 10, 2025. Photo credit David Kotsibie.
• Photo 3: AFA art house opening September 10, 2025 - interior view of the art house gallery. Photo credit David Kotsibie.
• Photo 4: The Board of Directors of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) and the Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women at the AFA art house opening September 10, 2025. Pictured left to right: Shana Yang, Le Bo, Cynthia P. Moore, Honourable Tanya Fir, Yasmin Jivraj, Melody McKnight, Robert Fernandez. Photo credit David Kotsibie

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.

You’re invited to experience the creativity and talent of artists supported by Chrysalis at our 15th Annual Art Exhibition in Calgary.

Location: Level 4 Hallway Gallery, cSpace Marda Loop (1721 29th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB)
Exhibition Dates: Monday - Friday, October 6 – 31, 2025
Reception Date: Friday, October 25, 4PM-7:30PM

Throughout October, the Level 4 Hallway Gallery at cSpace Marda Loop will feature a vibrant collection of original artwork created by adults with disabilities. Each piece represents a personal journey and is a powerful reflection of change, growth, and opportunity.

This free, public exhibition is open to all, and many of the pieces are available for purchase. The majority of each sale goes directly back to the artist, supporting their confidence, independence, and continued creative growth.

We also invite you to attend our Art Exhibition Reception on Friday, October 25, where you can meet the artists, enjoy refreshments, and experience the full heart of this exhibition.

Whether you stop by for a quiet moment or join us for the reception, your presence helps celebrate the unique voices and abilities of the artists we support.

For more information, visit chrysalis.ca/events