Art Gallery of Alberta facts for kids
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Southwest exterior of the Art Gallery of Alberta
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| Established | 1924 |
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| Location | 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2C1 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Visitors | 77,079 (2018) |
| Architect | Randall Stout |
| Public transit access |      Churchill station |
The Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is a cool art museum located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It's a big building, about 8,000 square meters (86,000 square feet), right in Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton. The building you see today was designed by Randall Stout, though it includes parts of an older building.
The museum first opened in 1924 as the Edmonton Museum of Arts. Later, in 1956, its name changed to the Edmonton Art Gallery. For many years, the museum moved around to different places. Finally, in 1969, it moved to its current spot. The building was known as the Arthur Blow Condell building. In 2005, the museum got its current name, the Art Gallery of Alberta. From 2007 to 2010, the building got a huge upgrade costing $88 million. It reopened on January 31, 2010, looking brand new!
The AGA has a collection of over 6,000 artworks. It especially focuses on art made in Alberta and other parts of western Canada. Besides showing its own collection, the museum also brings in travelling exhibitions from other places. They also offer fun programs to help people learn about art.
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How the Art Gallery Started
The museum began in 1924 as the Edmonton Museum of Arts. Its main goal was to share fine arts and save historical items from the area. Maud Bowman, who was the first director and president, helped start it. She got support from the Edmonton Art Club and other important people in business and politics.
The very first art show was held in the Palm Room of the Hotel Macdonald. It featured art borrowed from local collections. There were also 24 artworks on loan from the National Gallery of Canada. The museum's collection didn't grow much during the 1930s and 1940s. This was because of tough times like the Great Depression and the Second World War. Even so, the museum kept offering art classes and showing art from the National Gallery of Canada.
In its early years, the museum was in several different places. These included an old Edmonton Public Library building and parts of other buildings. In 1952, it moved into the former home of Richard Secord. Since most of its work was about fine arts, the museum changed its name in 1956 to the Edmonton Art Gallery.
Building a New Home
Plans for a special building for the art museum started in 1962. This happened after A. E. Condell left money to the museum in honor of her son, Arthur Blow Condell. Architects Donald G. Bittorf and B. James Wensley designed the building. The City of Edmonton gave the museum a piece of land at Churchill Square. The new building opened in 1969 and was called the "Arthur Blow Condell Memorial Building." In 1977, more changes were made, adding a new section where an outdoor courtyard used to be.
Ideas to update the building came up in 1998. But serious talks about how to pay for it didn't start until 2001. In 2005, the museum held a contest for architects to design the new building. Twenty-seven architects sent in their ideas. In September 2005, the design by Randall Stout from Los Angeles was chosen. His design would double the space for art shows. It also included a place to store the art collection safely away from the main building. On the same day the winning design was announced, the museum changed its name to the Art Gallery of Alberta. This was to show it would focus on art from all over Alberta.
Modernizing the Museum
In April 2007, parts of the old Arthur Blow Condell building were taken down. Many parts of the old structure were used in Stout's new design. Construction officially began in June 2007. The museum was closed from March 2007 to January 2010 for the building work. During this time, the museum showed its art at a different location.
When the museum reopened on January 31, 2010, it had exciting new art shows. These included works by famous artists like Edgar Degas and Yousuf Karsh. After reopening, many more people became members of the Art Gallery of Alberta. About 30,000 people visited in the first six weeks!
In December 2009, the museum and the National Gallery of Canada announced a special three-year partnership. This allowed the Art Gallery of Alberta to show artworks from the National Gallery's collection. It was the first time the National Gallery of Canada had a "satellite program" with another art museum.
Since 2017, the museum has offered free admission for kids, teens, and college students. This makes it easier for young people to enjoy art.
Museum Building and Location
The Art Gallery of Alberta is located in Churchill Square, a public space in downtown Edmonton. The building itself covers 8,000 square meters (86,000 square feet). Inside, there are over 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet) of special climate-controlled rooms for showing art.
Building Design and Features
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The building was designed by Randall Stout Architects, Inc. Local architects and engineers also helped with the design and construction. The original plan for the renovation was $48 million, but it later increased to $88 million.
The outside of the building is made of special zinc and stainless steel. This modern look shows the museum's interest in new and exciting art. A long, curvy steel ribbon, about 190 meters (620 feet) long, wraps around the building. This ribbon is meant to look like the North Saskatchewan River and the aurora (Northern Lights), which are important parts of Edmonton's natural beauty. Inside, there's even a room inspired by the aurora!
The building also has a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a gift shop. There's an education center with a 150-seat theater called the Singhmar Centre for Art Education. You can also find a rooftop patio called the City of Edmonton Terrace. Plus, there are spaces like Manning Hall that people can rent for events.
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The original building on this spot, the Arthur Blow Condell building, opened in 1969. It was partly taken down in 2007 for the new design. However, about 67 percent of the old building was kept. Most of these parts became the foundation or lower floors of the new building. The third-floor terrace of the new museum was actually the roof of the old Arthur Blow Condell building!
The museum building is designed to be easy for everyone to use. It has automatic doors and offers wheelchairs if you need one. Care workers who come with visitors also get free admission. The museum also has a special "equity committee." This group works to find and remove any barriers that might make people feel excluded. They advise the museum's leaders on how to make things better for everyone.
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Getting to the Museum
You can easily get to the museum using public transportation. It's right near Churchill station, which is part of Edmonton's LRT system. The museum even gives a discount to visitors who travel by public transit. The museum doesn't have its own parking for cars or bikes. Visitors use public parking spaces nearby.
Art Collection
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The museum's permanent collection has over 6,000 artworks. Most of these were created after the 1950s. Many artworks were given to the museum by people or other groups. The collection mainly focuses on art made in Alberta and western Canada. The museum started collecting art in 1924. However, its growth was slow during the 1930s and 1940s because of the Great Depression and Second World War. From the 1960s to 1985, the museum mostly bought modern art paintings and sculptures. In 2015, the museum's collection was worth about $30 million. In 2017, the museum received $375,000 to buy art by modern First Nations, Inuit, and Metis artists. This was part of the Canada Council for the Arts' New Chapter program.
The museum has historical Canadian art by artists like Emily Carr, Group of Seven members, and Cornelius Krieghoff.
Its collection of modern and contemporary art includes works by Canadian artists such as Alex Janvier, Janet Cardiff, and Brian Jungen.
The museum started collecting photographs in 1977 and now has over 1,500 photos. These include historical photos by Edward Curtis and Yousuf Karsh. It also has modern photos by artists like Lynne Cohen. The museum also has a collection of over 850 prints.
Featured Artworks
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Frasers Lodge, Tom Thomson, 1915
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Autumn Filiage, Tom Thomson, 1916
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The Fisherman, Tom Thomson, c. 1916–1917
Museum Connections
The Art Gallery of Alberta works with several other groups. These include the Alberta Museum Association, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, the Canadian Museums Association, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
More to Explore
- List of art museums
- List of museums in Alberta
See also
In Spanish: Galería de Arte de Alberta para niños
