A multiculturally diverse metropolis, Calgary was designated one of the country's Cultural Capitals in 2012. The city is home to the Alberta Ballet, the Calgary Opera, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. The Glenbow Museum is the largest in Western Canada. Many annual art and cultural events also take place in the area, including the Calgary Fringe Festival, the Lilac Festival, the Banff International Writers Festival, and Globalfest.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

• An art and history museum in central Calgary, the Glenbow Museum has a permanent collection of more than 33,000 art objects, primarily from the 19th century to today, and largely from the northwest areas of North America. Landscapes, First Nations, and Inuit art are prominent in the archive, and their collection of Canadian prints is widely recognized.

  Artists such as William Bradford, George Reid, J.E.H. MacDonald, Emily Carr, Jane Kidd, and Norval Morrisseau are included in the collection. Each year more than 100,000 guests pass through the doors of the museum, including many children who take part in the educational programs and the Chevron Museum School of which Glenbow is a part.

• The Leighton Art Center was founded by Barbara Leighton, an established artist and the wife of English-Canadian painter A.C. Leighton, in 1974. In addition to offering art courses and studio space to professional artists, and beginners of all ages, the Center offered a gallery which showcased the works of Leighton's late husband, as well as other Alberta artists.

• Founded in 2012, the Esker Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit contemporary art gallery. In addition to three annual exhibitions, the gallery provides educational programing and publications to the city's visual arts community. The facility is comprised of both a main gallery venue, and the Project Space, a street level gallery location that encourages and showcases new projects reactive to the local arts scene, by both emerging and established artists.

• Creative Kids Museum
• Gainsborough Galleries
• Fort Calgary
• Aero Space Museum
• National Music Centre
• Contemporary Calgary; currently exhibiting in various venues around the city.
• Heritage Park Historical Village
• Royal Tyrrell Museum
• Lougheed House

Calgary, Alberta

ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS

• Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) began as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts in 1926, and today grants Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Design degrees to graduates of its many programs, as well as a Masters of Fine Arts in Craft Media. Students studying fine arts major in ceramics, drawing, fibre arts, glass, metalworking, media art, painting, printmaking, or sculpture. The school boasts spacious studios and small class sizes geared to ensuring each student gets the best possible education. In addition to studio courses, students are educated in practical theory and liberal arts.

• Artistic students interested in a practical, art-related degree find themselves at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, better known as SAIT Polytechnic. In addition to a wide range of technical degrees, the school offers two year diploma programs such as Graphic Communications and Print Technology, Journalism, Painting and Decorating, Web Development, and Film and Video Production.

  SAIT was established in 1916 and enrols more than 30,000 part time and full time scholars.

• At the University of Calgary, students can earn degrees from undergraduate to post-graduate in an array of creative programs. In addition to communications, film and media concentrations, the school offers degrees in media arts, visual studies, and art history. Masters programs offer concentrations in drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture, and media art.

  Established in 1966, U of C enrols more than 30,000 students and boasts well-known graduates such as Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and astronaut Robert Thirsk.

• At the Calgary School of Art, established artists offer classes in oil, watercolor, and acrylic painting, as well as mixed media, figure drawing, and various children's and teen programs.

• Beginner painting courses, drawing and glass art classes, and open studio sessions are available at Grasby Art Studio.

• At Swinton's, take a class in figure drawing or painting, as well as a wide range of themed courses, free seminars, and workshops.

• In addition to painting and drawing classes, North Mount Pleasant Arts Centre offers pottery courses, custom programming, and school arts programs.

• The Wildflower Arts Centre teaches expression through art with classes in dance, drawing, painting, and more.

• Take a course in a unique trade such as glass blowing, beadmaking, glass fusing, or pottery at Artopia Studios.

The Calgary Tower on the city skyline

NATIVE ARTISTS

There are plenty of artistic people originally from, or currently living in Calgary, Alberta!

• Eric Cameron is a conceptual artist best known for his "thick paintings," which are created by adding thousands of layers of paint to objects over the course of many years.

• An artist who works in fibre, painting, and new media, Mary Scott attended NSCAD in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has shown her work in many group exhibits.

• Jann Arden a famous Canadian singer/songwriter was born in Calgary and raised in Alberta.

• An acrylic painter as well as jewelry-maker, sculptor, and Aboriginal craftsperson, Laura-Ann Le Claire's work is largely inspired by First Nations and Metis culture.

• Actors Paul Gross, Tom Jackson, Pat Kelly, Elisha Cuthbert, and Cory Monteith.

ART AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• For a unique art festival experience, the International Festival of Animated Objects is an event to see. Founded by the local Animated Objects Society, the festival brings puppetry, masks, and other motion-based artworks created by regional, national, and international artists to the community. Established in 2003, the event takes place every second March and includes live performances, workshops, lectures, and exhibitions.

• The Calgary ArtWalk takes place in September, and gives the community the opportunity to see countless artworks in the numerous participating galleries. The multi-decade event is free and winds throughout inner Calgary, the downtown area, and the Inglewood and Beltline neighbourhoods. Attendants can print off a map that outlines the galleries and offers information on the exhibits being shown during the two-day event.

Other Events and Sights to See

• The largest outdoor amusement part in Western Canada, Calaway Park offers rollercoasters, a carousel, bumpers cars and more for the young and young at heart.

• The Calgary Zoo gives visitors the chance to interact with penguins, hippos, tigers, and other fascinating creatures.

• Take in an opera or concert at the 4 million cubic foot Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, built in 1955.

• The Devonian Gardens is an indoor park and botanical garden home to hundreds of palm trees, ponds, and tropical fish.

• A manmade lake in Fish Creek Provincial Park, Sikome Lake is a fun place to swim and splash around.

• Catch an ice hockey game at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of the NHL's Calgary Flames.

• The Calgary Tower stands over 600 feet high and was built for the Canadian Centennial in 1967. The top floor offers a 360 degree view of the city.

• For more fun things to do and see in Calgary, check out VisitCalgary.com.

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