The dialogue between art and literature is as old as civilization itself. From the carved hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt to boundary-breaking graphic novels, visual art and text converge to tell complex, emotionally resonant, and socially relevant stories.
In this spirit, Contemporary Calgary and the Calgary Public Library began their creative collaboration with the Art Pass program in 2024, a unique initiative that bridges visual art, storytelling, and community connection.
A Living Guestbook
Launched as a pilot project in March 2024, the Art Pass is an inspiring crossover between art and public access. Five passes are available at each of Calgary’s 21 library branches, giving residents free admission to Contemporary Calgary’s exhibitions and programs as often as they would like over a three-week loan period.
But this isn’t a typical membership card. Each Art Pass takes the form of a living guestbook — a creative journal that travels from hand to hand, inviting visitors to write, sketch, and reflect on their experiences. Every entry becomes part of a collective story that captures how citizens connect with art, curiosity, and each other.
“We want everyone in Calgary to have an opportunity to come to the gallery and be inspired by the amazing art that is on display without barriers,” said David Leinster, CEO of Contemporary Calgary.
One visitor’s handwritten reflection in an Art Book affirms the program’s impact: “I am thinking about how grateful I am to be able to tour the art gallery for FREE! We haven’t been in this building since it was a science centre. The exhibits are all thought-provoking! It’s not a place I would have visited or known about. Thank you. – CC + CPL.”
Inclusion and Imagination
Public libraries and museums have always been catalysts for access and inclusion, and in this case, the results of this collaboration speak for themselves.
Between January and December 2024, the Art Pass circulated over 770 times in both physical and digital formats. 645 physical passes were checked out, resulting in 426 gallery admissions. Each branch reports that the passes are consistently in use, demonstrating strong public interest and engagement.
The program reflects a movement among cultural institutions to blur the lines between audience and participant. By turning every visit into an act of creation, the Art Pass transforms passive observation into active engagement. It’s a reminder that contemporary art isn’t confined to Calgary’s galleries, but thrives wherever people engage, connect, and share ideas.
The Story Continues
Now in its second year, the Art Pass continues to evolve by lifting barriers, sparking curiosity, and uniting the city through shared creativity. It’s more than a ticket; it’s a movement.
Step inside Contemporary Calgary and experience an ever-changing lineup of exhibitions. This month, visitors can still catch some summer shows, including Presence, a group exhibition that examines how space shapes community, and Kenneth Tam’s Silent Spikes, which blends movement, theatrical staging, and historical narrative to question conventional ideas about masculinity.
Alongside these ongoing shows, two newer exhibitions provide moments of personal reflection. In Erik Olson’s In the Garden, vivid, gestural paintings turn the garden into a place of renewal. Blurring the line between observation and imagination, Olson explores the garden as both a physical and a psychological space, reflecting our shifting relationships with nature, memory, and the act of creation itself.
Meanwhile, Preston Pavlis’ You There contemplates what it means to see and be seen. Drawing on memories of his home in Halifax, Pavlis captures intimate details, such as a summer beech tree, a forgotten mattress, and a friend’s portrait. Each work holds a trace of something left behind, where abandonment is not only loss but ease and the poetry of the everyday.
Grab your Art Pass at any Calgary Public Library location and see where the story takes you! Check the book availability (titled ‘Contemporary Calgary’) at calgary.bibliocommons.com.
In The Galleries This Month
NEWZONES GALLERY
Anda Kubis: Atmospheric Conditions
Until November 15
As part of the New Abstraction movement in Canada, Anda Kubis explores colour, light, and perception through luminous, layered compositions. Her paintings blur the line between digital allusion and painterly touch, creating hypnotic abstractions that evoke sensation, movement, and material presence.
HERRINGER KISS GALLERY
Aron Hill: The Lake of Fire
Until November 15
Aron Hill’s latest exhibition, The Lake of Fire, extends the artist’s ongoing exploration of Christian evangelism and its links to masculinity, violence, and colonialism in Canada. Drawing on late modernist Canadian painting and sculpture, Hill incorporates early Greek and Roman motifs, early Christian imagery, and universal iconography through masks and symbols. In this body of work, he turns to queer theory to reimagine dominant Christian masculine narratives.
CHRISTINE KLASSEN GALLERY
Bryce Krynski: Maybe Carry On Delivery Child
Until November 22
This is your last chance to catch this exhibition of new photographic works by local artist Bryce Krynski. In this series, Krynski reimagines traditional approaches to photography, embracing primitive techniques and the unexpected outcomes born from chance. The resulting prints feel accidentally beautiful, reflecting the random power of creativity and the Natural World.
DEVONIAN GARDENS
Fragment to Form: Katie Ohe and the Shape of Persistence
Until December 17
This exhibition celebrates the pioneering vision of sculptor Kate Ohe, gathering works from public and private collections. Focused on the concept of “Day and Night,” her iconic kinetic sculpture, relocated to Calgary’s Devonian Gardens for conservation, traces Ohe’s enduring exploration of motion, abstraction, and transformation.
STRIDE GALLERY
Clothed: Until Further Notice
Until December 19
Artist Lexi Hilderman explores the intersections of clothing, identity, and memory through non-binary experience. Using thrifted garments and paper dolls, the exhibition explores transformation, mourning, and collective storytelling, inviting viewers to reflect on how clothing embodies history, emotion, and personal and communal identity.
