currents and visions: 50 years of saag
The Gallery opened its doors on January 12, 1976, as a grassroots initiative to build an art gallery in Lethbridge. However, an art gallery is not just a building. It is the result of years of collective efforts by artists, staff, volunteers, funders, supporters, and visitors. Beginning with the Gallery’s place at the meeting of the Oldman and Saint Mary rivers, so too will pairings of artists come together to create something new.
In honoring the Gallery’s history while looking towards the future, the Gallery is planning a four-part exhibition to take place across 2026. These exhibitions will be two-person shows that pair established, previous exhibiting artists at the Gallery with early-career artists of southern Alberta. The four established artists are: Germaine Koh, Micah Lexier, Rita McKeough, and Adrian Stimson. These pairings of artists will participate in regular peer mentorship meetings ahead of their exhibition together with the Gallery. Due to the Gallery’s upcoming facility-wide renovation project, exhibitions will take place in the Gallery’s temporary gallery space and may occur in off-site locations.
The peer mentorship aspect of the exhibition process is planned as a mutual and non-hierarchical learning opportunity for artists at different stages in their careers to learn from one another and develop an exhibition together. Regular paid meetings will be scheduled between the artist pairings.
Schedule:
- June 2025: All artists meet in Lethbridge for initial site visit
- August 2025: First monthly peer mentorship meetings begin
- January 24, 2026: First two exhibitions open
- August 8, 2026: Third exhibition opens
- November 7, 2026: Fourth and final exhibition opens