Alberta University of the Arts

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Alberta University of the Arts Alberta University of the Arts is a leading centre for education and research, and a catalyst for creative inquiry and cultural development.

Alberta University of the Arts is located in Calgary on the North Hill overlooking the Bow River and the downtown skyline, in a 245,000 square foot building that was designed in 1973 specifically as an art college. AUArt's close proximity to downtown, via light rail transit, is a distinct advantage to our students, providing them with easy access to Calgary's galleries, museums and cultural events. AUArt's is committed to a solid studio-based experience for students in fine art, design and new media - an experience balanced with relevant, complementary liberal studies and practical theory. The result is a rigorous studio program, which produces innovative thinkers, creative problem solvers, and visually talented students. AUArts creates a learning environment rich in character and extensive in quantity, quality and professional capability for its student body of artistic thinkers. AUArts studios are extremely spacious and classes are small, allowing for regular one-on-one interaction. Faculty and space-per-student ratios are among the best in the country. Within this environment, students receive the techniques, tools, intellectual stimulation and encouragement to discover and develop their own personal voice and passion. At AUArts, you’ll have the chance to collaborate with, and learn from, some of Canada’s most exciting artists and designers. With a vibrant community of award winning faculty, internationally recognized alumni mentors, and students who are as passionate about art and design as you are, you can’t help but be inspired.

AUArts 2026 Open HouseOctober 24, 2026 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. MSTExplore Alberta University of the Arts through info sessio...
10/15/2026

AUArts 2026 Open House

October 24, 2026 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. MST

Explore Alberta University of the Arts through info sessions, student and alumni panels, campus and studio tours, and galleries and exhibitions. Learn about programs, admissions, career pathways and student support.

Attend in person or online.

https://www.auarts.ca/our-campus/campus-tour-and-events/open-house

🎨 Gallery Tour with Elaine Cameron-WeirJoin artist Elaine Cameron-Weir for a guided tour of Bookends, her solo exhibitio...
10/15/2026

🎨 Gallery Tour with Elaine Cameron-Weir

Join artist Elaine Cameron-Weir for a guided tour of Bookends, her solo exhibition at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery.

📅 November 6, 2026
🕐 1–2 p.m.

Meet in the AUArts Main Mall, outside the IKG. Registration is limited, so be sure to register early!

Image credit: Installation view A WAY OF LIFE, Lisson Gallery, 2024. Photography courtesy of the artist © Elaine Cameron-Weir

https://www.auarts.ca/event/gallery-tour-with-elaine-cameronweir

🎨 Call for Submissions | Brookfield Properties Downtown Digital Exhibition AUArts students, showcase your work across do...
10/13/2026

🎨 Call for Submissions | Brookfield Properties Downtown Digital Exhibition

AUArts students, showcase your work across downtown Calgary! Submit up to four original artworks for a chance to be featured on digital screens at locations including Bankers Hall, Suncor Energy Centre and Brookfield Place.

📅 Deadline: October 25, 2026
🎨 Open to current AUArts students. All mediums welcome.

Credit: Jiwoo Kim (BDes '24, VCD), Paityn Savoie (BDes '24, VCD)

https://auarts.slideroom.com/ #/login/program/80829

One week ago, more than 1,350 people filled the AUArts campus to celebrate 100 years of creativity, community and making...
10/09/2026

One week ago, more than 1,350 people filled the AUArts campus to celebrate 100 years of creativity, community and making. ❤️

Alumni, students, faculty, staff, supporters and friends came together on Oct. 1 to explore exhibitions, open studios and workshops, get hands-on with creative activities, and reconnect with the AUArts community.

It was an evening to celebrate the people, spaces and ideas that have shaped AUArts for a century — and the artists, designers and makers shaping what comes next.

The evening also included the announcement of a $5 million investment from the Government of Alberta to support campus and infrastructure enhancements.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of the AUArts story over the past 100 years. Here’s to the next chapter. ❤️

Special thanks to our event sponsor, Calgary Arts Development Authority Ltd. (CADA).

Photos by Matt Wallace.

https://www.auarts.ca/news/auarts-celebrates-100-years-of-creativity-and-community

💬 “AUArts allowed me to really find myself and my people.”For Mariella Villalobos (BDes ’10, Character Design), AUArts w...
10/08/2026

💬 “AUArts allowed me to really find myself and my people.”

For Mariella Villalobos (BDes ’10, Character Design), AUArts was where friendships, creativity and community came together.

“AUArts allowed me to really find myself and my people—the first and best piece of advice I ever received was to pretend to be an extrovert and just talk to everyone!

It proved invaluable as I made some of the most enduring and long-lasting friendships with instructors, peers, and technicians both within my program and the wider school, many of which I still rely on to this day! My time there taught me to work hard, play harder, and to seize chances and not just wait for others to make things happen.

From the annual Drag Balls to the creative and art-nerdy Halloween costumes, the inside jokes and the studio all-nighters, I wouldn’t be the same artist, citizen, or member of the wider city’s arts/music communities without AUArts and the vibrant people who have entered my life due to its influence!”

🚌✨ In Passing by AUArts alum Phoenix Kefei Ning (BDes ’26, VCD) explores public transit as a shared space where people c...
10/08/2026

🚌✨ In Passing by AUArts alum Phoenix Kefei Ning (BDes ’26, VCD) explores public transit as a shared space where people cross paths, connect and drift apart.

Inspired by horses, transit routes and Calgary’s landscape, the fibre-based artwork brings stitching and embroidery into a fast-moving urban environment, creating a tactile reflection on movement, connection and everyday encounters.

https://youtu.be/PdmbTEsRJr0?si=WJTtQQPbPg9iFkKD

🎨 What is love? Where do our dreams take us? What does it mean simply to be? Explore 21 Meditations, a new exhibition by...
10/07/2026

🎨 What is love? Where do our dreams take us? What does it mean simply to be? Explore 21 Meditations, a new exhibition by Calgary artist and AUArts alum Carl White (Dip ’92, VCD).

Through paintings and sculptural works, White explores memory, movement, identity and the mysteries of being.

📅 On now through Oct. 17
📍 Christine Klassen Gallery
🎤 Artist talk and reception: Oct. 19, 1–4 p.m.

https://www.auarts.ca/exhibition/21-meditations

Many voices. One shared future. The future of AUArts is a shared conversation. Our strategic planning process is grounde...
10/06/2026

Many voices. One shared future.

The future of AUArts is a shared conversation.

Our strategic planning process is grounded in transparency, inclusion and representation, with opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters, partners and others connected to AUArts to contribute their perspectives.

Together, we can build a shared vision for the University’s next chapter.

https://www.auarts.ca/about-auarts/university-strategy

🎨🌿 The Spade & The SoilJoin AUArts and the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre for a sculpture park tour and roundtable inspired by ...
10/06/2026

🎨🌿 The Spade & The Soil

Join AUArts and the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre for a sculpture park tour and roundtable inspired by the living legacy of Katie Ohe and Elaine Cameron Weir’s Bookends exhibition at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery.

Explore KOAC’s outdoor sculpture park, enjoy a reception in Harry Kiyooka’s studio, then join Ash Slemming (BFA '17, Print Media), Shelby Charlesworth (BFA '17, Painting) and Tak Pham (IKG Curator) for a roundtable discussion about art, place and legacy.

📅 Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
⏰ 1–5 p.m.
📍 Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre

Image from KOAC with caption: Katie Ohe, Zig Zag, 2023, Photos by Mac Boyle

https://www.auarts.ca/event/the-spade-the-soil

Explore Bookends with a guided tour! 🎨Join AUArts Student Gallery Attendants for a tour of Bookends, a solo exhibition b...
10/03/2026

Explore Bookends with a guided tour! 🎨

Join AUArts Student Gallery Attendants for a tour of Bookends, a solo exhibition by Elaine Cameron-Weir, at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery.

Tours run from 1–2 p.m. on select dates:
📅 Oct. 3, Oct. 23 and Nov. 18

Most tours are drop-in, with no registration required. Registration is required for the October 3 tour.

Image credit: Installation view A WAY OF LIFE, Lisson Gallery, 2024.

https://www.auarts.ca/event/bookends-exhibition-tour

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1407/14 Avenue N. W
Calgary, AB
T2N4R3

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