Glenbow

One week left to apply for our Curator, History position! We're seeking a candidate with specialized knowledge in fashion, textiles and accessories. Don't miss out—this opportunity closes on Friday, January 12.

Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/3Jgj8nN

Last chance to donate and receive a 2023 tax receipt!

As we reflect on a momentous year for Glenbow and look forward to an exciting 2024, we hope you'll continue to be a part of our journey.

We are very close to reaching our 2023 fundraising goal, which will ensure we can continue to deliver important Glenbow programming and maintain our thrilling momentum on the Glenbow Reimagined transformation.

Learn more and donate now: https://bit.ly/3gNkpcX

Image: Removal of Glenbow's NE corner, which will allow for construction of the museum's new entrance on Stephen Avenue. Photo: George Webber.

As we enter the holidays, we're grateful for festive moments filled with warmth and togetherness.

We're also grateful for our incredible community of partners, colleagues, supporters and friends. Thank you for being a part of our year!

From all of us at Glenbow, here's to a joyful holiday season!

We're hiring! Apply now for one of our four open opportunities, including:

- Executive Advisor, Indigenous Engagement
- Archives Clerk
- Curator, History
- Curatorial Assistant, Art

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Jgj8nN

With the "Napoleon" movie recently released, we're sharing a special item from the Glenbow collections: Napoleon's pocket glass!

This pocket glass was reportedly used by famed French emperor and military commander Napoleon I at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Waterloo marked Napoleon's final defeat by an allied force of British, Dutch, Prussian and German troops.

The glass was collected by Sir James Wylie, Physician-General to Emperor Alexander I of Russia, who gave it to the Duke of Northumberland in 1815. At an unknown date, it was given to the Royal United Service Institution in London by the Duchess of Northumberland. In 1964, Glenbow founder Eric Harvie acquired significant collections of the Royal United Service Institution and brought them back to Canada.

Both lenses are glass in silver settings; the tube to which they're connected is brass painted a metallic red colour. The ocular lens slides in and out to focus.

Images: Napoleon I’s Pocket Glass, ca. 1815, Collection of Glenbow.

Glenbow is thrilled to announce a $2.5 million gift from the Palmer Family Foundation towards the design and installation of the pavilion on Glenbow’s rooftop terrace. The pavilion will be named in honour of the Palmer Family Foundation.

With an unwavering commitment to art and artists, community-building and downtown revitalization, the Palmer Family Foundation has enhanced arts and culture experiences in Calgary for decades. Their support of the Glenbow pavilion is no exception and marks a meaningful investment both in Glenbow and in downtown Calgary.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3NrlIvn

Image: Pavilion rendering by Maya Lin Studio.

We're hiring an Executive Advisor, Indigenous Engagement!

Reporting to the President & CEO, this role will provide guidance and consultation on the creation of short- and long-term pan-organizational strategies, ensuring operations are influenced by Indigenous knowledge and practice.

Learn more and apply by January 5, 2024: https://bit.ly/3Jgj8nN

Glenbow mourns the passing of renowned filmmaker and Glenbow Board of Governors member Charles Officer.

Charles was born in 1975 in Toronto, the youngest of four children in a British and Jamaican-Canadian family, and enjoyed strong prospects in professional hockey, before injuries led him to study design at OCAD University, and later performance at New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse.

Alongside a successful acting career, he made his directorial debut in 2000 with “When Morning Comes.” His 2008 film “Nurse.Fighter.Boy” was nominated for 10 Genie Awards, and his 2010 documentary “Mighty Jerome” won the Northwest Regional Emmy for Best Historical Documentary. Under his company Canesugar Filmworks Charles recently directed the noir film “Akilla’s Escape,” the documentary “The Skin We’re In” for the CBC, and the series “The Porter,” which is the largest Black-led television production in Canadian history.

Charles was deeply invested in the future of Canadian communities beyond his creative work, serving on the board of the Art Gallery of Ontario in addition to Glenbow.

We regret that we were not able to spend more time with this visionary Canadian filmmaker and creator. His art will continue on as a marker of his brilliance, and a signpost for Canadians from all backgrounds to tell their stories. He was 48.

Behind the scenes at Glenbow, many of our team members study groundbreaking artists of the past—especially those whose stories have been overlooked or forgotten.

In a new series on our blog, we’re delighted to be presenting these stories. First up is Vivian Lindoe, one of the leading artists in mid-century Calgary.

Read Lindoe's story and stay tuned for more in the coming months: https://bit.ly/47E6jQo

Images:
1) Vivian Lindoe in 1946.
2) Vivian Lindoe, Antelope, 1969, Collection of Glenbow.
3) Vivian Lindoe, Summer, 1970, Collection of Glenbow.
4) Vivian Lindoe, Dream Animal, 1971, Collection of Glenbow.
5) Vivian Lindoe, Trees, 1977, Collection of Glenbow.

Recommended reading from Glenbow!

Last night, members of the Glenbow team enjoyed a WordFest event celebrating the recent publication of “The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island,” a two-volume collection by artist Kent Monkman and his longtime collaborator Gisèle Gordon.

Glenbow is proud to have Monkman as a Board of Governors member and a Co-Chair of our Glenbow Reimagined campaign. The event was hosted by Glenbow's VP Engagement & COO, Melanie Kjorlien.

Told from the perspective of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, a recurring character in Monkman’s paintings, these transformational works of true stories and imagined history will remake readers' understanding of the land called North America. Find them at your favourite bookseller today!

Image 1: Courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada.
Image 2 - 4: David Kotsibie, Persuasion Photo.

Today is Giving Tuesday! On this day, we're asking our community to show their support for Glenbow Reimagined, our campaign to deliver a revitalized museum in the heart of Calgary.

Whether you're a longtime Glenbow contributor or thinking about donating to Glenbow for the first time, today is a wonderful opportunity to make your support known. Every act of generosity counts, and every gift makes an impact.

Glenbow offers multiple ways to give, including one-time and monthly options. Please make a gift today—on Giving Tuesday!—and be a part of transforming our museum to be accessible, community-focused and sustainable for generations to come.

Learn more and donate now: https://bit.ly/3gNkpcX

Opening tomorrow! We're thrilled to welcome a landmark exhibition of Inuit mid-century printed textiles to Glenbow at The Edison.

ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios presents the little-known story of a group of artists and printmakers who produced a collection of graphic textiles in Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset), Nunavut in the 1950s and ’60s—a period of social change that disrupted traditional language and relationships to the land.

Learn more and reserve free tickets: https://bit.ly/47MRmLG

Organized and circulated by the Textile Museum of Canada with the support of the Museums Assistance Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Free admission to Glenbow at The Edison provided by Calgary Foundation.

Image: ᐹ | Parr, Parr’s People (detail), 1950s – 1960s, cotton sateen twill, screen printed, 488 x 114 cm. Reproduced with the permission of Dorset Fine Arts.

Today is Louis Riel Day, in which we remember Métis leader Louis Riel on the anniversary of his 1885 ex*****on for treason.

The statement “My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back” has been traditionally attributed to Riel and has been central in art celebrating the resilience and strength of Métis culture.

Here, we're sharing a detail image of “How the West Was...” by Métis artist David Garneau, a collage made up of 36 panels across eight paintings that explore the history of the Canadian West. Riel is depicted center right; center left is Métis leader Gabriel Dumont.

Garneau received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts for Outstanding Contribution this year. His explorations of Riel’s life have been a critical part of his art practice for many years.

Image: David Garneau, "How the West Was..." (detail), 1998, Collection of Glenbow.

Today, Glenbow honours and remembers those who have served our country and fought for our peace, freedom and democracy.

Shown here are examples of First World War "trench art." These particular works are made of copper and brass shell casings or gun parts. Made behind the lines by soldiers, civilian artisans, prisoners of war or commercial manufacturers, they offer humanizing insight into the role of art in times of conflict.

This grouping shows trench art including (L to R) a vase inscribed "Lens 1918," a jar with lid inscribed "Cambrai," a copper letter opener sent as a gift to a friend, military badges on a brass shell casing, a match holder marked "Ypres," and a picture frame.

Image: Trench Art of the First World War, 1914-1918, Collection of Glenbow.

Today, on Indigenous Veterans Day, Glenbow honours the immense contributions and sacrifices of Canada's Indigenous veterans.

Here, we’re spotlighting the 191st (Southern Alberta) Battalion, a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

This beaded woman’s bodice features the insignia of the 191st Battalion, including crossed flags and the Victoria Cross. An enduring symbol of Indigenous peoples’ contributions to the Canadian military, it once belonged to Nick King (Kainai), who enlisted in 1916 and served in Canada, Britain and France.

Pictured in image four are Kainai members of the 191st Battalion, photographed in Fort Macleod, Alberta in 1916. Nick King is pictured bottom row, far left.

Images:
1) Bodice with Regimental Insignia, 1914, Collection of Glenbow.
2) Bodice with Regimental Insignia, 1914, Collection of Glenbow.
3) Bodice with Regimental Insignia (detail), 1914, Collection of Glenbow.
4) "Blood recruits, 191st Battalion, Fort Macleod, Alberta.", 1916, (CU1194315) by Reeves and Young. Courtesy of Glenbow Library and Archives, Archives and Special Collections, University of Calgary.

Get to know Maya Lin! Last week, Glenbow was elated to share that globally acclaimed artist Maya Lin will design the rooftop terrace in the museum’s new home at the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture. As a leader in her fields, Lin is uniquely qualified to plan this space.

Lin came to international prominence in 1981 when she was selected at age 21 to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. What we know today as “The Wall” established a new standard for memorial design worldwide and was the launch of a decades-long career that has spanned sculpture, landscape design and architecture in many countries.

Lin has been recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016) and by a lifetime achievement award from the World Economic Forum (2023). She is currently contributing a commissioned water garden to the Obama Presidential Center, opening in 2025. In addition, a documentary about her work, "Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision," received an Academy Award in 1994.

Learn more about Maya Lin and the Glenbow rooftop terrace: https://bit.ly/3tZ4vSY

Images:
1) Maya Lin on the Glenbow rooftop terrace on October 25, 2023. Photo: Jeremy Fokkens
2) Maya Lin and Vietnam Veterans Memorial drawings in 1982. Photo: James P. Blair
3) Maya Lin at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2014
4) Maya Lin receives Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2016. Photo: Andrew Harnik
5) Maya Lin at Civil Rights Memorial in 1989. Photo: Thomas S. England, Getty Images

In case you missed it yesterday, we're delighted to reveal that globally renowned artist Maya Lin will design the rooftop terrace in the museum’s new home at the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture.

Here, we're sharing a closer look at renderings of this transformational addition to Glenbow.

Lin's design emphasizes natural elements drawn from the prairie landscape as a way to soften the space and invite community. An all-season pavilion will offer year-round enjoyment, while an oculus, which will take the place of Glenbow's former stair core, will filter natural light throughout the museum.

Learn more about Maya Lin and Glenbow's rooftop terrace: https://bit.ly/3tZ4vSY

Images:
1) Glenbow rooftop terrace rendering by Maya Lin Studio.
2) Glenbow rooftop terrace rendering by Maya Lin Studio.
3) Glenbow rooftop terrace rendering by Maya Lin Studio.
4) Glenbow oculus rendering (level 3) by Maya Lin Studio.
5) Glenbow oculus rendering (level 4) by Maya Lin Studio.
6) Glenbow pavilion rendering by Maya Lin Studio.
7) Glenbow pavilion rendering by Maya Lin Studio.

From the Glenbow team, a huge thank you to all who joined us for Gathie Falk: Revelations! We were thrilled to have so many people visit Glenbow at The Edison for this spectacular exhibition honouring a Canadian art legend.

A special thank you to our friends at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for organizing and circulating the exhibition.

We are deeply appreciative of our Production team, Visitor Experience team and staff, who worked to make this exhibition possible.

Big thanks to the Calgary Foundation for providing free admission to Glenbow at The Edison.

Our next exhibition opens on November 24—stay tuned for details!

Last chance! Just a few days remain to experience the work of beloved Canadian artist Gathie Falk at Glenbow at The Edison.

Running until Sunday, October 15, Gathie Falk: Revelations provides a glimpse into the artist's expansive career spanning painting, ceramics, video art and more.

Don't miss out—reserve free tickets now: https://bit.ly/448dPRy

This exhibition is organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with support from the Government of Canada.

Free admission to Glenbow at The Edison provided by the Calgary Foundation.

Today marks the centenary of artist Jean Paul Riopelle's birth! Born on October 7, 1923 in Montreal, Riopelle was a fiercely experimental painter, sculptor and engraver renowned for his contributions to art in Canada and abroad.

Riopelle was also a leading figure among a group of artists and thinkers who demanded artistic and social freedom in Quebec in the 1950s. His work had a profound impact on Quebec as well as on Canadian society and culture, transcending the boundaries of art.

In celebration of the centenary, we're sharing this untitled 1960 Riopelle painting from the Glenbow collections.

To learn more about Riopelle via the Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation, visit: https://bit.ly/3RPNMeN

Image: Jean Paul Riopelle, Untitled, 1960, Collection of Glenbow.

We're hiring a Director, Visitor Experience & Programming!

This position will provide leadership and vision to develop and implement strategies, procedures and systems for visitor services as well as school, adult and family programs at Glenbow.

If this sounds like you, check out the complete posting and apply by October 22, 2023: https://bit.ly/3Jgj8nN

Today, Glenbow recognizes National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day).

Part of the Glenbow collections, this orange shirt, titled “aatsimoyihkaan...prayer,” was designed by Delia Cross Child in 2006 as part of a Glenbow exhibit called “Situation Rez: Kainai Students Take Action with Art.” It is being shared with permission of the artist.

While the shirt predates Orange Shirt Day as we know it today, the sentiments behind it remain deeply resonant. The shirt and the exhibit it honours are a testament to the resilience of those impacted by colonization and intergenerational trauma, as well as a symbol of hope for the future.

Today and every day, Glenbow honours the survivors of residential schools and remembers those who did not come home. We encourage all to do their part in truth and reconciliation by learning from and supporting Indigenous organizations in Treaty 7 and beyond. For a living list of resources, visit: https://bit.ly/45h19rA

About the artist: Delia Cross Child recently retired from the Kainai Board of Education as a teacher at Kainai High School. As a teacher, she emphasized the importance of knowing one’s culture in the pursuit of a good education. She is an alumna of the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College. Throughout her career, she has continued to create artwork. She resides with her children and grandchildren on the Blood Reserve, where cultural continuance and community are important aspects of her life.

If you've visited Gathie Falk: Revelations at Glenbow at The Edison, you may have spotted this stunning book on display.

The book includes essays from a host of artists and writers, plus full-page images of Falk's artworks and rarely seen archival photos of the artist's studio, performance works, and Falk herself.

We're offering 20% off copies while supplies last, but don't wait—the exhibit closes on October 15! Visit us at Glenbow at The Edison to purchase yours. Reserve free tickets now: https://bit.ly/448dPRy

This exhibition is organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with support from the Government of Canada.

Free admission to Glenbow at The Edison provided by the Calgary Foundation.

One month remains to see Gathie Falk: Revelations at Glenbow at The Edison!

Don't miss out on this extraordinary collection of career highlights from one of Canada's most beloved and respected artists—the exhibit closes on October 15, 2023.

Reserve free tickets now: https://bit.ly/448dPRy

This exhibition is organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with support from the Government of Canada.

Free admission to Glenbow at The Edison provided by the Calgary Foundation.

We're hiring a Manager, Curatorial!

Learn more and apply by September 30, 2023: https://bit.ly/3Jgj8nN

Glenbow's own Melanie Kjorlien, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Engagement, is featured in this month's Avenue Magazine — Calgary!

Click below for the complete story and a behind-the-scenes look at Glenbow Reimagined, our transformative renovation project currently underway.

Photo: Jared Sych

Behind the Scenes at Glenbow with Melanie Kjorlien - Avenue Calgary Melanie Kjorlien is responsible for the inner workings that will transform the longstanding Calgary institution into a museum for our day.

Happy Pride, Calgary!

Art is for everyone at Glenbow. Today and always, we're proud to celebrate diversity, inclusion and Calgary's vibrant 2SLGBTQI+ community. 

We're thrilled to be an official 2023 Calgary Pride () participant. Catch us in today's Calgary Pride Parade—we'll be giving away limited edition "Art is for Everyone" buttons all along the parade route! We can't wait to see you there. 

Heads up: Glenbow at The Edison will open at 3 p.m. this Sunday, September 3 to allow our staff to participate in the Calgary Pride Parade!

Visit us after the parade to experience Gathie Falk: Revelations, the perfect colourful addition to a rainbow-coloured week.

Tickets are free! Reserve yours now: https://bit.ly/448dPRy

This exhibition is organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with support from the Government of Canada.

Free admission to Glenbow at The Edison provided by the Calgary Foundation.