Much of the city’s visual arts sector will be focused on the Art Gallery of St. Albert tonight. That’s when the culmination of its new exhibition takes place.
For 22 years, the gallery held an annual art auction. Things have changed and Square One is taking over. The 17-day exhibition of works from more than 100 local artists culminates in a special gala event tonight where everything – including almost 300 paintings, drawings, photography and ceramics – will be sold for $200 each.
The catch is that every two-dimensional item is one foot by one foot (30-centimetres square) and three-dimensional works are one foot by one foot by one foot (30-cm cubed).
Frances Gagnon, the executive director of the gallery, hopes that the concept will catch on to make a successful new annual fundraiser.
“One price, one size and one idea: to have a new game plan with more art, more artists and more time for an enriching visual arts experience,” she explained. “The Square One exhibition and fundraiser is full of surprise, delight, challenge and excitement. The gallery looks spectacular and the exhibition as a whole truly is more than the sum of its parts.”
Doors open at 7 p.m. at the gallery. Sales begin at 8:15 p.m. Although the gala event is this evening, the pieces will remain on display and for sale until the end of the exhibition on June 23.
The gallery is located at 19 Perron Street.
Only a few tickets are left for tonight’s event. For more information on the event or any other of the gallery’s exhibitions, call 780-460-4310 or visit www.artgalleryofstalbert.ca.
Edmonton’s long-running art and design festival is in the final stages of preparation before its official launch next week.
The Works runs from June 21 to July 3. Since 1986, it has given many hundreds of visual artists the opportunity to show their talents off to a mass audience at numerous venues throughout downtown and central Edmonton. Naturally, St. Albert’s artists are involved as well including Janice Peters (Pulp Paper Pages at the Alberta Craft Council) and Doris Charest (Otherness at Galerie PAVA).
With a theme of ‘2D or not 2D’, this year’s festival promises to be as eye-catching as ever. There are 31 venues to take in.
For more information, call 780-426-2122 or visit www.theworks.ab.ca.
