Free This Week

Fill your days with readings and receptions, concerts and stories

  • Price: Free

Looking for something to do this week but don’t have a lot of spare cash? Don’t miss out and hit up these free events. From shows at the Palomino to an evening of new works with Theatre Calgary, there’s something for everyone. Here’s what we’re checking out:

Riverview Artists March Show & Sale

Until March 23, 2018, 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sunlife Plaza (144 4th Ave. SW)
Free

The 12 artists who make up the Riverview Artists Group invite you to view their latest exhibit of original paintings. Finding inspiration in a wide range of subjects, see a variety of styles and techniques.
riverview-artists.com

ProArts@Noon Presents Calum Lykan Storyteller Concert

March 21, 2018, 12:10 – 12:50pm
Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (604 1st St. SE)
Free

The theme of this year’s World Storytelling Day is Wise Fools, so join storyteller Calum Lykan and poet Erin Dingle for this free lunch hour celebration.
proartssociety.ca

Lunch Hour Artist Talks: Dianne Bos

March 21, 2018, 12:15 – 12:45pm
Main Foyer, Central Library (616 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free, registration recommended

Held over the lunch hour this series invites Calgarians working downtown to enjoy their lunch while listening to talks and presentations by local artists. Join Contemporary Calgary for a talk with renowned photographer Dianne Bos as she discusses her most recent exhibition The Sleeping Green: no man’s land 100 years later.
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Lunch Hour Artist Talks: Dianne Bos

Caveboy and guests

March 21, 2018, 9:00pm
Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club (109 7th Ave. SW)
Free, 18+

Next from Pabst Blue Ribbon, here’s your chance to catch Montreal’s Caveboy alongside Orthicon and guests.
facebook.com

Each Painted Document Performance

March 22, 2018, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (410 University Ct. NW)
Free

A (con)textual component to Each Painted Document, an exhibition of recent works by Mark Dicey, see what Calgary-artist Grant Poier has created. A fellow collaborator and long-time observer of Dicey’s intense creative engagements, Poier responds, writing around the work which needs no words attached.
nickle.ucalgary.ca

Memoirs of a Muhindi

March 22, 2018, 7:00 – 9:00pm
Shelf Life Books (1302 4th St. SW)
Free

Reading from his latest book, Memoirs of a Muhindi, join newspaper columnist and award-winning journalist Mansoor Ladha this Thursday at Shelf Life Books.
facebook.com

Redefined Geometries: Explorations of Shape and Form

March 23, 2018, 5:00 – 7:00pm
Gallery 505 (505 8th Ave. SW)
Free

Join Calgary Allied Arts Foundation for the opening reception of Redefined Geometries: Explorations of Shape and Form. Gallery 505’s current exhibition includes artwork from Calgary’s Civic Art Collection by artists Gregory Arnold, Honsun Chu, Christian Knudsen, and Mark Mullin.
calgaryalliedartsfoundation.ca

Bee Kingdom Opening Reception Do-Over

March 23, 2018, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Ruberto Ostberg Gallery (2108 18th St. NW)
Free

Earlier this month, an exclusive Bee Kingdom Glass formal reception was scheduled for the Emperor and Empress of TUPONIA. But as things can go in our unpredictable winter homeland, the city experienced a snowstorm that exact evening. So to properly honour the Bee’s new blown-glass exhibition, check out the opening reception do-over from 6:00 to 9:00pm on March 23. The show has also been extended until April 7.
facebook.com

La Guaria Morada Opening Reception

March 23, 2018, 7:00pm
TRUCK Contemporary Art in Calgary (2009 10th Ave. SW)
Free

Centred around the national flower of Costa Rica, Juan Ortiz-Apuy pays homage to his country of origin in an installation that functions as a metaphor for situations caught in similarly uncertain and precarious conditions. Featuring tropical orchids and an ultrasonic industrial humidifier, dehumidifiers are assembled to form an artificial environment in a perpetual state of negotiation and precarity. See the show at its opening reception.
truck.ca

Environmental Psychology: What Buildings Do? Examples from Healthcare and Beyond

March 23, 2018, 7:00 – 8:00pm
Esker Foundation (1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free, registration recommended

Join the Esker Foundation and David Borkenhagen for a talk that highlights historic examples and contemporary applications of environmental psychology methods in healthcare environments.
eventbrite.ca

TC OUT LOUD – An Evening of New Words

March 23, 2018, 7:30 – 10:30pm
Theatre Calgary Rehearsal Hall, Arts Commons (205 8th Ave. SE)
Free, RSVP required

Presenting an evening of new work, join Theatre Calgary for a low-key celebration and hear a reading of Meg Braem’s new play alongside pieces from three other local artists.
facebook.com

tc OUT LOUD – An Evening of New Words

Portable Closets Opening Reception

March 23, 2018, 8:00pm
Stride Gallery (1006 Macleod Tr. SE)
Free

Kyle Alden Martens’ Portable Closets is a combination of friendly and fetishized sculpture, installation, and performance where the visual meaning is hidden just below the surface—coded but accessible.
facebook.com

Feel Alright, Jom Comyn, and Guests

March 23, 2018, 9:00pm
Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club (109 7th Ave. SW)
Free, 18+

A free upstairs show featuring Feel Alright, Jom Comyn, and guests, head to the Palomino for some tongue-in-cheek sincerity and surfer-pop.
facebook.com

Studio NOW Opening Reception

March 24, 2018, 1:00 – 4:00pm
Christine Klassen Gallery (200, 321 50th Ave. SE)
Free

Whether it’s the kitchen table, a converted room, or a custom-built space, the studio is a private place for artists to explore their craft, passions, and whims. Studio NOW subverts that cycle and offers a peek at what’s happening within those spaces, right now. Featuring work by Lisa Matthias, Lori Lukasewich, Verna Vogel, and Karen Klassen, see the show at its opening reception.
christineklassengallery.com

Art Flicks: Sondra Meszaros Presents Belle de Jour

March 25, 2018, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Model Citizen (308 17th Ave. SW)
Free, registration recommended

Enjoy a Sunday afternoon with Contemporary Calgary watching films selected by local artists. The first of the spring season features Sondra Meszaros introducing 1967’s Belle de Jour.
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