Free this Week

Spring into some free art experiences this week

  • Location: Various Venues

A change of season brings a new opportunity to take in live music, film, visual art and more — all for free. Whatever you’re into, take a gander at our roundup to get your adventure started!

Shameless: The Art of Disability

March 22, 2023, 7 – 9pm
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library (800 3rd St. SE)
Free to attend

Bonnie Sherr Klein was one of the National Film Board’s star feminist filmmakers when in 1987 a catastrophic stroke led to her becoming quadriplegic. Combining her work as an artist and an activist, she created this 2006 film to explore the transformational power of art for persons with disabilities. Presented by Calgary Cinematheque.
calgarycinema.org

McPhee Artist Development Program Performance

March 22, 2023, 12:10 – 1pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free to attend

Calgary Opera’s McPhee Artist Development Program is one of only four training programs for young professional opera singers in Canada, with eight singers selected annually from over a hundred applicants in an extensive and competitive audition process. Check out their performance as part of the ProArts@Noon Concert Series.
proartssociety.ca

Morgan Melenka Artist Talk & Tour

March 23, 2023, 6 – 7pm
Esker Foundation (4th Floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to attend

Using sculpture and printmaking, Morgan Melenka reproduces, modifies and misuses the familiar forms and materials of physical structures to engage with the world of architecture. Join Melenka for a talk and tour around Inglewood to discuss its architectural features and her exhibition in the Project Space.
eskerfoundation.com

It Looks Nice from a Distance

March 25 – May 6, 2023
TRUCK Contemporary Art (2009 10th Ave. SW)
Free to view

Anahita Norouzi’s It Looks Nice from a Distance takes the form of a 12-channel video installation, incorporating text, sound, video and sculpture. It explores the themes of otherness and displacement by paralleling the notions of migration and tourism, shedding light on the gap between these two realities.
truck.ca

Art Instructor Showcase

March 25, 2023, 10am – 4pm
Parkdale Seniors’ Association (3512 5th Ave. NW)
Free to attend

The Parkdale Nifty Fifties Seniors Association provides world-class art instruction for seniors in and around Calgary. This event is a chance for prospective students to come and see the styles and techniques of the in-house instructors. Instructors will be present for meet and greets, and there will also be works available for purchase.
pdnf.org

Mary Beth Laviolette: Curator’s Tour of David Garneau: Métissage

March 25, 2023, 1pm
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (435 Campus Lane NW)
Free with registration

Guest curator, Mary Beth Laviolette, will introduce the rich and varied creative practice of David Garneau. With close to 50 works of art, Métissage surveys the career of Edmonton-born artist, David Garneau, documenting his struggle to shape a contemporary Indigenous identity.
nickle.ucalgary.ca

Snap Shots: Pages from the Past

Until April 12, 2023
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free to attend

In conjunction with the Jean McEwen exhibition, Wallace Galleries presents works on paper by Ted Godwin, Kenneth Lochhead and Harold Town. Snap back in time with some historic modern works of artists from the Regina Five and Painters Eleven.
wallacegalleries.com

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