Image: Lethbridge Junior College (now Lethbridge Polytechnic) receives works from the Buchanan Collection. February 9, 1963. Photo courtesy the Galt Museum & Archives | Akaisamitohkanao'pa, P19752309400.
Make some new connections at the University of Lethbridge as Vibe Fest prepares to return to campus on Saturday, April 18.
Showcasing the top-level creative work of Faculty of Fine Arts students, alumni and employees, Vibe Fest promises audiences a vibrant, interactive celebration of artistic excellence.
Our classrooms and learning spaces transform into experiences that are open, inclusive and free to the public. From engaging performances to experimental installations, audiences are invited to explore the full spectrum of emerging art practices across disciplines.
Parallels
In the ULethbridge Art Gallery's Dr. Margaret (Marmie) Perkins Hess Gallery, the Parallels exhibition will showcase the renowned Buchanan Collection.
The Buchanan Collection is a collection of 47 works currently owned by Lethbridge Polytechnic, gifted by locals Hugh and Donald Buchanan in honour of their parents, Senator William Buchanan and his wife, Alma Buchanan.
Curator Jessica Colley (BFA - Art '20, '24) says the exhibition highlights the best of the Buchanan Collection while pairing works from the University Art Collection, drawing comparisons between the two local collections.
"The collection itself is an excellent sample of Canadian art that not only includes work from some of Canada’s most well-known artists, but also covers many major art movements and styles, from the Group of Seven’s search for a distinctly 'Canadian' art style in the 1920s, right up to the rise of modernism and abstraction in the 1950s and 60s."
She adds that works from the collection have been featured in multiple institutions, including the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the Glenbow Museum and even the National Gallery of Canada.
"Since its donation just over sixty years ago, the collection has had a substantial impact on our community. In 2020, paid summer internships were established around the collection. Five students — including myself — have all had the opportunity to work directly with the collection, each contributing meaningful research while building skills as museum and gallery professionals," Jessica says
The Buchanan Collection has been generously being loaned to the ULethbridge Art Gallery for the next five years, during which multiple exhibitions will be developed, while also continuing research on the collection.
Jessica says that having worked closely with the Buchanan and University Collections before, she came up with the idea to celebrate both in one show.
"I quickly developed this idea of the two collections being mirrors to one another. I found it fascinating that two very different collections could have so many parallels between themselves, and the idea really took off from there."
She adds that what's really exciting in the Parallels exhibition is that it has something for everyone, both in subject and medium.
"Visitors can expect to find works on paper, canvas and board, with mediums such as acrylic and oil paint, ink, graphite and even beads and sand! Subjects largely include landscape and abstraction, but there are some figural and still life pieces as well."
"The last time many of these works were on display was at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in 1985, just over forty years ago, in an exhibition titled Lethbridge Legacy – so another exhibition is long overdue. I am excited to see the response, especially from members of the community that may have seen the works in a different context before," she adds.
Viewers can experience excellent representation of Canadian art and also learn more about the life an legacy of a key local figure, all through Vibe Fest.
Join us for a Curator's tour and more at Vibe Fest on Saturday, April 18 from 3-10 p.m. in the University Centre for the Arts.