May Exhibitions
Don't sleep on these visual art finds
The month ahead has plenty of visual arts in store, from locally curated shows and sales, to unique gallery experiences with artists from around the world. Read our roundup and be sure to check out some art this May!
Spring Smalls Exhibition
May 4 – 9, 2023
500 Collective (Suite #500, 321 50th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Join 500 Collective as they features 20 artists exhibiting their work, with over 60 paintings and prints for sale. Whether you’re an art lover looking to add a piece to your collection, or are simply hoping to browse, swing by and say hello!
eventbrite.com
Calgary Rock & Mineral Show
May 5 – 7, 2023
VIVO For Healthier Generations (11950 Country Village Link NE)
$5 – $10
The 61st annual Rock & Mineral Show hosts over 50 dealers from across the globe that showcase rare rocks, gems, minerals, fossils, crystals, jewelry & beads. Volunteers will also perform live demonstrations as they show off their craft!
crlc.ca
Little México
May 5 – June 17, 2023
The New Gallery (208 Centre St. S)
Free to explore
The project Little México Carlos Colín critically engages with the community of Mexican labourers, their socio-political-cultural diasporic contribution to British Columbia, where the project was created, and Canada.
thenewgallery.org
Chestermere Fine Art Guild Show and Sale
May 6, 2023, 10am – 7pm
Chestermere Recreation Centre (201 West Chestermere Dr.)
Free to explore
The Chestermere Fine Art Guild presents its spring Art Show & Sale with featured artist Lorraine Everett and many other local artists. Browse original prints, painting, drawings and much more just in time for Mother’s Day.
facebook.com
Artisan Show and Sale
May 6, 2023, 10am – 4pm
Shaganappi Community Association (2516 14th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Looking for special handmade items? Shop for Mother’s Day at this sale hosted by four local vendors: Szabo Glass Creations, Wilder Soap Company, Suzanne Harcsa Middleton and T Topi!
facebook.com
FreshFaces
May 6 – June 17, 2023
Newzones Gallery (730 11th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Newzones’ third edition of FreshFaces brings together select artists for a one-time group show analyzing the ways in which they challenge the traditional use of materials and formal aesthetics through painting, photography, mixed media and sculpture.
newzones.com
Dave’s Big Art Show
May 7, 2023, 10am – 5pm
cSPACE King Edward (1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Head over to the cSPACE Projects for the return of Dave’s Big Art Show with more than a dozen local artists showcasing and selling their art. Search for that unique handmade gift or piece of art that you’ve been looking for!
davesoilpainting.com
Form(ed)
May 6 – June 24, 2023
Alberta Craft Gallery & Shop, cSPACE King Edward (280, 1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Carissa Baktay’s Form(ed) presents a series of O.O.U.U.’s (Objects Of Unidentified Uses) exploring memory, body and femininity. These mixed material sculptures come to life through intuitive process and intimate performative acts.
albertacraft.ab.ca
The Living Sea
May 11 – 21, 2023
Alberta Craft Gallery & Shop, cSPACE King Edward (280, 1721 29th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
The Living Sea – Fragile Beauty, an exhibition featuring the work of Prince Hussain Aga Khan, celebrates the beauty and magic of the ocean, testifying to some of the most enthralling and surprising encounters the photographer has experienced under the surface.
glenbow.org
Treelines – Here and There
May 11 – July 21, 2023
Nickle Galleries, University of Calgary (2500 University Dr. NW)
Free to explore
Gwen MacGregor explores the multilayered and contradictory relationships that settlers on Turtle Island have to land. Her installation brings together photographs and videos with a forest of crocheted trees — altering perspectives, toying with memory, loss and environmental degradation.
nickle.ucalgary.ca
Alberta Escape Artists Spring Art Show & Sale
May 12 & 13, 2023
Uplands Recreation Centre (20 Hawkside Rd. NW)
Free to explore
Alberta Escape Artists invite you to their Spring Sale and Show to browse and buy art from local artists Janet Armstrong, Martin Cochrane, Anne McGillvary and many more. All the while, enjoy the atmosphere and win fabulous door prizes.
facebook.com
Passionate Painters Art Group Show & Sale
May 13, 2023, 10am – 4pm
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
The Passionate Painters Art Group presents an art show and sale featuring works of art from 12 diverse and talented Calgary artists. Make sure to drop by this spring sale to browse and buy for loved ones or add to your personal collection!
passionatepainters.ca
Lemay & Oomen
May 13 – 31, 2023
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Celebrating mom with flowers! Robert Lemay and Hilda Oomen come together, each with their own approach and perspective on flowers in this exhibition presented by Wallace Galleries.
wallacegalleries.com
Pulse of the Planet
May 27 – August 27, 2023
Esker Foundation (4th floor, 1011 9th Ave. SE)
Free to explore
Pulse of the Planet is a major solo exhibition by Paris/Sydney-based artist Mel O’Callaghan that synthesizes several years of research, collaborations and ways of knowing. For the last 20 years, O’Callaghan has explored resonant objects, spaces and tools and how they affect, codify and connect bodies.
eskerfoundation.com
Last Chance + Ongoing Exhibitions
It Looks Nice from a Distance
Until May 6, 2023
TRUCK Contemporary Art (2009 10th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
Taking the form of a 12-channel video installation incorporating text, sound, video and sculpture, Anahita Norouzi’s multimedia installation explores the themes of otherness and displacement.
truck.ca
The Desert Turned to Glass
Until May 7, 2023
Contemporary Calgary (701 11th St. SW)
With admission
Contemporary Calgary presents Charles Stankievech’s The Desert Turned to Glass, a transmedia installation that inhabits both the projection room of the planetarium’s dome and the subterranean space below.
contemporarycalgary.com
Easter Group Show
Until May 10, 2023
Wallace Galleries (500 5th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
This group exhibition focuses on all things that our beautiful countryside has to offer, featuring works by Robin Smith-Peck, David Alexander, Simon Andrew, Bob Kebic, Dorothy Knowles, Brent Laycock and others.
wallacegalleries.com
My Data Body
Until May 19, 2023
Alberta Printmakers (4025 4th St. SE)
Free to explore
My Data Body by artist Marilène Oliver is a collaborative, multimedia installation includes large-scale prints, artist books and VR — bringing together different forms of personal data in an attempt to make visible and manipulable our many interesting data corpuses.
albertaprintmakers.com
21st Annual Juried Members Exhibition
Until June 4, 2023
Leighton Art Centre (282027 144th St. W, Millarville)
By donation
This annual exhibition at Leighton Art Centre celebrates the talent and creativity of their artists. The 2023 jury panel has selected 56 works from 40 artists, exploring a wide range of themes and media including ceramics, paintings, wearables and textiles.
leightoncentre.org
A Provisional Vista
Until June 11, 2023
Esker Foundation (street level, 1011 9 Ave SE)
Free to explore
Morgan Melenka’s A provisional vista offers a collage of forms that reference architectural and decorative elements commonly found in our contemporary built environment, such as bollards, awnings, wind-resistant mesh banners, and ornamental architectural facades.
eskerfoundation.com
Canadian Music Hall of Fame: Nickelback
Until September 30, 2023
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre (850 4th St. SE)
With admission
This exhibition features numerous instruments, personal items, concert footage and behind-the-scenes photos. The gallery includes a large video wall outfitted with a full stage display with many of Nickelback’s outfits and customized instruments.
studiobell.ca
Human Sprawl
Until March 31, 2024
Leighton Art Centre (282027 144th St. W, Millarville)
By donation
Michelle Atkinson explores humanity’s tendency to live in excess, with personal consumption impacting biodiversity. Born from industrial waste, animal sculptures were created using thick slabs of once broken office window glass destined for the landfill.
leightoncentre.org
11,104 Days: From Artists to Zenith
Ongoing
Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art (730 11th Ave. SW)
Free to explore
In honour of its 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
National Music Centre’s permanent Music & Wellness exhibition 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
Have a visual arts event that’s not listed? Email us at events@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or fill out this form.
