Mohammad Abbasi “The Third Space” | Photo: courtesy of Herringer Kiss Gallery

Free This Week

Dive into Calgary arts and culture in this week’s roundup! Discover thought-provoking exhibitions like Efflorescence/The Way We Wake, learn about Canadian art fakes, forgeries and scams in a Nickle at Noon talk, or enjoy poetry readings with Single Onion. Read on for even more free events!

Nickle at Noon: Fakes, Forgeries and Scams in Canadian Art

November 21, 2024, 12 – 1pm
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (435 Campus Lane NW)
Free to attend

Join Art Historian Lisa Christensen for a talk about art scams, scandals, fakes and forgeries in the art world, and how the proliferation of art sales via the internet has opened new and unscrutinized doors for fraudsters.
events.ucalgary.ca

Exhibition Opening: Efflorescence/The Way We Wake

November 21, 2024, 6 – 9pm
Contemporary Calgary (701 11 St. SW)
Free to attend

Join Contemporary Calgary for the opening of Rajni Perera & Marigold Santos: Efflorescence/The Way We Wake. This exhibition features the works of two visionary artists, exploring their diasporic experiences and research into their respective cultural heritages, art-making and motherhood while delving into the transformative potential of identity.
contemporarycalgary.com

Listening as Pain and Necessity

November 21, 2024, 7pm
Taylor Family Digital Library, University of Calgary (435 Campus Lane NW)
Free to attend

With noise ranking as the second largest environmental cause of health problems, this presentation (part talk, part poetic reading) draws on the one hand from Assistant Professor Anna Veprinska’s sensitivity to noise and on the other from her use of audio-learning accommodations.
events.ucalgary.ca

Single Onion #206

November 21, 2024, 7pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4 St. SW)
Free to attend

The Single Onion, Calgary’s longest-running poetry reading series, wraps up its fall season with readings from rob mclennan, Christine McNair and the Magpie Poets.
shelflifebooks.ca

After Breaking, Building Up

November 21 – 23, 2024 | Opening Reception November 23, 1 – 4pm
Christine Klassen Gallery (Suite #200, 321 50 Ave. SE)
Free to explore

How can a fibre tree, a glass cage, a ceramic caterpillar or a self-portrait change the way we view the world? 18 Calgary emerging artists tackle what is becoming a most urgent question in a new show by bringing you into their world and challenging your relationship with people, animals, plants and objects.
auarts.ca

Calgary Justice Film Festival

November 21 – 23, 2024
The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (750 9 Ave. SE)
Free to attend, registration required

The Calgary Justice Film Festival screens a rigorously curated selection of films, with each screening accompanied by a lively discussion featuring filmmakers or topic experts, fostering engaging dialogue.
justicefilmfestival.ca

Village of Art

November 22, 2024, 12 – 3pm
Carya Village Commons (610 8 Ave. SE)
Free to attend, RSVP required

Join Carya for a day of creativity, culinary exploration, and cultural celebration as they wrap up their inspiring pop-up series! Celebrate with an art-making session with Artist in Residence Gillian Coulton, two Interactive cooking demos and snacks!
caryacalgary.ca

Contextural Fibre Arts Sale

November 22 & 23, 2024
Alexandra Dance Hall (936 9 Ave. SE)
Free to explore

The Contextural Fibre Arts Sale is an annual one-of-a-kind textile art show in Inglewood that features a wide variety of textile and fibre art by local artists. Join them to shop, chat with artists and celebrate all things fibre art.
eventbrite.ca

Mohammad Abbasi “The Third Space” — Opening Reception

November 23, 2024, 2 – 5pm
Herringer Kiss Gallery (Suite 101, 1615 10 Ave. SW)
Free to attend

The concept of home, for many, symbolizes security and a sense of belonging, encompassing a broad and borderless definition or an architectural structure defined by physical and cultural walls. In this exhibition, Iranian-born, Edmonton-based artist Mohammad Abbasi explores these borders.
herringerkissgallery.com

Hand Made Here Holiday Show and Sale

November 23 & 24, 2024, 10am – 5pm
Triwood Community Hall (2244 Chicoutimi Dr. NW)
Free to explore

Hand Made Here Artist Collective is a community of artists that work collaboratively to produce a unique holiday market to showcase high-quality, handmade art and craft, made by artists in Calgary and the surrounding area. Check it out!
handmadehere.ca

Contemporary Kids: Mini Eco-Explorers

November 24, 2024, 1 & 3pm
Contemporary Calgary (701 11 St. SW)
Free to participate, registration required

Join Contemporary Kids for the natural wildlife craft workshop inspired by Paola Pivi’s playful exhibition: Come check it out. Exploring Pivi’s imaginative take on animals and the environment, this hands-on workshop invites kids to craft their own wildlife creatures using natural bark pieces.
contemporarycalgary.com

Noon Hour Concert

November 26, 2024, 12noon
Brookfield Place (225 6 Ave. SW)
Free to attend

Join the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for a free noon-hour concert at Brookfield Place featuring a selection of seasonal favourites. From The Nutcracker to Sleigh Ride, get into the holiday spirit with your Calgary Phil!
calgaryphil.com

Young Writers’ Showcase

November 26, 2024, 7pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4 St. SW)
Free to attend

Join the Writers’ Guild of Alberta Youth Committee and the Mount Royal Write Club for their first-ever collaborative Young Writers’ Showcase. Calgary has a thriving community of young writers and authors, covering mediums like fiction, poetry, prose, spoken word, zines and more. 
shelflifebooks.ca

Afghan War Carpets in the Collection of Nickle Galleries

November 27, 2024, 11am – 12pm
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (435 Campus Lane NW)
Free to attend

Nickle Galleries curator Michele Hardy leads this intimate, behind-the-scenes tour of the textile vault, sharing remarkable examples of the Afghan collection. Hardy is a curator, anthropologist and textile specialist who has worked with the collection for almost two decades.
event.ucalgary.ca

Calgary Burns Club Singers

November 27, 2024, 12 – 1pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1 St. SE)
Free to attend

Calgary Burns Club singers started out in 1994 to provide entertainment to club members. The initial focus was to sing the songs of Robert Burns and other traditional songs of Scotland, and while that focus remains, the singers also now sing a variety of other songs. Check them out!
proartssociety.ca

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