First Fridays Gallery Openings for Red Deer
January 5, 2024
Visit the interactive Gallery Guide with map and listings at:
https://www.reddeer.ca/recreation-and-culture/arts-and-culture/art-galleries/gallery-guide/
Title: Healing Journeys Through Art
Artists: Friends of Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre
The Red Deer Arts Council Community Gallery, 6–4919 49 Street
Exhibition Dates: January 4 – February 13, 2024
#FirstFridaysRedDeer reception January 5th, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. with CASASC staff, board and friends in attendance!
Description: Art therapy is often used to help support community members through difficult times while working through trauma. The folks at CASASC have received numerous artworks over the years from clients and supporters and as a means of fundraising, we’ll be exhibiting the works and hosting a silent auction that will run the duration of the exhibition, with final bids at the February 2nd First Fridays event.
Gallery Hours: Monday to Friday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre: Visit https://casasc.ca/ for more information.
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Title: Voices of Abstraction
Works by Barb Kreutter and Sharon Thompson
Media: Photography and Paintings
Kiwanis Public Art Gallery, Red Deer Public Library – Downtown Branch, 4818 49 Street
Exhibition Dates: December 5, 2023 – February 11, 2024
#FirstFridaysRedDeer Opening Reception Jan. 5 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. with the artists in attendance.
Description: Both Barb and Sharon are attracted to abstraction as a compelling open-ended way to explore and bring together feeling and intuition without the mental directives and limitations necessitated by representation.
Barb’s photographs use a layering process that ultimately creates an abstract image that is suggestive of the imagery embedded within the layering. Sharon’s paintings use layering to create spatial depth, intuitively selecting what to keep and what to move between the layers.
These layering techniques achieved by both artists have a similar sense of light and space. Their two different voices are very different, yet somehow, they share the same aesthetic.
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Title: Floral & Flight
Artist: Wendy Meeres
Marjorie Wood Gallery, Kerry Wood Nature Centre, 6300 45 Avenue, Red Deer, AB
Media: Watercolours
Dates: December 19, 2023 – February 20, 2024
#FirstFridaysRedDeer Opening Reception January 5, 2024 from 4:00–6:00 p.m. with the artist in attendance.
Description: Come experience a fresh breath of summer warmth in the depths of winter with colourful florals and playful portraits of feathered friends by local artist, Wendy Meeres.
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Title: Alter Ego
Artists: Bangu Ntaisi
The Viewpoint Gallery, 5205 48 Avenue
Media: Mixed Media Paintings
Dates: December 1 – February 8, 2024
#FirstFridaysRedDeer January 5th. Gallery open 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Artist’s Statement: The artist is a visual artist who began his exploration of the arts as a painter. The artist uses satire, pop art, poster art and surrealism.
About the Artist: Bangu Ntaisi is a Zimbabwean Canadian artist whose artwork encourages the viewer to question commonly held notions, of people, situations, and events.
About the Gallery: The Viewpoint Gallery showcases original works of art by individual artists and collectives, and curated exhibitions. The gallery is in the lobby of the City of Red Deer Culture Services facility. Visit our Viewpoint Gallery page for more information or call 403-406-8820.
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Closed January 1, 2024.
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Title: Winter Wonderland
Artists: Various artists represented in the gallery
Curiosity Art & Framing, 5002 48 Street, Red Deer
Dates: November 3 – January 25
Description: Come and see the wonders of winter with Curiosity Art & Framing’s new Exhibit: Winter Wonderland! Enjoy a variety of artist different interpretations of winter and maybe even the holidays that happen during the season.
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Title: Distant Early Warning
Artist: Louie Palu
Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG), 4525 47A Avenue
Exhibition Dates: December 16, 2023 – March 9, 2024
#FirstFridaysRedDeer Reception Jan. 5 from 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Description: Palu’s project documents the vestigial legacies of the Cold War and the increased military presence in the North American Arctic today. The changes in the region are exacerbated by the many unknowns the Arctic faces, among them the warming of the planet. Over several years — from 2015 to 2018 — what began as a Guggenheim Fellowship evolved into an assignment for National Geographic magazine. Taken as a whole, the series of photographs examines the growing geopolitical tensions and changing life around Inuit communities in one of the planet’s most extreme and challenging places. Louie Palu’s work was supported by funding from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, National Geographic Magazine and Pulitzer Center. This exhibition was organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Artist Biography: Louie Palu is a documentary photographer and filmmaker whose work focuses on social political issues such as war, human rights and poverty. His work has appeared in festivals, publications, exhibitions and collections internationally.
His project covering politics in Washington from 2019-2021 was selected for a World Press Photo award. He is a 2016-17 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and a Harry Ransom Center Research Fellow in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the recipient of numerous awards including Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Grants, 2011-12 Bernard L Schwartz Fellowship with the New America Foundation and Milton Rogovin Fellowship at the University of Arizona. He is well known for his work which examines social political issues such as human rights, conflict and poverty.
He is currently working on a long-term project on the Arctic partnered with National Geographic Magazine, National Geographic Society and is a National Geographic Explorer. In 2019 his work was selected for the Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture. His work is held in numerous collections including the Smithsonian, U.S. Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art. Louie graduated with an associate of the Ontario College of Art diploma and has an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art.
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Solorzano Spa Art Exhibitions
Artists: Brenda Smith, Andrea Swainson, and Julia Zaouzolkova
Solorzano Spa Cafe & Wine Bar, 4631 50 Street, Red Deer
#FirstFridays reception January 5, from 7–9pm
Description: Every First Friday of the month, we are thrilled to showcase remarkable talents of Red Deer Polytechnic art students and Studio Lusso Fine Art.
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Title: Photography by Cristy Rusnell
Artist: Cristy Rusnell
The Corridor Community Gallery, 4501 47A Ave inside the Recreation Centre
Media: Photography
Dates: October 6 – January 31, 2024
About the Gallery: The Corridor Community Gallery is hosted by the City of Red Deer Community Development. This space, adjacent to our clay studio spaces, provides a public venue for local artists and allows us to share in the talents of fellow community members.
Visit https://www.reddeer.ca/corridor for more information.
Hours of operation: Monday to Thursday 5:30 am – 10:00 p.m, Friday 5:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m, Saturday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m, Sunday 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed January 1.
For information on visual arts classes and programs offered by the City of Red Deer or to enquire about showing your artwork in the Corridor Community Gallery, please contact: The City of Red Deer, Community Development | 403-406-8820 | culturemailbox@reddeer.ca
Due to holiday publishing deadlines, we regret we were unable to confirm details for all galleries. Please confirm with these galleries about exhibitions they may have at this time.
Art in the Hallway, Northside Community Centre YMCA, 6391 76 Street
Artribute Art School, 212 – 4836 50 Street, in the Old Courthouse. Treaty 6 & 7
Lacombe Performing Arts Centre, 5227 Calgary Edmonton Trail, Lacombe, AB
Velvet Olive Lounge, 4928C 50 Street, Red Deer (enter from Ross Street Patio or back alley)
First Fridays Red Deer is the monthly event where downtown art galleries hold exhibit openings and special events.
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