December Exhibitions & Markets
Browse and buy art at these December shows and sales!
The days grow cold and descend into darkness, but don’t worry, evil isn’t afoot, it’s just December and there’s no better time to check out some visual art at an exhibition or holiday market. Read our list and get planning!
Deck the Walls!
November 24, 2022 – January 15, 2023
Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art (730 11th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
This attention-grabbing, salon-inspired exhibition sees an entire wall filled with small- to medium-sized artworks. The perfect size for gift-giving, Deck the Walls! showcases paintings, photographs, sculptures and more.
newzones.com
Nature n’ Nurture
November 29 – December 23, 2022
Framed on Fifth (1207 5th Ave. NW)
Free to explore
Framed on Fifth presents Jeweliyana Reece’s first solo show, Nature ‘n Nurture, inspired by all the beautiful nature right outside our doors in the YYC area. Featuring paintings and glass art, it’s a show not to be missed!
framedonfifth.com
Escaping Urban
December 1 – January 28, 2022
Christine Klassen Gallery (321 50th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Marcia Harris’ solo exhibition merges two strong influences found in her work urban landscape and plein air. Her paintings evoke a familiar nostalgia reminiscent of favourite road trips through her lush handling of paint and bold use of colour.
christineklassengallery.com
After Breaking — Do Things Matter
December 6 – 10, 2022
Christine Klassen Gallery (321 50th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Insatiable aesthetic pleasure, using scientific theory in dialogue and collecting, are all tackled in After Breaking – Do Things Matter, a group exhibition featuring 19 emerging artists.
drive.google.com
Let It Snow
December 8, 2022
Alberta Craft Gallery & Shop, cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
$15
Support Alberta artists, buy handmade this holiday season and shop an incredible assortment of fine crafts while you enjoy refreshments, treats, music and door prizes. Connect with your local creative community and supporters!
eventbrite.ca
Under $100 Art Show
December 8 – 11, 2022
Art Spot (8 Manning Close NE)
$8
Art Spot’s annual Under $100 Art Show is Calgary’s largest group exhibition, featuring 200 artists and thousands of pieces of art — all under $100 — taking over 15,000 square feet of space!
under100artshow.com
Holiday Exhibition and Sale
December 8 – 24, 2022
Masters Gallery (107, 2115 4th St. SW)
Free to explore
Masters Gallery celebrates the season with its annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale, featuring works from Canadian artists from the 19th century to the present. Swing by on Saturdays or by appointment during the week.
mastersgalleryltd.com
Market Collective
December 9 – 11 & 16 – 18, 2022
BMO Centre Hall B + C (20 Roundup Way SE)
$7
Take a peep at the incredible artists, makers and vendors the Market Collective Holiday Series has lined up so you can plan your upcoming holiday hangs + shopping. It’s sure to knock your warm + fuzzy socks right off.
marketcollective.ca
Party City (where you belong)
December 9 – January 28, 2022
Norberg Hall (333b 36th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Kablusiak’s multifaceted exhibition celebrates nostalgia, novelty and the multiple. This new body of work is campy and subversive yet also sentimental, revolving around the allure and unknowns of the convenience store staple Surprise Bag.
norberghall.com
Holiday Market
December 10 & 11, 2022
Golden Acre Home & Garden (620 Goddard Ave. NE)
Free to explore
The Golden Acre Community Market’s December gift market features the finest wares from 50-plus local small businesses, free family and pet photos with Santa, food trucks and live entertainment.
goldenacre.ca
Authentically Indigenous Holiday Market
December 10 & 11, 2022
Kerby Centre (1133 7th Ave. SW)
$5 – 8
Enjoy a shopping experience like no other! Featuring two days of over 50 different local Indigenous artists and craft makers, you can find handmade goods, crafts, art, beadwork, jewelry and more at this local grassroots market.
authenticallyindig.com
Christmas Miniature Group Show
December 10 – 24, 2022
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Looking for a unique and special gift for that special someone? Wallace Galleries has a roster of artists focusing on some special works. You’ll find gems for that nook and other dynamic works for that centrepiece.
wallacegalleries.com
Festive Foothills Art Sale
Until December 21, 2022
Leighton Art Centre (282027 144th St. West, Millarville)
By donation
Enjoy a whole lot of Christmas cheer in Alberta’s beautiful Foothills region! Explore fine crafts and artworks by local artists featured in the galleries of the historic Leighton home and online.
leightoncentre.org
Last Chance + Ongoing Exhibitions
Before It’s Gone
Until December 17, 2022
ASA Gallery, Crossroads Art Centre (1235 26th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Composed of acrylic paintings by Deborah Lougheed Sinclair, this exhibition celebrates the beauty and diversity of our fragile ecosystems and is a warning about the dramatic impacts of human activity and significant climate change.
albertasocietyofartists.com
Perimeter’s Ridge
Until December 17, 2022
ASA Gallery, Crossroads Art Centre (1235 26th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
An exhibition of paintings, poems and stories by Ferdinando Spina. Spina’s art doesn’t portray subjects at their prettiest; rather, he cultivates a milieu of ambiguity with characters that are in their intentions and motivations vague.
albertasocietyofartists.com
Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Expanded Frame
Until December 17, 2022
Nickle Galleries, Taylor Family Digital Library, University of Calgary (2500 University Dr. NW)
Free to explore
Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Expanded Frame, 1960 – 2000, is an ambitious travelling exhibition that examines the explosion of innovative textile-based art on the Canadian Prairies between 1960 – 2000.
prairieinterlace.ca
Adrian Stimson: Anthro-Obscene (and other works)
Until December 17, 2022
Nickle Galleries, Taylor Family Digital Library, University of Calgary (2500 University Dr. NW)
Free to explore
This exhibition introduces Adrian Stimson’s large and diverse practice, built from many layers of interconnected ways of being and working, formed alongside his navigation of personal and cultural questions.
nickle.ucalgary.ca
Esker Foundation Summer/Fall Exhibitions
Until December 18, 2022
Esker Foundation (4th floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
It’s your last chance to see Esker Foundation Summer/Fall exhibitions: Chloë Lum & Yannick Desranleau’s The Garden of a Former House Turned Museum, Gailan Ngan’s From the Studio Floor, and Robin Arseneault’s Falling Off The Log.
eskerfoundation.com
mitaaqtuaqtunga
Until December 23, 2022
The Bows (2001B 10th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
mitaaqtuaqtunga (no translation provided) welcomes viewers into an intimate, vulnerable offering of Inuit knowledge sharing. Inuvialuk artist Kablusiak imparts an ancient story passed down through their family over generations.
thebows.org
50 Shades of Brown
Until December 31, 2022
The GRAND (608 1st St. SW)
Free to explore
The 50 Shades of Brown project exhibition showcases a series of beautiful photographs with the goal of embracing beauty, celebrating visibility and diversity, and connecting to what it means to be Two-Spirit.
50shadesofbrown.ca
Stories from the Yethka
Until January 15, 2023
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (425 9th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
As part of a rotating exhibition of artworks that feature connections to the land, Gordon Wesley, a proud Nakoda Stoney from the Bighorn Reserve, brings the life of the wild into the still picture, serving as memories of his wildlife experiences.
calgary.ca
11,104 Days: From Artists to Zenith
Ongoing
Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art (730 11th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
In honour of their 30th anniversary, 11,104 Days: From Artists to Zenith displays each of Newzones’ represented artists, including spectacular new work created by gallery artists in celebration of this milestone.
newzones.com
Music & Wellness
Ongoing
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (850 4th St. SE)
With admission
Check out National Music Centre’s new permanent Music & Wellness exhibition, which taps into the power of music on mental and physical health through a series of powerful video interviews that create an immersive sense of personal conversation.
studiobell.ca
Canadian Music Hall of Fame 2022 Inductee: Deborah Cox
Ongoing
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (850 4th St. SE)
With admission
This exhibition celebrates the life and career of 2022 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Deborah Cox, the first Black woman to receive this national honour, through a larger-than-life Hall of Fame magazine-style spread.
studiobell.ca
Have a visual arts event that’s not listed? Email us at events@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or fill out this form.
