New Edmonton Art Exhibit Explores Climate and Culture
A new exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta merges environmental themes with Indigenous and contemporary artwork, drawing large local crowds.
A bold new exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta is drawing crowds and sparking conversation by merging climate science with visual storytelling. Titled 'Shifting Grounds', the exhibition showcases a blend of Indigenous and contemporary art that reflects on environmental change, loss of land, and the resilience of culture in the face of ecological disruption. Curated by Métis art historian Claire Cardinal, the show opened last Friday to a sold-out preview event and will run through the fall.
The exhibit features works from over a dozen artists across Canada, including installations made from reclaimed wood, projection art simulating melting permafrost, and paintings inspired by traditional Cree cosmology. One particularly arresting piece is a suspended mobile of glass beads and oil droplets, symbolizing the tension between natural beauty and industrial impact. Visitors are encouraged to walk slowly and interact with the spaces, many of which include soundscapes of wind, water, and oral storytelling.
Cardinal says the idea for the show emerged after last year’s record-breaking wildfire season in Alberta. 'Climate isn’t just data — it’s story, it’s memory, it’s survival,' she said during the exhibit's opening talk. 'We wanted to create a space where people could feel both the urgency and the continuity of our relationship with the land.'
Among the standout contributors is Inuk sculptor Paola Aningmiuq, whose soapstone carvings of disappearing arctic animals are juxtaposed against digital monitors tracking glacial retreat. Her piece, 'Still Breathing', serves as a haunting reminder of what is at stake, especially for northern communities who are among the first to witness environmental collapse firsthand.
The Art Gallery of Alberta has partnered with the University of Alberta’s climate research lab to offer workshops alongside the exhibit. These sessions include youth art residencies, panel discussions with scientists, and hands-on labs where families can explore topics like erosion, water protection, and reforestation through artistic media. The goal, says Cardinal, is to blur the boundaries between knowledge and imagination.
Visitors have responded with emotion and enthusiasm. 'I came expecting a few paintings, but I left with a full-body experience,' said Jasmine L., a local high school teacher. 'There’s something powerful about seeing climate change not as a graph, but as a face, a feeling, a story.' Attendance numbers in the first week have already surpassed projections by 30%, according to gallery staff.
Local officials and arts funders are also taking note. Representatives from the Edmonton Arts Council and Alberta Environment have praised the exhibit’s dual focus on truth and beauty. 'Art has the power to move people in ways science alone cannot,' said Councillor Teresa Liu during a tour of the gallery. 'This show should be mandatory viewing for every policymaker.'
As climate-related challenges continue to affect Canadians across regions, exhibits like 'Shifting Grounds' are becoming more than aesthetic experiences — they are acts of advocacy and preservation. The Art Gallery of Alberta plans to digitize the exhibit for online access and hopes to tour it to smaller towns throughout the province by early next year.