Family Day is an opportunity to appreciate what makes family special and to spend quality time with your family and loved ones. Having positive personal connections can help with overall health and well-being.

Every family make up is different. The definition of family can be much broader than the traditional picture of a mother, father and their children. Our featured work, Family of Three by Stanford Perrot, takes this traditional concept of family and abstracts the image to express feeling through shape, line and color.

Let us recognize and honour the many different types of family units there can be: the best building blocks to happiness are healthy relationships.

Enjoy Family Day and we encourage you to take part in art and explore the province with your loved ones:

• AFA's virtual museum: check out our online collection of Albertans' artwork from the comfort of your home
• Alberta license free Family Fishing Weekend: see if there is an opportunity to photograph the moments or sketch your experience afterwards 
• Alberta historic sites and museums: selected museums and sites are offering free admission. Contact each heritage facility first prior to attending to check on the opening hours, advanced registration and COVID guidelines. See if there are any artwork there that sparks your inner creativity.

About the artist

Stanford Perrott was an influential art educator and watercolourist. His collection also includes mid-century abstract work.

He was born in Claresholm, Alberta and studied in New York. He also attended and taught at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, where he eventually became the head of the college. He learnt from Hans Hoffman and was strongly influenced by abstract expressionism and cubism.

In the 1960s, Perrott convinced the government of Alberta to expand the arts section of the institute to have its own building. Perrott and his associates made his wish come true in creating the Alberta College of Art and Design (which has since further transformed into the Alberta University of the Arts). 

Although he did not raise a family of his own, he was an excellent educator and mentor to his students and colleagues – his extended family.

Image description

The image is an abstracted form of a family of three, represented by simple curvilinear forms. The adult and child figures are depicted through black and white shapes, accented with red and green tones. The artwork is lithograph on paper.