• Location Various Venues 
• Price Prices Vary

Another busy month for the visual arts community, March brings a huge variety of exhibitions, pop-ups, show and sales, workshops, talks, and much more. Grab your calendar and plan to fill it with these great events.

IMPORTANT: With the spread of COVID-19, Calgary’s arts community is moving ahead with a number of event postponements and cancellations. While we are working diligently to keep our events calendar updated, please check with the event organizers for the most recent information. Thank you for your continued patience.

Community Day

March 1, 2020, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Glenbow (130 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Glenbow opens its doors inviting the whole city to experience all that the museum has to offer—for free. Join in on a shared community experience with family, friends, and neighbours. It’s a great chance to explore the new exhibits, including Vivian Maier: In Her Own Hands, or revisit some old favourites.
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Making Lightning

March 1, 2020, 1:00 – 2:00pm
Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission, registration recommended

Focusing on the development of ideas through drawing, scale models or rough drafts, this tour traces the evolution of Katie Ohe’s process from playful doodles to complex, highly engineered works that defy logic and spark wonder. This tour is also ASL interpreted.
eventbrite.ca

Lieu

March 1 – 14, 2020
Small Space Gallery (424 10th St. NW)
Free admission

Lieu by Archie Sarjeant celebrates the return of one of Calgary’s own influential underground comics artists to the visual arts space. This latest exhibition blends the intricate detail of previous work with a zen-like simplicity of form, creating an aesthetic which is uniquely their own.
adsarjeant.com

Mini Masters

March 5, 2020, 11:00 – 11:45am
Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission, registration required

Mini Masters is a workshop series for children aged three to five to explore themes in our current exhibitions through art making, movement, and play. From yoga to dance, painting to print-making, each month you can discover new mediums and techniques in all art forms.
eventbrite.ca

Lyrics: An Evening of Art and Poetry

March 5, 2020, 4:00 – 8:30pm
Loft 112 (112, 535 8th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Join local artist Stacey Walyuchow for her third solo show. Walyuchow has created 14 new pieces inspired by lyrics of her favourite songs. Each hand painted collage piece is accompanied by poetry written by Helen Hajnoczky.
eventbrite.ca

Bright Side Art Show

March 5, 2020, 5:00pm
Theatre 1308 (1308 Edmonton Tr. NE)
Free admission

A group exhibition by visual artists that explores the theme of progress, be sure to swing by this opening reception. Curated by Julya Hajnoczky to coincide with the Bright Side Festival, the exhibit includes paintings and photography by a number of talented local artists.
theatre1308.com

Free First Thursday Nights

March 5, 2020, 5:00 – 9:00pm
Glenbow (130 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Glenbow is a place for everyone. Thanks to a partnership with Servus Credit Union, this popular free evening at the museum returns for 2020. Committed to expanding the reach and impact of art and culture in our community, be sure to swing by—it’s a great chance to see a bunch of new exhibitions up close and personal!
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Bring the Baby Art Tour & Tummy Time

March 6, 2020, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission, registration recommended

This program starts with a casual half-hour tour of the Esker Foundation’s current exhibitions, followed by a half-hour of tummy time social fun for both baby and guardian centred around an interactive artwork created especially for babies by artist Yvonne Mullock.
eventbrite.ca

Calgary Memorial Glass

March 6, 2020, 4:00 – 8:00pm
cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free admission

Have you recently lost a loved one or pet? Glass House is here to help you learn about their memorial glass services, provide samples, and the opportunity to talk with a glass specialist onsite. No ticket or appointment necessary so swing by this open house.
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First Glance: Metamorphosis Contemporary Canadian Portraits

March 6, 2020, 7:00pm
Glenbow (130 9th Ave. SE)
$8 – $10

Join curator Madeline Trudeau for a special preview of Glenbow’s latest collaboration with Library and Archives Canada, Metamorphosis: Contemporary Portraits. The exhibition explores themes of transformation over time whether through mortality, renewal or commemoration.
glenbow.org

What the Hell Happened to Her

March 6 – 8, 2020
Nvrlnd (1048 21st Ave. SE)
Free admission

Heather Buchanan’s latest offering evokes the experience of living with a brain that is eternally incongruous with our culture’s expectations of how a brain ought to behave. This series of imagined portraits show women doing their best to keep their shit together, often even striving to look like they belong in this increasingly inhospitable world.
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Sheep Creek Weavers Interactive Demos

March 7, 2020, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Alberta Craft Gallery, cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free admission

Learn about traditional techniques of spinning wool and discover the process of hand loom weaving. Join the Sheep Creek Weavers for this fun activity during the Farmers and Makers Market!
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Starry Dynamo Arts Market

March 7, 2020, 10:00am – 5:00pm
Royal Canadian Legion #1 (116 7th Ave. SE)
$2

Starry Dynamo is an opportunity to show and market work for artists, creators, and organizers who normally do not have a space available, and for the weird and wonderful to shine through. This a great chance to explore work from new creators, actual experiments, and those who work on smaller scales.
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Nancy Townshend on the Life and Art of Maxwell Bates

March 7, 2020, 1:00pm
Glenbow (130 9th Ave. SE)
$8 – $25

Alberta-based Nancy Townshend has furthered international recognition of Maxwell Bates. Join the author of Maxwell Bates: Canada’s Premier Expressionist of the 20th Century for this In Conversation event.
glenbow.org

Jolie Bird & Alyssa Sikapinakii Duck Chief

March 7, 2020, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Stride Gallery (1006 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free admission

For the past two months, artists Jolie Bird and Alyssa Sikapinakii Duck Chief have been working in their respective installations and you can check them out one last time. Join Stride Gallery for this closing reception.
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LOOK2020

March 7, 2020, 5:30pm
Centennial Planetarium, Contemporary Calgary (701 11th St. SW)
Prices vary

Known for being one of the most influential and vibrant art galas in the country, LOOK2020 transforms the Centennial Planetarium into a whimsical and immersive intersection of art, fashion, music, and media. The evening ignites the senses to everything Contemporary Calgary envisions for the future.
contemporarycalgary.com

Impact

March 7 – 25, 2020
Knox Gallery of Art (200 Barclay Parade SW)
Free admission

This group exhibition showcases the contemporary artwork of artists Chlan Grant, Jane Lochrie, Laura Erdman, Nuit, Janie Lockwood, Doro Buch, XOX Unknown, Matt Trinh (AKA Hawk), Keegan Karlsen, Terry Gregoraschuk, and the provocative work by TAG.
knoxgalleryofart.com

Red Hot Art Show

March 10 – 14, 2020
cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free admission

The red-hot work included in this show spans the artistic media spectrum to include oil, acrylic, watercolour, pastel, collage, mixed media, and much more. With subject matter is as diverse as the media—florals, landscapes, still life, and abstracts—join the Calgary Sketch Club for its next exhibition. You can even meet the artists from 5:00 to 8:00pm on March 12 at the celebratory reception.
calgarysketchclub.com

Open Studio

March 12, 2020, 6:00 – 9:00pm
cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free admission

Join Mabel Tan to see the ceramic sculptures she has been working on throughout her residency at the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation studio. She has been transforming the studio into an active and interactive playground space and invites you to come play!
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Critical Propaganda

March 14, 2020, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Untitled Art Society Studios (343 11th Ave. SW)
Free admission, registration required

Critical Propaganda is a two-hour workshop on media literacy and arts journalism which centers a board game from 1966 called Propaganda Game. It employs the gameboard and rules of the Propaganda Game as a pathway toward a conversation about contemporary art criticism. Register at programming@uascalgary.org.
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Reboot Outpost

March 14 – April 11, 2020
Edge Gallery (1416 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Take in this exhibition of the latest work from Denman Island-based artist Scot Bullick! His quirky sculptural assemblages elevate and re-purpose mundane objects into creations of splendor that dazzle and confuse. The opening reception takes place March 14 from 1:00 to 4:00pm.
edgegallery.ca

Ongoing Exhibitions

Red Earth: Africa

Until March 2, 2020
cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free admission

This project began out of Anne Tapler White’s desire to document the everyday life of the African people and to show that we are all bound by common threads and how our lives intersect. The exhibition shows resilience, struggles, and pride in being African.
cspacekingedward.com

Toni Onley

Until March 4, 2020
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free admission

This exhibition spans and exhibits works over the extensive and prolific career of Toni Onley. Almost a retrospective, this collection of works shown range from the early 1960s to the early 2000s.
wallacegalleries.com

Images of Rapture

Until March 6, 2020
Centre Street CTrain Station (7th Ave. & 1st St. SE)
Free admission

Molly Caldwell explores the ecstatic in vapid and ostentatious yet somehow joyful for it. It channels the sticky sweetness of hair stuck in lip gloss as you flip through a glossy magazine and rub the perfume ads on your wrist.
uascalgary.org

The discipline of constructing

Until March 6, 2020
Stride Gallery (1006 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free admission

A stunning fibre artist, Jolie Bird’s exhibition collates weavings, textile installation, in-gallery performances, and idea and skill sharing with the community. Throughout the duration of the show, Bird will be working in a representational artist’s studio, complete with a four-harness floor loom, assorted weaving tools, materials and snippets from her recent trip to Japan that informs the new body of work.
stride.ab.ca

I’m Only Going to Show You Once, Now You Try

Until March 6, 2020
Stride Gallery (1006 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free admission

Alyssa Duck Chief explores deep traumas of a ruptured family circle in the hopes of healing themselves through the medium of photography, text, and storytelling.
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Ready Player 2

Until March 7, 2020
Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta University of the Arts (1407 14th Ave. NW)
Free admission

Brendan Lee Satish Tang and Sonny Assu combine elements from science fiction, comic book, and gaming cultures to consider how these forms both reinforce and transcend racial boundaries in youth culture.
ikg.acad.ca

Reliant Objects

Until March 7, 2020
Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta University of the Arts (1407 14th Ave. NW)
Free admission

This group exhibition of interdisciplinary craft work challenges notions of form, function, and the future of domestic objects. The works rely upon a viewer’s recognition of their sameness and difference.
ikg.acad.ca

SPOTLIGHT: Gillian Mitchell & Sally Dobbin

Until March 8, 2020
Alberta Craft Gallery, cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free admission

Gillian Mitchell and Sally Dobbin, both ceramic instructors at the Wildflower Arts Centre, use varying techniques to balance design and function in their unique approaches to ceramics. Check out the reception on February 13.
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BLANC

Until March 14, 2020
Christine Klassen Gallery (200, 321 50th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Ben Cope takes a sculptural, hands on approach, transforming the traditionally slick photographic surface into rough, raw, and distressed one-of-a-kind artworks that express universal aspects of the human condition.
christineklassengallery.com

at the last judgement we will all be trees

Until March 14, 2020
Christine Klassen Gallery (200, 321 50th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Julya Hajnoczky’s mesmerizing imagery of meticulously arranged plants, feathers, animal bones, fungi, and lichen seem to float off their rich black backgrounds as if by magic.
christineklassengallery.com

Object Lessons

Until April 19, 2020
Project Space, Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free admission

Anna Gustafson enshrouds discarded appliances in old, white linen—a manner historically used by many cultures to prepare the dead for burial. Presented in partnership with The New Gallery, see this fantastic piece this season in the Esker Foundation’s Project Space.
eskerfoundation.com

Have a visual arts event that’s not listed? Email us at events@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or fill out this form.