The Southern Alberta Art Gallery is gearing up for a special anniversary.
In 2026, the Lethbridge gallery will celebrate five decades of showcasing the work of regional artists.
To mark the occasion, the SAAG, or Maansiksikaitsitapiitsinikssin, will present a four-part exhibition across 2026. It will pair newer artists with four established artists who have previously had their work shown at the gallery.
Below is a list of the artist pairings:
- Jaeden Blewett and Germaine Koh
- May Kineyetums and Micah Lexier
- Rachael Chaisson and Rita McKeough
- Sikapinakii Low Horn and Adrian Stimson
The SAAG says the peer-mentorship model being used will provide an opportunity for artists to learn from one another and develop an exhibition together.
“Fifty years of the gallery here in Lethbridge is really amazing,” says curator and exhibitions manager Adam Whitford, calling the anniversary an “important milestone”.
On planning ways to celebrate, Whitford says, “I really wanted something that kind of honoured the past 50 years of all the artists, and volunteers and staff members that have been a part of the gallery for so long but also look to the future.”
He explains the artists have all met and started working together, with meetings planned leading up to their exhibits throughout 2026.
“Overall, I’m really happy with how the exhibition concept came together,” Whitford says.
“It kind of started with this idea of, ‘what is it about this place, Lethbridge, that is really special’, and started with the idea of the two rivers meeting here in Lethbridge and kind of thinking about two artists meeting and coming together to create a project together.”
He adds that he is passionate about artists helping one another on their artistic journeys.
“I think that’s really important for those early career artists to not only get a major exhibition early in their careers but to directly learn and practice with some really established artists that are well known across Canada and internationally.”
Whitford adds the SAAG team has started talking about additional programming that will accompany the exhibitions next year, like community talks with the artists.
The exhibitions will start in early 2026, with time dedicated to each pairing throughout the year. More on SAAG is available at the gallery website.
