Moments that made us.

Alberta University of the Arts traces its origins to the early twentieth century, rooted in a belief that technical skill and cultural education should develop side by side. That belief was championed by Dr. W. G. Carpenter, Principal of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) from 1924 to 1944 and Alberta’s Director of Technical Education. Carpenter envisioned an institution that would graduate outstanding citizens trained not only in industry, but in culture—insisting on realizing the “and Art” in PITA’s name. His commitment made it possible for aspiring artists to remain in Alberta and pursue a professional art education close to home.

While PITA was founded in 1916, the year 1926 marked a turning point. That year, day classes in visual art were formally introduced, launching a sustained program of professional art instruction that would eventually evolve into the Alberta College of Art and, later, Alberta University of the Arts. Central to this moment was the arrival of Lars Jonson Haukaness, a Norwegian-born artist known for his impressionist landscapes. Haukaness began by teaching evening classes to members of the Calgary Art Club, but his ambition quickly extended beyond amateur instruction.

By the 1926–27 academic year, Haukaness was invited to teach PITA’s first regular day classes in Commercial Art, aimed at students preparing for careers in fine and applied art. Enrollment was modest—just two students in the inaugural year—but momentum grew quickly. By 1927–28, thirteen students were enrolled, including future leaders of Canadian modernism Maxwell Bates and William Leroy Stevenson.

Haukaness believed deeply in the potential of art education in Alberta. In 1927, he wrote to Carpenter, “It is my ambition to make our art class at your school, the Provincial Art School of Alberta, and let us work to that goal.”

Carpenter shared this vision and remained a strong supporter of the Fine Arts within the Institute’s curriculum. Together, they nurtured a program that balanced commercial training with artistic exploration, offering instruction in oil and watercolour painting, decorative design, and lettering.

Though the scope of Haukaness’ vision far exceeded the realities of the time, his leadership as the first Head of the Art Department proved foundational. As an educator and mentor, he helped shape a generation of emerging artists and laid the groundwork for a century of professional art and design education. The partnership between Carpenter’s institutional vision and Haukaness’ artistic ambition marked the true beginning of what would become Alberta University of the Arts—and its lasting impact on visual culture in Canada.

After the death of Lars Haukaness, the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art faced an urgent need for strong leadership in its Art Department—someone who could advocate for the program while continuing to build its academic foundation. That leadership arrived in 1929 with the appointment of A. C. Leighton, a 29-year-old English artist and Canadian Pacific’s chief commercial artist, who became Head of the Art Department at a pivotal moment.

From the outset, Leighton brought energy, conviction, and an expansive belief in the role of art in everyday life. Shortly after his arrival, he declared, “After all, the great things in life are art, drama, and literature. They make living complete. I feel sure there are plenty eager for expression here in Calgary.” Confident in the promise of the program, he committed himself fully to its success—and Calgary would soon feel the impact of his dedication.

Leighton arrived with significant teaching experience, having served as Master at the Dartford Art School in England at the remarkable age of nineteen. At PITA, he carried a formidable workload, teaching both day and evening classes while steadily expanding the department. In just two years, full-time enrollment doubled from 20 to 44 students, while evening class attendance grew from 57 to 68. His influence extended beyond numbers: if a student showed genuine interest, Leighton made time for them, often inviting promising students who could not afford full tuition to attend classes regardless.

His teaching philosophy emphasized stimulation over prescription. Rather than enforcing a single style, Leighton encouraged students to explore their own artistic voices while grounding them in strong technical fundamentals. He believed the role of art school was to guide and train—that true artistic development unfolded after students left the classroom. Technique mattered deeply to him, both in his own work and in his expectations of students, but always as a foundation for individual expression.

Leighton’s impact is perhaps best reflected in the artists he mentored. Among his students were Marion Nicoll, who would later emerge as a leading abstract artist; Margaret Shelton, a pioneering printmaker whose work captured Alberta’s landscapes and industrial scenes; and Luke Lindoe, who would return to the institution as its first ceramics instructor. Nicoll credited Leighton with providing her with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of art, particularly colour. She later reflected on his teaching, saying: “Leighton’s way of teaching was just as academic as it had been at O.C.A., but he was a totally different sort of person. He saw the possibilities of what was coming and he said that this country would be painted by people who were born here. That he was a visitor . . . and would never be as close to it as the people who were born in this place, and it would never be painted until somebody here did it.”

Though he saw himself as a visitor, Leighton recognized—and championed—the creative potential of artists rooted in this place.

His openness to modern ideas occasionally put him at odds with convention. In one memorable moment, Leighton secretly brought students into a locked storeroom to view an Emily Carr exhibition that had been banned by the Institute’s president for being too modern. Acts like this underscored his willingness to challenge boundaries in service of artistic growth.

Through tireless work, generosity of spirit, and an unshakeable belief in art’s role in shaping meaningful lives, A. C. Leighton not only strengthened the Art Department—he helped secure its future. His tenure marked a period of rapid growth and philosophical expansion, reinforcing the institution’s commitment to nurturing artists who would go on to define visual culture in Alberta and beyond.

By the early 1930s, the impact of the Great Depression was deeply felt at the Tech. Total enrolment dropped sharply — from 2,023 students in 1929 to just 690 by 1935. It wouldn’t be until 1950 that enrolment climbed back to pre-Depression levels.

Many students were getting by on as little as $11 or $12 a month. Few spoke openly about how little they had, but hunger was a shared reality. Former students later recalled how resourceful — and discreet — everyone tried to be.

One well-known story comes from Geneva Lent, who came from a wealthy family. She would walk to class and return home for lunch, and with Leighton’s permission, she once set up a still life for class using velvet, silver and a cluster of purple and blue grapes. She arranged it in the morning and left it in place while she went home to eat.

By the time she returned, the class had quietly helped itself. One student took a grape, then another, and soon the entire bunch was gone. All that remained was the stem. As Marion Nicoll later put it, “We couldn’t even keep onions for a still life — they’d get eaten.”

A socially conscious artist, Glyde reinforced the school’s commitment to the British academic tradition, emphasizing accurate depiction of people, places and objects.

In 1936, H. G. (Henry) Glyde became Acting Head of the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, assuming leadership at a moment of transition following A. C. Leighton’s illness and eventual resignation. A socially conscious artist and a master draftsman, Glyde reinforced the department’s commitment to the British academic tradition, emphasizing careful observation and the accurate depiction of people, places, and objects. Under his direction, life drawing became firmly embedded at the core of the curriculum.

Unlike his predecessor, Glyde had a particularly strong interest in life drawing and soon expanded its scope. In the mid-1930s, he introduced nude models to the Art Institute—an act that sparked significant controversy in conservative Calgary. The decision provoked protest from members of the Baptist Church, of which PITA Principal W. G. Carpenter was himself a member. Caught between institutional support and public pressure, Carpenter privately encouraged Glyde to proceed, while officially taking a position against nude models. Much later, Glyde would introduce life drawing in Banff with far less resistance. Reflecting on the experience, he later remarked: “The business of the school seemed to be the business of the community, and I felt that there was a crudeness here that was simply not part of life in England. I really felt that people constantly had to be assessed here, and this was brought forcibly to my attention regarding the life classes.”

At the time, admission to the Art Department was open to anyone sixteen years of age or older. The program was designed primarily to prepare students for careers as art teachers and professional art workers, offering instruction in design, painting, poster design, magazine illustration for costume and fashion, interior decoration, and crafts. While Glyde found the Institute limited in scope, he continued to push its boundaries, expanding the program despite opposition and a lack of understanding from some quarters.

Glyde’s path to Alberta had been an uncertain one. In the spring of 1935, Leighton invited him to come to Canada to teach, and Glyde agreed on the condition that it would be for only one year. The cultural shock of prairie life initially unsettled him, and he was intent on keeping his promise to return to England. After surviving his first winter, however, he began making hiking and painting trips into the Rocky Mountains. Captivated by the landscape, he ultimately remained in Calgary for eleven years before moving to Edmonton following the war in 1946.

During the war years, the Art Department evolved further, responding to shifting interests and realities. Students were no longer focused solely on landscape painting, and younger students often attended classes during their vacations. Glyde’s belief in the role of education as a foundation rather than a final destination remained constant. Of his dual life as artist and teacher, he later reflected: “I never intended to teach, but after a time it became a toss-up which was the more important. It has been rather marvelous to be a part of this grassroots sort of thing. To be a pioneer in the field. It has been worthwhile, I suppose.”

Glyde’s students found him approachable, generous, and deeply invested in their development. Among those he taught were Luke Lindoe, Stanford Perrott, Stanford Blodgett, Margaret Shelton, Clifford Robinson, and Thelma Manarey—many of whom would go on to become influential artists and educators. Perrott would later return to lead the institution as Head of the Alberta College of Art. Marion Nicoll, who had studied earlier under Leighton, would later reflect on the lasting influence of this generation of teaching. Glyde also sought to expose students to the broader history of art, attempting to introduce reproductions of masterworks to counter what he felt was an overly dated local style.

His willingness to challenge convention extended beyond the classroom. As one later account observed, “It would be Glyde who shocked conservative Calgary by introducing nude female models into the Life class. PITA Principal (and Director of Education for the province), W. G. Carpenter’s unwavering support for the department remained strong, and he suggested that the models should wear at least an ankle bracelet, so he could truthfully confirm they were wearing something, ‘if the ladies of the Baptist Church asked.’”

Glyde was also instrumental in broadening the institution’s relationship with the community. He helped establish the Allied Arts Centre at Coste House, a civic hub where visual art exhibitions, drama, and music programs were presented side by side. He played a key role in the evolution of summer art classes that had begun under Leighton at Seebe in 1933 and were relocated to Banff in 1935. The following year, this initiative became the Banff School of Fine Arts.

By the mid-1940s, Glyde had become increasingly vocal about the structural limitations facing art education at PITA. He was the first to clearly articulate that the Art Department did not belong within an institute of technology and to argue for greater autonomy and degree-granting status. In 1946, he met with Dr. Robert Newton to discuss relocating and redefining the program. Newton later recorded: “They are unhappy in association with Technology. Would like to stay in Coste House. It is becoming a civic art centre.” Glyde himself was blunt about the inadequacy of the existing credentials, noting that the diploma students earned was “not worth paper it was written on,” as graduates were unable to secure teaching positions without degrees.

In the years following the war, Glyde extended his influence across the province through an art extension program associated with the University of Alberta. Instructors traveled by overnight train to communities beyond Calgary and Edmonton, offering classes, demonstrations, and lectures. Writing in Canadian Art in 1947, Glyde reflected critically on the state of regional art practice: “It was discovered that much of the work was imitative and often derivative, consequently, much of the symbolism and character of the countryside was lost.” He described the program’s purpose as opening “the eyes of these people to the character which is ever apparent to those who wish to see the land as a truly western form, with new lines and rhythms, which belong to the twentieth century.”

Despite logistical challenges, the appetite for art education was unmistakable. Glyde noted the enthusiasm he encountered firsthand: “…and although it (the program is) offered on a Saturday afternoon, which is the only time some of the people from the outlying districts have for shopping, people crowed the hall the whole time, showing great interest.” Looking ahead, he expressed hope for what these efforts might yield: “From these young people must come our indigenous painters, and perhaps in year to come, there may be a renaissance of Canadian painting, springing up with a wholesome personal flavour of the West, which lies some tow thousand miles from the present art centres of Canada, getting its inspiration from the rugged barriers of the mountains, and the stark realities of life on the prairies.”

Throughout his time of teaching, advocacy, and institution-building, H. G. Glyde advanced the ambitions first imagined by Haukaness and Leighton. He developed the program they had dreamed of, laying critical groundwork for autonomy, academic legitimacy, and a distinctly western artistic voice.

During World War II, the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art underwent profound disruption as the demands of the war reshaped daily life in Calgary. To accommodate the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Institute vacated its North Hill buildings, with technical classes relocated beneath the Victoria Park grandstand. The Art Department, along with the dressmaking program, was moved across the Bow River into a long-vacant 28-room mansion in the Mount Royal district known as the Coste House.

Though the war years were lean, instruction in art continued under the guidance of H. G. Glyde, Walter J. Phillips, and the versatile Margaret “Marmie” Hess. Enrollment remained steady at sixty-one students—thirty-one day students and thirty evening students—even as the composition of the student body shifted. With many men away at war, Hess later recalled that classes were small, sometimes consisting of only a few men and a handful of women, alongside Saturday morning classes for children. Despite limited resources and staffing—Hess teaching all theory courses, including art history without slides, and Glyde handling all practical instruction—the department persisted.

What began as a temporary wartime relocation soon became something more significant. Under the inspired leadership of Glyde, and with the involvement of City of Calgary Librarian Alexander Calhoun and arts advocate Archie Key, the Coste House evolved into a vibrant centre for artistic life. Beginning in 1941, Glyde made the building’s spacious facilities available not only for teaching but also for exhibitions and community use. Numerous exhibitions were held there in 1942, including, for the first time, work by students and staff of the Art Department alongside selections from art societies in eastern Canada. These efforts helped stimulate public interest in both travelling and local exhibitions and led to the establishment of the Calgary Art Association that same year.

From this growing exhibition culture emerged something even larger. Repeated displays of work from the art and dressmaking classes at the Coste House contributed to the formation of the Calgary Allied Arts Council, which would later formalize its presence in the building. Visiting artists, including Group of Seven member A. Y. Jackson, further inspired students during these challenging years, reinforcing the department’s connection to broader national movements in Canadian art.

In spite of wartime constraints, the Art Department continued to attract students from an increasingly wide geographic area. By 1944, enrollment had risen, accompanied by a noticeable improvement in talent and enthusiasm across all areas of the curriculum. Graduates were beginning to make what contemporary accounts described as a “definite impact” on commerce and industry, with many achieving recognition as professional commercial artists.

The years at the Coste House proved transformative. Removed from the Institute’s technological core, the Art Department developed a stronger sense of identity and independence. As later noted in reflections on the period, what initially appeared as upheaval became a blessing in disguise: the department experienced not only physical growth after the war, but philosophical growth as well, clarifying its direction and ambitions. The six years spent at the Coste House gave the Art Department a tangible taste of autonomy—one that would shape its future aspirations.

In the summer of 1946, the Coste House reached the height of its cultural influence with the launch of the multi-disciplinary Allied Arts Centre, which would operate from the mansion for the next eighteen years. Shortly thereafter, the building also became headquarters for the newly established Western Canada Art Circuit and the Calgary Film Society, initiatives led by Alexander Calhoun, Maxwell Bates, John Snow, and others. Yet barely a week after this milestone, the Art Department was required to return to its former home on North Hill. By all accounts, the move was carried out reluctantly by Glyde.

When the department vacated the Coste House, the Allied Arts Council assumed responsibility for the building at minimal rent from the City of Calgary and began operating independently. Glyde later reflected that 1946 marked the real beginning of the Alberta College of Art: the program now had a strong community base, a growing enrollment, and—compared to the austerity of earlier years—adequate financial support. He and Archie Key had hoped the Art Department might remain permanently at the Coste House as a separate school, but this early push for autonomy met resistance from both the provincial government and the Institute’s leadership. This turning point may also have influenced Glyde’s decision to leave later that year.

In retrospect, the wartime years stand as a defining chapter in the institution’s history. Amid displacement and uncertainty, the Art Department not only survived—it discovered its independence, strengthened its ties to the community, and laid essential groundwork for the emergence of a fully autonomous art college in the years to come.

For nearly twenty years, Coste House stood mostly quiet. Its wide panelled hallways and bright, comfortable rooms were largely empty — except for some very unusual occupants. For a four-year stretch beginning in 1936, the house became temporary home to approximately 7,500 museum specimens, including owls, eagles, snakes, coyotes, buffalo and more.

The collection belonged to the Institute’s museum, which had been established in 1912 and moved several times over the years. While the building may have lacked people, it was anything but lifeless. Shelves, cases and rooms were filled with preserved birds and animals, quietly waiting for their next move.

That change came with the arrival of the Art Department. As plans were made to bring students into Coste House, the specimens were relocated and stored in the cellar. Even then, there was optimism that the collection wouldn’t disappear from daily life altogether. There was hope the birds and animals might later be brought back upstairs — not as exhibits, but as drawing models for art students.

After World War II, the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art entered a period of renewal and transformation. With the Royal Canadian Air Force vacating the North Hill buildings, all Institute departments returned to their pre-war facilities, bringing a sense of stability after years of displacement. In 1946, leadership of the Art Department passed to J. W. G. (Jock) Macdonald, marking a decisive shift in both artistic philosophy and educational direction.

Macdonald’s appointment represented a clear departure from the traditions established under A. C. Leighton and H. G. Glyde. Whereas his predecessors had emphasized British academic realism and representational training, Macdonald brought with him a commitment to abstraction and non-objective art. His own practice had moved decisively in this direction by 1938, and he is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary abstract art in Canada. His arrival signaled a new openness to modernist aesthetics within the Art Department.

Though Scottish-born, Macdonald had lived and worked in Canada for more than two decades before coming to Calgary. He emigrated in 1926 to take up the position of Head of Design at the Vancouver School of Art and Design, now Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Deeply committed to art education, he later co-founded a private art school in Vancouver with Group of Seven member Fred Varley in 1933. While the venture was short-lived due to financial challenges, it reflected Macdonald’s belief in experimentation and progressive approaches to teaching.

At PITA, Macdonald sought to introduce students to abstract and non-objective modes of expression, believing himself to be among the first educators in the country to do so within a formal institutional setting. His modernist perspective broadened the intellectual and aesthetic horizons of the department, opening the school more fully to contemporary philosophies in art. Although his tenure as Head lasted only one year, his influence proved catalytic rather than transitional, helping to expand the scope of what art education at the Institute could encompass.

This period also saw important structural changes within the program. The curriculum was reorganized to offer four distinct diploma pathways: a General Arts Diploma, a Fine Art Advanced Diploma, a Commercial Art Advanced Diploma, and an Applied Arts and General Crafts Diploma. These options reflected a growing recognition of the diverse professional directions students might pursue, from fine art practice to applied and commercial work.

Macdonald also supported initiatives that extended art education beyond the Institute’s walls. Among these were “house call” children’s art classes led by Stanford Perrott, which brought instruction directly into the community and reinforced the department’s public-facing mission. Such programs aligned with the broader postwar spirit of rebuilding and cultural expansion.

At the time of his appointment, Macdonald was already a nationally recognized figure. He was a Charter Member of the Canadian Group of Painters, a life member and former President of the British Columbia Society of Fine Arts, and his work was represented in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada. His presence at the Institute, though brief, marked a moment when modernism entered the Art Department decisively, setting the stage for future transformations in the decades ahead.

In 1947, Illingworth H. “Buck” Kerr assumed leadership of the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, following the departure of J. W. G. (Jock) Macdonald. Kerr’s appointment marked the beginning of the longest tenure of any Head to date and ushered in a sustained period of growth, stability, and institutional confidence. Saskatchewan-born and deeply attached to the prairie landscape, Kerr brought both renewed energy and a reflective perspective shaped by decades of artistic upheaval.

Kerr accepted the role at a moment of transition. As he later recalled, “ . . . bold out of the blue, he [Macdonald] wrote to say that after only one year in Calgary he was moving to the Ontario College of Art.” Though Kerr harboured doubts about his own ability to organize and lead, he applied out of what he described as “sheer practical necessity.” Teaching, for him, offered an escape from writing and a return to painting as a way of life. As he explained, “Painting was my first concern. Second was my everlasting homesickness for the prairie space. Vancouver had been ever so kind to Mary and me but she too called the prairie her spiritual home.”

Kerr’s tenure unfolded against a backdrop of enormous cultural change. Canadian art was grappling with the aftershocks of the Great Depression and the War, while Cubism, abstraction, and other modernist movements challenged long-held conventions. He later reflected, “There were many other isms. Of course I did exhort the students to latch close at home, anyone here can make a national name by tackling the problem of prairie space. But not one of my students ever took that seriously. Not at the time. They wanted to be on the band wagon, not the chuck wagon.” Looking back, he added, “How could I blame them? I never noticed the good fiction material all around me at Lawnsend until I went back to England. I only saw the West by being homesick in Toronto. Grassroots? These kids were stuck in them.”

The postwar years also brought unprecedented access to art knowledge. Kerr noted that books and colour reproductions flooded into Canada after the war, exposing instructors and students alike to the “isms” and ideas that had been circulating in Paris since the early twentieth century. These developments shaped classroom discussions and teaching strategies. As Kerr explained, “Art instructors all thought to propound what they could not exemplify lest their students be ill-prepared to face a modernized world. . . . We labored betwixt dual productions, pointing to the infinitely complex structures the led Picasso and Braque to invent Cubism, etc.” Yet he remained ambivalent about this balancing act, later admitting, “We were sincere enough but I think we might have done better had we clung to our grassroots. The kids from all walks, be it from Alberta, B.C. or Saskatchewan, came to us with no intellectual sophistication. Talent they had, but talent is a primitive attribute.”

Under Kerr’s leadership, the Art Department expanded rapidly to meet postwar demand, particularly from returning veterans. Unlike earlier periods that relied heavily on part-time instructors, Kerr assembled a full-time teaching staff of four: Luke Lindoe, Stanford Perrott, Stanford Blodgett, and Marion Nicoll, who returned to Calgary after a ten-year absence. All were former alumni. Reflecting on these hires, Kerr noted they were “Westerners sharing my regional patriotism and were perhaps best fitted to understand prairie students.”

Programmatically, Kerr continued to extend art education beyond the classroom. Saturday morning children’s art classes were introduced, reinforcing the department’s commitment to community engagement and early creative development. “House call” children’s classes led by Stanford Perrott brought art instruction directly into neighbourhoods. For the first time, the Art Department also published its own prospectus—an important step toward greater autonomy, public visibility, and institutional self-definition.

Enrollment grew dramatically during this period, reaching 214 students, with 75 attending day classes and 139 enrolled in evening programs. The department also moved into improved facilities designed specifically to house an Art Department, reflecting the growing recognition of its importance within the Institute and the city’s cultural life. Kerr consistently emphasized the need for instructors to be practicing artists, reinforcing a professional model of art education grounded in lived experience rather than theory alone.

Kerr’s philosophy was articulated clearly in his first statement as Head of the Art Department in the 1947–48 Tech Art Record. There, he positioned art not as an isolated or elite pursuit, but as a vital force within society—one that refreshed values, expanded imagination, and connected individual development to collective cultural life. He stressed that the department did not see itself as an ivory tower, but as an active participant in shaping the West’s creative identity through widened channels of imagination.

Over two decades of steady leadership, Kerr fundamentally reshaped the Art Department. His tenure coincided with a rare alignment of optimism, resources, and cultural momentum. The war was over, the arts were flourishing, and the institution was finally positioned to grow into the ambitions first imagined decades earlier. Under Kerr, the foundations were laid for a more autonomous, modern, and outward-facing art school—one increasingly confident in both its regional roots and its national aspirations.

As enrollment surged in the years following World War II, the Art Department entered a period of significant consolidation and growth under Illingworth H. “Buck” Kerr. Returning war veterans had dramatically expanded the student population, and for the first time in the department’s history, Kerr was permitted to build and lead a permanent, full-time teaching staff. Unlike his predecessors, who relied largely on part-time instructors, Kerr organized the department to reflect a new level of institutional seriousness and ambition.

This reorganization was decisive. As Stanford Perrott later recalled, “When Buck Kerr was appointed ‘Head’, he sacked everybody who had been teaching in the Department.” In their place, Kerr appointed four full-time instructors—all former students of the Institute: Stanford Perrott, Marion Nicoll, Luke Lindoe, and Stanford Blodgett. Reflecting on these appointments, Kerr noted that they were “Westerners sharing my regional patriotism and were perhaps best fitted to understand prairie students.” Together, this cohort formed the backbone of the department’s postwar teaching team.

Each instructor brought distinct expertise that expanded the department’s scope. Luke Lindoe taught sculpture and ceramics, as well as painting in oil and watercolour. Marion Nicoll taught design and crafts. Stanford Blodgett, Alberta’s premier commercial artist, transformed the department’s reputation within the advertising community, significantly raising its professional standing. Stanford Perrott taught life drawing, design, and art history, while Kerr himself took on drawing, illustration, painting, and mural classes. Teaching loads were demanding, with instructors often working five and six days a week to meet student demand.

Additional instructors also contributed to this expanding ecosystem. Walter J. Phillips, a fine watercolourist and printmaker who had lived in Calgary since 1941, continued to offer evening classes—first at the Coste House and later at the Tech—teaching watercolour and woodcut techniques until 1949. During this period, weaving was introduced for the first time in 1947, with Alice van Delinder as the instructor, further diversifying the department’s offerings.

With this strengthened faculty in place, the Art Department expanded its curriculum to include five comprehensive courses of study: a General Arts Diploma; Fine Arts Advanced; Commercial Arts Advanced; Applied Arts and General Craft; Pottery and Ceramics; and Industrial Design. These programs offered students a rigorous and wide-ranging education, balancing technical mastery with creative exploration and preparing graduates for diverse professional paths.

The influx of returning veterans reshaped student life as well. Approximately forty veterans enrolled in 1946 alone. One of them, George Mihalcheon, later recalled receiving an education allowance of $60 a month plus $3 for supplies, obtained from an on-campus art supply store managed by J. D. Turner’s Canadian Art Galleries. Married veterans received $90 a month, enabling many to pursue full-time study. Another veteran and former student, Maxwell Bates, was invited by Kerr to lead evening classes in figure drawing and painting, as well as Saturday children’s classes. Bates taught for several years before leaving in 1949 to study in New York with the renowned German Expressionist Max Beckmann.

By the late 1940s, the Art Department occupied many of the classrooms on the top floor of the Main Building at the east end of campus. Ceramics and sculpture were taught elsewhere on site, creating pockets of tight-knit community. Jean LaPointe Mihalcheon, who began her studies in 1949, later compared the camaraderie of this era to a “great big family,” particularly among aspiring artists who often felt they did not quite belong within a technical institute.

This period also produced a remarkable generation of artists who would later define western Canadian art. Among the students studying during Kerr’s tenure were Art McKay, Ted Godwin, Ron Spickett, Roy Kiyooka, Douglas Haynes, Ken Christopher, Greg Arnold, John Snow, and Arthur F. McKay. The combination of a committed full-time faculty, an expanded curriculum, and a postwar hunger for creative expression transformed the Art Department into a serious centre of artistic training—one that was increasingly confident in its purpose and its place within Alberta’s cultural landscape.

One of the strongest records of this commitment appears in the Alberta Department of Education’s 1949 Annual Report, which outlined a wide range of exhibitions designed to reach new and diverse audiences.

In the years following the Second World War, the Art Department at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art made a concerted effort to bring art beyond the classroom and into public life, engaging audiences across Alberta and Western Canada. This commitment is documented in the Alberta Department of Education’s 1949 Annual Report, which outlined a wide range of exhibitions and outreach programs designed to reach new and diverse audiences.

One of the cornerstone events of the department’s public programming was the Annual Spring Exhibition at the Institute, a major showcase of both student and faculty work that opened the school’s creative life to the wider public.

The department’s exhibitions were not confined to Calgary. A Travelling Show on the Western Art Circuit toured multiple Western Canadian cities, bringing Institute work to audiences in Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, and Victoria. Touring exhibitions like this were an important part of Canadian cultural life in the postwar period, helping regional artists connect with audiences across provincial borders — a practice documented in similar Western circuits in the mid-century Canadian art world.

In Calgary, the Art Department participated in the annual Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, Texas-sized cultural fairground where visual art was presented alongside agricultural and industrial exhibitions. According to the 1949 report, departmental displays were seen by an estimated 40,000 visitors, significantly expanding the reach of student work into the everyday lives of Calgarians.

The department’s outreach extended into rural communities as well. With support from faculty, small exhibitions were mounted in Saskatchewan towns under the supervision of Art Department students, helping introduce visual art to communities with limited local cultural infrastructure.

Faculty members also played a role in expanding geographical reach. Under the sponsorship of instructors such as Luke Lindoe, exhibitions were organized in Vernon, Kelowna, and other Okanagan communities, linking Alberta’s art education initiatives with emerging cultural activity in British Columbia.

The Art Department also presented work outside Alberta’s borders at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, B.C., one of the region’s largest annual cultural events that combined entertainment, art, and industry for a broad public audience.

Back in the provincial capital, the department organized a small display of Commercial Art and Craftwork within the Legislative Building in Edmonton, bringing student and faculty work into the civic heart of Alberta’s political life and demonstrating the relevance of art and craft to public identity and government institutions.

Taken together, these exhibitions and public programs illustrate a postwar vision in which the Art Department did not remain confined to studio walls. Instead, it reached out into the community, the province, and across the West.

Between 1949 and 1955, twelve murals were painted by students in stairways and corridors throughout what was then called the Main Building. “The day-to-day progress of these pioneers is of constant interest to fellow students – from whom we gleaned this classic remark: “In time, no doubt, Tech will rival the Sistine Chapel."

“These be stirring times — the walls are coming to life!” Illingworth H. “Buck” Kerr declared as the Art Department embarked on one of its most ambitious and visible creative initiatives to date. Beginning in 1949, advanced art students were invited to quite literally transform the Institute itself, mounting scaffolds to “liven our walls with color” through a series of large-scale murals painted throughout the stairways and corridors of what was then known as the Main Building, now Heritage Hall on the SAIT campus.

The mural project was carefully conceived and institutionally supported. With the blessing of Mr. Fowler and the approval of the Minister of Education, a survey of available spaces was undertaken, and stairway panels were selected as the first sites for transformation. In class, students discussed appropriate themes that would reflect both the place and the moment: Alberta’s history, natural resources, industries, and agricultural background, alongside the Institute’s educational, cultural, and athletic activities. These subjects would, in time, be realized across the building’s walls.

Kerr was clear that mural painting demanded a distinct artistic approach. As he explained, “A mural is not simply a huge painting. It is primarily a wall decoration and one keyed to its architectural setting.” Students were taught to respect the flatness of the wall, avoiding illusions of depth or extreme naturalism, and instead to work with a sense of basic structure governing the forms of design. The project encouraged experimentation with different technical treatments, while grounding students in the specific demands of public, site-responsive art.

By February of the project’s first year, Kerr noted that “only the burning zeal of Ron. Spickett and Roy Kiyooka has served to make the Institute ‘mural conscious.’” Their day-to-day progress drew steady attention from fellow students, who followed the work with enthusiasm and curiosity. As Kerr observed, “The day to day progress of these pioneers is of constant interest to fellow students – from whom we gleaned this classic remark: ‘In time, no doubt, Tech will rival the Sistine Chapel.’”

Between 1949 and 1955, twelve murals were completed by students in stairways and corridors throughout the building. The works, which remain in place today, include murals by Gertrude Hudson, Ron (Gyo-Zo) Spickett, Roy Kiyooka, and Ted Godwin—artists who would go on to play significant roles in Canadian art. Together, the murals marked a powerful moment in the Art Department’s evolution: a declaration that art belonged not only in studios and galleries, but embedded in the daily life of the institution itself.

As the Art Department continued to assert its presence within the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, student creativity became increasingly visible in both physical and intellectual spaces. Mural projects brought colour and ambition into the Main Building, while new forms of dialogue and experimentation emerged beyond the classroom. At the Coste House, the Art Discussion Group began meeting regularly, creating an informal forum where ideas, influences, and emerging practices could be shared and debated.

This period also marked an important milestone in professional development for faculty. Stanford Perrott, who had taken on the duties of Assistant Head of the Art Department, successfully negotiated an unpaid leave of absence for himself and Illingworth H. “Buck” Kerr. Together, they attended a summer program in Provincetown, Massachusetts, taught by Hans Hofmann—one of the most influential figures in modern art education. Reflecting on the experience, Kerr later recalled: “The huge studio, beamed and whitewashed, built by George Frederick Waugh, the noted academic seascape painter, now served for nearly fifty Hofmann students. These, a miscellany of ages and experience, stood in such total awe of Hofmann’s opinion and criticism that it was beyond belief. Many feared to offer a personal opinion.”

Perrott would go on to extend this period of study, traveling to New York to work under Hofmann as well as Will Barnett and Leo Katz. His time away became the first sabbatical undertaken in the history of the Art Department and set an important precedent. The experience demonstrated the value of sustained professional study and helped encourage the broader Institute to adopt the concept of sabbatical leave as a formal practice.

At the same time, the department continued to evolve through new appointments. Ken Sturdy joined the teaching staff during this period, bringing fresh energy and expertise to the program. He would later go on to lead the institution as Head, further strengthening the continuity between teaching, leadership, and the department’s growing professional ambitions.

Together, these developments reflected a department in motion—one that was expanding its physical presence, deepening its intellectual culture, and investing in the professional growth of its instructors. The combination of student-led initiatives, faculty experimentation, and emerging institutional support marked another step toward a fully mature and outward-looking art school.

By 1955, painting in Alberta had truly come of age, according to Jim Nicoll, artist and husband of Marion Nicoll. In his catalogue essay for the Jubilee Exhibition of Alberta Paintings, held at the Allied Arts Centre (Coste House), Nicoll reflected on how art education — especially at the Tech — had shaped a generation of Alberta artists. He began with a playful disclaimer: “In which the writer is solely responsible for the adjectives and implications.”

Nicoll described the lively postwar art scene, noting the tension between tradition and innovation. “Following World War II, the movement [of modern art] was in full spate. The Old Guard, prepared to defend linear perspective to the vanishing point, saw their work hung Raphael-cheek by Picasso-jowl with essays in the abstract and the automatic.” Despite this clash, Alberta artists were taking control of their own development: classes for all ages were offered at Calgary’s Coste House, the provincial Tech and the Banff Summer School.

At the same time, while recognizing the expanding visibility and institutional support for the arts, he warned of potential overreach. “The provincial government, assuming the historic prerogatives of priest-kings, tyrants and popes, gave the arts a pragmatic sanction, and set up a cultural relations branch within the Department of Economic Affairs. (…) But our artists regard with justifiable misgivings any bureaucratic incursion into the field of the arts.”

Nicoll’s essay captures both pride and caution: Alberta art was flourishing, grounded in education and initiative, yet artists remained vigilant about who — and what — might try to control it.

The post war period had seen the Tech’s enrolment quadruple. For the first time, a campus map was included in the Annual Announcement and the Art Department had its own calendar. Student tuition was $50.00 per year and in the neighborhood of the North Hill campus, room and board cost between $50 to $60 per month.

The 1955-56 Tech Art Record was dedicated to the technological world of the future. Suggesting that perhaps by the 1980s, television-telephones, interplanetary travel, and automatic push-button meal-makers would be in place. But of one thing of which the students were positive:  “It was sure to be ‘a life destined to be more full of leisure hours and easier, happier working conditions. (…) A future of automation, frightening speed, and unerring precisions, a world that will run with machine-like accuracies given an unprecedented force of technological maintenance men and women.”

In 1958, the Art Department moved into the newly constructed East Block at the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, marking the first time that art programs and faculty were consolidated under one roof. Previously dispersed across the Main Building, temporary army huts, and other overflow spaces, this move fundamentally changed how the department functioned—bringing painting, drawing, commercial art, crafts, ceramics, and sculpture into close physical proximity.

The East Block was designed with art at its core. Thirteen studios were quickly pressed into service as enrolment surged, doubling over the previous three years. The ground floor housed the art gallery, weaving, crafts, and design studios; the basement was dedicated to ceramics and sculpture, complete with kilns, plaster-casting rooms, and carpentry facilities; and the top floor featured extensive north-lit studios for life drawing, painting, first-year instruction, and commercial art, alongside graphics, illustration, a darkroom, and the Art Department library. Every classroom and corridor included display panels, and innovations such as specialized lighting systems and music transmitted throughout the building reflected the department’s forward-thinking approach to arts education.

Illingworth Kerr, head of the department, described the move as transformative—allowing closer contact between disciplines and enabling innovations that had been impossible in the older, fragmented facilities. The official opening of the East Block took place on November 19, 1958, with newspaper coverage declaring the art department “second to none in North America.”

This period also reinforced themes of continuity and self-reliance. Walter Drohan, a former student, joined the teaching staff, continuing a practice of hiring alumni who carried institutional knowledge and values forward. By the end of the decade, the full-time staff had grown to eight, and the East Block had become a shared home for a rapidly expanding community of artists, educators, and students.

As part of the move into the East Block, the Alberta College of Art opens its first dedicated gallery space—one of the earliest public exhibition venues in the city of Calgary. Integrated directly into the Art Department’s new facilities and serving a growing enrolment of roughly 200 day students, the gallery establishes a vital bridge between the school and the wider public. What begins as a modest exhibition space soon becomes a defining feature of the institution’s identity and, in later years, will be renamed the Illingworth Kerr Gallery (IKG) in honour of the former Head whose vision shaped its foundations.

From the outset, the gallery signals ambition. Alongside student work, it hosts special exhibitions brought in from beyond the school, laying the groundwork for an exhibition program that would come to play a significant role in shaping discourse around Alberta art while situating it within broader national and international contexts. As one student observed at the time, this “new feature” marked a turning point—introducing a formal space for exhibitions and initiating conversations about public access and engagement that continue to evolve.

This period also sees the quiet but crucial emergence of another cornerstone: the Art Department library. With the hiring of Rolf Ungstad in 1959 as Librarian and Assistant Instructor, the collection begins to take shape. By 1962, instructor Ken Sturdy reports that the department has grown from having virtually no books to more than 500 volumes—“the makings of a very fine library.” Together, the gallery and library signal a maturation of the school’s intellectual and cultural infrastructure, supporting both studio practice and critical inquiry.

Experimentation flourishes alongside this growth. Plans are set in motion by Illingworth Kerr to expand printmaking through the acquisition of lithography and etching equipment, while faculty achievements—such as instructor Ron Spickett’s exhibition at the National Gallery in 1958—underscore the department’s rising profile. Despite its increasing reach, the school maintains an intimate, family-like atmosphere. Artists and students gather at the Nicoll home in Bowness and at the Coste House, debating modern movements and ideas circulating through Montreal, New York, London, and Paris.

In these early years, the gallery is more than a room—it is a promise. A public face for the art school, a site of exchange, and the beginning of a legacy that will shape generations of artists, audiences, and scholarship.

Despite opposition, the art department, although still a part of SAIT, is renamed the Alberta College of Art (ACA) in the spring of 1961. The new name is accompanied by a distinct logo.

As Alberta’s post-secondary system expands, the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art undergoes a major transformation. With the creation of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, the Calgary-based institute is renamed the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). Within this restructuring, a long-sought recognition finally takes shape: the Art Department, while remaining administratively within SAIT, is formally designated the Alberta College of Art (ACA).

Although SAIT’s new name takes effect in late 1960, it is not until the spring of 1961 that the Art Department’s new identity is publicly announced. The designation marks a turning point. For the first time, the school is able to clearly name itself—not simply as a technical adjunct, but as a college devoted to art education, with its own mission, standards, and aspirations.

The impact is immediate and deeply felt. Students quickly adopt and champion the new title, correcting newspapers and submitting letters to the editor whenever they are referred to as “Tech art students.” The shift in language matters. It signals legitimacy, pride, and a hard-won sense of belonging within Canada’s broader art education landscape.

Looking back during ACA’s 60th Anniversary dinner, Illingworth Kerr reflects on the significance of the change, recalling that when he became Head in 1947, he requested recognition for the Art Department through its own name—“and it was promptly granted… 13 years later.” For Kerr, the moment represents more than a bureaucratic adjustment; it is the formal acknowledgment of decades of effort, growth, and belief in the value of art education.

As chronicled in 75 Years of Art, if the 1958 move into the East Block marked the school’s physical coming-of-age, the name change in 1961 makes its existence finally visible in writing. From the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art emerge two distinct entities: SAIT and the Alberta College of Art. Though still a department of SAIT, ACA can now stand—at least in name—beside Canada’s other art colleges, including the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, the Ontario College of Art, and the Vancouver School of Art.

Faculty are quick to assert what the name affirms. In the press, instructor Ken Sturdy remarks, “We’ve been producing students at least equal in calibre to those in any other Canadian school. Add to that the fact that we have equipment and premises here second to none in Canada and you have two more reasons why we’re worthy of the name ‘college’.”

The change is not without resistance. When SAIT’s renaming is first proposed, Kerr’s support for a parallel name change for the Art Department is initially met with hesitation from the provincial government. But persistence prevails. As Stan Perrott recalls, “The change of name to the Alberta College of Art in the sixties was a ratification of trying to establish an identity for the College.” Teaching staff convene brainstorming sessions, submitting roughly twenty proposed names to the Province. From these, Alberta College of Art is selected—fulfilling, at last, Haukaness’ early vision of a provincial school of art.

In the end, the name does what walls and equipment alone could not: it makes the school visible, legible, and confident in its place within Canadian art education.

With tuition set at $54 per year, the Alberta College of Art enters a period of academic expansion, standardization, and growing confidence. Programs are formalized into four-year courses of study, marking a clear commitment to sustained, rigorous art education. During this period, the Commercial Art program is redesignated as Advertising Art, signaling a sharper focus on professional practice, visual communication, and applied creative careers.

By the early 1960s, students can pursue structured pathways across a wide spectrum of disciplines, including Advertising Art, Fine Art, Fine Art Sculpture, Applied Art and General Crafts, and Pottery & Ceramics. Together, these programs reflect a balance between fine art inquiry and applied, skills-based practice—an approach that positions graduates for both cultural contribution and professional engagement.

College publications of the period reveal a growing belief that art is not only a personal calling, but a viable future. As stated in the 67' prospectus:

“The graduate in art, applied art may seek either a professional career or purely personal development through art. Because Canada is giving increasing attention to the visual arts, young people with artistic talents and professional training can expect to find rewarding opportunities to contribute to the cultural development of their young country.”

This sentiment marks an important shift. For the first time, becoming an artist is widely articulated as a realistic and respected career path. The optimism is not abstract—it is born out in the lives of students who pass through the College during this decade.

Among those students whose journey started at ACA, include Eugene Ouchak, Ron Moppett, Carroll Moppett, Bill Morton, and Carol Brown, all of whom will later return as instructors. Their progression from students to educators reflects a defining pattern at the College: nurturing talent that continues to shape and sustain the institution from within.

The 1960s cohort also includes artists who remain active well beyond their student years, contributing significantly to Canadian art and culture. Among them are John and Joyce Hall (Hanak), Sandy Haeseker, Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Marcella Bienvenue, Carroll Taylor Lindoe, Stephanie Dumanouki, Norm Faulkner, Don Mabie, and Wendy Toogood. Their enduring practices underscore what this period makes possible—an education that does not merely train artists, but launches lifetimes of creative work.

Together, these developments signal a turning point. The Alberta College of Art is no longer simply a place to learn skills; it becomes a place where artistic identity, professional ambition, and cultural contribution begin to coalesce.

Kerr’s successor comes as no surprise. Stan Perrott, widely respected and deeply committed to the College, is appointed Head after twenty years of teaching at ACA. Unlike earlier administrative transitions, this appointment ensures continuity at a critical moment of growth. Perrott has worked closely with Kerr for many years, sharing both his values and his long-standing belief that the College requires larger—and ideally independent—facilities to meet its expanding mandate.

The pressures are immediate and acute. Barely a decade after moving into the East Block, the Alberta College of Art is able to admit only one third of its applicants, a reflection of both the Baby Boom generation and the sweeping social and cultural shifts of the 1960s. Across Canada, arts and culture are receiving unprecedented public attention, and the College feels the full force of this momentum in rising enrolment, ambition, and expectation.

To strengthen the case for expansion and defend the integrity of the College’s programs, Perrott compiles compelling evidence: 67% of ACA graduates are going on to careers in art or art-related fields. This data proves decisive. It helps persuade the provincial government to support the College and counters proposals to shorten diploma programs at a time when sustained, rigorous training is increasingly recognized as essential.

Alongside these strategic efforts, academic and cultural development continues. The basic Fine Art Diploma is renamed Fine Art Painting, clarifying its focus, while George Wood joins the teaching staff and John Hall is appointed Gallery Curator—moves that further strengthen the College’s instructional depth and exhibition program.

This moment marks both an ending and a beginning. Kerr departs having helped build the foundations of a serious art college; Perrott steps forward to guide it through the pressures of growth, recognition, and change. Together, their overlapping legacies ensure that the Alberta College of Art enters the late 1960s not merely larger, but more confident in its purpose and direction.

On March 27, 1969, the provincial government announces a $68 million capital expenditure plan for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, to be allocated over fifteen years. Among the first and most significant priorities is $7 million for a new building for the Alberta College of Art—a long-awaited response to mounting pressure from staff and students who, by this point, can accommodate only one third of applicants and have been forced to expand into the basement of the East Block.

The commission of a new arts facility marks a critical turning point. The architectural firm Cohos, Delesalle and Evamy is selected to design what will become the College’s new Arts Complex, and Stan Perrott, Head of the Alberta College of Art, assumes responsibility for overseeing the project from inception through to completion in 1973. Perrott’s role is fitting: no individual has had a longer or more continuous association with the College—as student, instructor, and Head—than he.

Yet the future of the building is far from secure. Perrott later recalls that the project is nearly derailed after the Minister of Education is influenced by a dismissive characterization of the art school as little more than a gathering place for “dilettantes, pretty old ladies and drunks.” The perception threatens to undo years of advocacy in a single stroke.

The warning comes from then President of SAIT,. Fred Jorgenson, informing Perrott that the building is in jeopardy. In response, Perrott mounts a decisive, data-driven defense of the College. He undertakes the painstaking work of tracing former students and graduates, assembling evidence that tells a very different story: the Alberta College of Art has the lowest attrition rate of any art school in North America, and the highest post-graduation employment rate of any university or art school on the continent. Perrott's statistics prove impressive as construction on the Arts Complex proceeds.

The resulting building affirms the seriousness of the College’s academic mission, the professionalism of its graduates, and the legitimacy of art education within Alberta’s post-secondary system. When the new facility opens in 1973, it marks the culmination of years of pressure and persistence, and grounds the College in its present location.

In September 1973, after years of planning, advocacy, and construction, the Alberta College of Art relocates to its present home beside the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium—entering a transformative new chapter in facilities designed expressly for art education. Conceived from the outset as an art college, the new Arts Complex signals a decisive shift: no longer adapting to borrowed or improvised spaces, the College now occupies a purpose-built environment shaped around artistic practice, pedagogy, and community engagement.

Designed by the architectural firm Cohos, Delesalle and Evamy, the building is rigorously organized by function. Departments connected by subject matter and overlapping disciplines are placed in close proximity, while staff offices are located alongside teaching areas to encourage daily exchange between instruction and practice. Heavier, materials-intensive work—such as sculpture and ceramics—is housed on the lowest levels, with outdoor workspaces and direct access to delivery and shipping areas. Upper floors are dedicated to painting, design, textiles, weaving, and metal, with repetitive and detail-oriented practices positioned in studios offering expansive views and natural light.

The move enables rapid growth. Enrolment expands dramatically—from roughly 200 day students in the former East Block facility to more than 600 students annually—prompting the creation of ten new instructor positions. Former student Alexandra Haeseker joins the faculty, continuing the College’s tradition of alumni returning as educators. With this expansion, ACA becomes the largest of Canada’s four art colleges, offering an intensive, studio-based curriculum taught by practicing professional artists in one of the finest art education facilities in North America.

The new building also strengthens the College’s public and scholarly presence. The ACA Gallery, a 9,500-square-foot exhibition space, opens with Ceramics International ’73 as its inaugural exhibition, marking the beginning of an ambitious program of national and international shows. An increased emphasis is placed on connecting students with the work of professional artists from across Canada and beyond—an experience further enriched through a growing Visiting Artists Programme. A branch art library is established within the complex, reinforcing the integration of studio practice and research.

From the beginning, the Arts Complex is envisioned as porous and civic-minded. An indoor public walkway runs through the building, linking the parking complex to the Jubilee Auditorium and inviting members of the community to pass through, encounter exhibitions, and glimpse creative work in progress. As Stan Perrott emphasizes, “Art education cannot flourish in isolation”; the College must establish a relationship with the community “as both source and beneficiary of its vitality.”

Despite the scale and ambition of the new facility, the College remains clear-eyed about its purpose. The 1973–74 prospectus offers a note of humility and resolve:

“These splendid new premises, representing as they do the finest facilities of their kind in Canada, are not to be allowed to draw us into the oft-repeated contemporary fallacy of confusing size with progress. Those associated with the College are keenly aware of the responsibility represented by the structure. Their first concern must remain, will remain, the individual.”

The move into the Arts Complex does more than accommodate growth, it affirms identity. With space finally aligned to vision, the Alberta College of Art stands ready to meet the next decades with confidence, openness, and a renewed commitment to both excellence and community.

As the Alberta College of Art continues to mature, it begins to actively pursue self-determination under its own legislative Act, recognizing the structural and philosophical limits of remaining embedded within a larger technical institution. Among Canada’s “big four” art colleges, ACA stands alone in lacking self-governance—a distinction that becomes increasingly difficult to justify as the College’s academic scope, facilities, and national profile expand.

This early push toward autonomy takes concrete form when Jim Ulrich, Howard Price, and Stuart Parker travel to Edmonton to make formal inquiries on the College’s behalf. Their visit signals more than curiosity; it reflects a growing institutional resolve to chart an independent future and to claim governance structures aligned with the realities of professional art education.

At the same time, leadership transitions mark a new phase. Kenneth Sturdy, a Welsh-born painter trained in Loughborough and London, England, is appointed Head of the Alberta College of Art, succeeding Stan Perrott. Sturdy brings deep institutional knowledge to the role, having taught at the College from 1954–1962 and again from 1967–1969. His appointment aligns closely with the broader ambition to strengthen ACA’s academic standing, governance, and identity as a serious professional art institution.

Sturdy assumes leadership at a moment of intense growth. By the 1975–76 school year, the faculty has nearly doubled to almost fifty instructors, reflecting expanding enrolment, new programs, and the demands of a rapidly changing cultural landscape. In an early interview with the Calgary Herald, Sturdy characterizes the expansion as “a blood transfusion—it can replenish us,” while also issuing a note of caution. Growth, he insists, must remain measured and intentional: “we still must keep our growth steady, and be careful not to strike at the roots. I like to hope for organic growth.”

Together, these developments mark a quiet but decisive shift. The pursuit of autonomy is no longer abstract or aspirational—it is procedural, strategic, and increasingly unavoidable. Under Sturdy’s leadership, the Alberta College of Art begins laying the groundwork for governance structures that match its scale, seriousness, and sense of purpose, setting in motion a movement that will define the decades to come.

After five decades of rapid growth, change, and influence, the Alberta College of Art pauses for reflection and what it describes as a “serious review of purpose.” The milestone arrives at a moment of remarkable scale: what began with a handful of aspiring artists has become a complex institution whose studios now operate day and night, serving more than 1,200 students across a wide range of programs.

The 1976–1977 ACA Prospectus opens with a thoughtful preface from Head Kenneth Sturdy, who frames the fiftieth anniversary not as a celebration of arrival, but as an opportunity to examine responsibility:

“Anniversaries are occasions for reflection. Exactly fifty years have passed since a few aspiring artists appeared on our campus to study in the newly formed Art Department, later to become the Alberta College of Art. Our studios now function day and night to accommodate over twelve hundred students… This remarkable growth has been accompanied by constant attention on the part of many dedicated artist-instructors to the task of maintaining compelling values and asserting their belief in a significant way of life.”

Sturdy is clear that the anniversary does not signal a period of stability or complacency. Instead, it demands renewed clarity of purpose:

“Anniversaries are also occasions for the serious review of purpose. A fiftieth anniversary certainly does not herald a period of steady-state.”

He reaffirms the principles that have shaped the College’s reputation: well-structured programs; the stimulation of imagination and conceptual thinking; the cultivation of communication skills; and the development of historical and cultural perspective. Just as importantly, he emphasizes intellectual flexibility—encouraging students to seek new knowledge at the edges of their disciplines as a means of forming personal and professional identity.

“To emphasize professional commitment—or, at least, the importance of establishing our goals as artists.”

The statement concludes with a forward-looking resolve. The next phase, Sturdy writes, will focus on strengthening institutional quality through ongoing research, while remaining anchored to the values that have guided the College since its earliest days.

At fifty years, the Alberta College of Art defines itself not by completion, but by continuity—reaffirming that growth, inquiry, and purpose remain inseparable from its mission.

With Walter Drohan appointed Acting Head, the movement for Alberta College of Art independence intensifies and becomes unmistakably visible. What had simmered for years now takes public form. Students lead the charge through sit-ins, demonstrations, strikes, and graffiti in stairwells, transforming the campus into a sustained site of protest, dialogue, and debate. These actions reflect mounting frustration with existing governance structures and a shared determination to secure academic and creative self-determination for the College.

Despite the turbulence, learning continues. Former student Bev Tosh, who attended ACA during these years, later recalls how “autonomy brought us together.” Near the end of her four-year program, she travelled regularly to Edmonton to protest, noting that while the issue simmered constantly, “it never interfered with instruction and study here.” The movement, she suggests, deepened community rather than fragmenting it.

For some students, autonomy becomes a central focus. Most prominent among them is Suzanne Agopsowicz, then President of the Alberta College of Art Student Association, who emerges as a key figure in mobilizing and articulating student concerns. Alongside her, Mark Dicey and Chris Spindler (Christian Eckart) play significant roles in sustaining momentum and keeping the issue at the forefront of campus life.

Leadership during this period is complex and shifted frequently. Following Halliday, a series of Heads—including Walter Drohan—are tasked with steering the College through a period of intense pressure and change. In January 1983, the Calgary Herald reports on growing student dissatisfaction, describing feelings of suppression and frustration around curfews, access to studios, and restrictions on student expression. The enforcement of an 11 p.m. curfew, threats of trespassing charges for working late, and the removal of the long-standing “Graffiti Stairwell”—a space students had used almost since the building’s opening to express ideas and frustrations—become flashpoints.

The stairwell’s repainting and the administration’s characterization of graffiti as vandalism symbolize deeper tensions around autonomy, trust, and the unique needs of art students. As one student puts it at the time, “we are special — we’re a big department, we have totally different needs.” Students argue that ACA, recognized nationally, is experiencing forms of restriction not found at other Canadian art colleges.

Yet even amid confrontation, the stated aim of student leadership remains measured. As reported, the goal is not simply to oppose administration, but “to get the administration to understand the needs of art students.” What unfolds is not disorder, but a prolonged negotiation over identity, authority, and the conditions necessary for art education to thrive.

By the early 1980s, autonomy is no longer an abstract aspiration. It is lived daily—argued in stairwells, debated in council meetings, carried on buses to Edmonton, and sustained by a community convinced that the College’s future depends on governing itself.

Protest at the Alberta College of Art also takes shape through artistic production itself. In February 1983, the annual ACA Faculty Show becomes a deliberate act of dissent when it is presented as The Un-College Show, a symbolic reference to the College’s unresolved status within SAIT. Originally scheduled to take place at the SAIT Gallery, the exhibition is relocated to the James Ulrich Gallery after ACA instructors withdraw their work in protest of the administration’s lack of recognition for professional development time and institutional autonomy.

The exhibition draws a large and diverse public audience, with more than 1,000 people attending over three hours and filling the gallery to view 53 works by ACA instructors. The show brings together artists, students, museum professionals, critics, collectors, and members of the broader Calgary arts community, transforming the exhibition into a public forum for debate around governance, professional status, and the future of the College.

What begins as a withdrawal of labour evolves into a strategic act of visibility. As faculty spokesperson James Ulrich, an ACA painting instructor and gallery director, explains, the goal is to place the work of ACA staff before the public and allow that work to speak to the College’s professionalism and legitimacy. The exhibition reframes autonomy not only as an administrative concern, but as an issue rooted in artistic practice, public trust, and cultural contribution.

The mood at the opening is described as one of excitement and mutual support rather than anger or militancy. Instructors and students alike emphasize that the controversy runs deeper than politics alone, revealing a collective desire for ACA to “become what it can be.” Student spokesperson Chris Spindler underscores this sentiment, highlighting autonomy and degree-granting status as essential to the College’s future and to ensuring time, resources, and recognition for instructors’ professional work.

Source: Courtesy of the Calgary Herald, February 7, 1983. Article by Nancy Tousley.

Arthur “Mickey” Meads serves as Acting Head during one of the most intense phases of the Alberta College of Art’s push for autonomy. On January 28–29, 1984, students escalate their activism with a two-day sleep-in protest, occupying the College and publicly vowing that the struggle for independence is “not over yet.”

As reported in the Calgary Herald, students roll up their sleeping bags after ending a two-day occupation of the Alberta College of Art, making clear that autonomy is not a symbolic gesture but a deeply held conviction. Student leaders emphasize that the goal is independence where the College already exists—not relocation, absorption, or dilution within SAIT. Protestors call for direct engagement from Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education and actively organize lobbying efforts in Edmonton, while also seeking support from Calgary’s broader artistic community.

The movement remains disciplined and purposeful. Despite fatigue, students frame the protest as a hopeful turning point—describing autonomy as “home” and something worth fighting to protect. The actions reinforce a collective identity across departments and signal that the demand for self-governance has broad, sustained support within the College.

Momentum soon builds at the institutional level. The SAIT Board of Governors formally recommends autonomy for the Alberta College of Art, with the exception of the Visual Communications and Photography departments. On June 22, 1984, Alberta Advanced Education publicly declares its support for autonomy—marking a decisive shift toward the College’s eventual independence.

Works Cited: "January 29, 1984 (Page 13 of 64)." Calgary Herald (1939-), 29 Jan., 1984, pp. 13. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/january-29-1984-page-13-64/docview/2258804790/se-2.

After more than a decade of demonstrations, debate, and determined advocacy, the Alberta College of Art reaches a decisive turning point. On July 1, 1985, ACA officially becomes an independent, self-governing, publicly funded art and design college—one of only four in Canada, and the only one between Vancouver and Toronto.

The announcement marks the end of ACA’s formal separation from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the beginning of a new phase of institutional maturity. As reported in the Calgary Herald, autonomy brings with it far more than symbolic recognition. For the first time, ACA gains full control over its academic direction, finances, personnel and student services. Graduates now receive four-year diplomas issued by the College itself, rather than technical institute certificates—an important affirmation of the College’s standing within Canada’s post-secondary arts landscape.

Advanced Education Minister Dick Johnson confirms that the College’s curriculum will remain intact following autonomy, underscoring the academic strength that made independence possible. With governance now firmly in its own hands, ACA turns its attention to the practical and philosophical work of self-determination: establishing internal systems, strengthening student life, and focusing fully on its mission of educating creative artists.

College leadership describes the moment as both a culmination and a beginning. Autonomy allows ACA to move beyond survival and advocacy toward ambition—positioning itself as a “potent art force” within Alberta and beyond. At 65 years old, the College steps confidently into independence, no longer nested within another institution, but standing clearly and publicly as Alberta’s art college.

Works Cited:

"July 2, 1985 (Page 4 of 85)." Calgary Herald (1939-), 02 July, 1985, pp. 4. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/july-2-1985-page-4-85/docview/2259146909/se-2.

Even as the Alberta College of Art adjusts to the realities of independence and a period of shifting leadership, the College pauses to reflect on the depth and reach of its influence. In 1985, ACA marks nearly sixty years of existence by turning its gaze outward—celebrating not itself as an institution, but the impact of its graduates on the cultural development of Alberta, Canada and beyond. That same year, Douglas Morton is appointed ACA’s first President, signaling a new phase of institutional maturity following autonomy.

To commemorate this milestone, the Alberta College of Art Gallery launches an ambitious three-part exhibition series organized by Director/Curator Valerie Greenfield. Together, the exhibitions form a visual survey of the College’s contribution to the professional visual arts community, featuring graduates who have established sustained practices nationally and internationally. While not intended as a comprehensive history, the series underscores a defining characteristic of ACA’s identity: independence.

The exhibitions—A Measure of Success: Graduates of the Alberta College of Art, 1974–1984 (January–February 1985), A Measure of Success: Graduates of the Alberta College of Art, 1963–1973 (October–November 1985), and Founders of the Alberta College of Art (October–November 1986)—trace multiple generations of artists shaped by the College’s pedagogical culture. Two full-colour catalogues accompany the project, further extending its scholarly and archival significance.

In her catalogue essay, Greenfield observes that while the works are presented within a peer context, they reveal no singular style, philosophy or aesthetic lineage. Instead, she notes that ACA students and instructors have long been defined by aesthetic freedom and idiosyncratic practice—qualities that distinguish the College from other Canadian art schools historically associated with cohesive movements or group identities. At ACA, individual artistic direction remains paramount.

This independence of thought and practice resonates beyond the College itself. Writing in The Globe and Mail, critic John Bentley Mays describes Alberta’s art scene as possessing a “strange otherness”—a freedom to pursue what works within the local environment, regardless of prevailing trends elsewhere. In many ways, this spirit mirrors the values fostered at ACA over six decades, now formally secured through autonomy and reflected back through the work of its graduates.

On November 15, 1990, the Alberta College of Art formally turned its attention to legacy, renaming four key campus spaces in a deliberate act of institutional remembrance. More than symbolic gestures, these namings affirmed the College’s lineage—embedding its history into daily life and restoring visibility to the individuals who shaped ACA’s character, values and trajectory.

At the heart of the Main Mall, the ACA Gallery was renamed the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, honouring Illingworth Kerr, the committed artist, educator and visionary who guided a fledgling art department into a professional art college. Under Kerr’s leadership, the institution established its academic credibility, expanded its facilities and articulated a philosophy of art education rooted in independence and rigor.

Adjacent to the gallery, the Lecture Hall became the Stanford Perrott Lecture Theatre, recognizing Kerr’s longtime colleague and successor. An alumnus of the College (1935–1939), Perrott assumed leadership in 1967 and oversaw one of the most critical periods in ACA’s history, including the construction of its purpose-built campus. For more than two decades, he brought a steady, personal and deeply human approach to administration—advocating relentlessly for students, faculty and the future of the College.

Student exhibitions were given a permanent home in the Marion Nicoll Gallery, named for one of Canada’s most distinguished abstract painters. An alum (1929–1933) and longtime instructor in craft and design, Nicoll played a formative role in shaping the College’s culture. Her influence extended well beyond the classroom, inspiring generations of students through both her artistic practice and commitment to experimentation.

The Library was named the Luke Lindoe Library in honour of Luke Lindoe, another alumn-to-instructor (1935–1940), pioneering potter and sculptor, and founder of the College’s ceramics program. Lindoe’s contribution to studio education helped establish ceramics as a cornerstone of ACA’s curriculum and positioned the College as a national leader in the field.

Yet this moment of recognition also carried a note of urgency. In a 1990 publication, Lindoe—identified as a Founder—voiced concern that the College had, in his words, “lost” its history. He argued that the act of naming was not nostalgic, but necessary:

“It needs to have names that give it some tradition and background – Stan Perrott and I, Marion Nicoll and Illingworth Kerr; they had to dig us all up and use us because their policy had run them out of that sort of thing. They are straining so hard to be contemporary that they have lost their sense of tradition and now it’s necessary to go and look for it, and put it back in.”

In renaming these spaces, the College acknowledged that progress and memory are not opposing forces. Instead, ACA insists that its future as a contemporary art institution is strengthened—not diminished—by clearly naming and honouring the people whose labour, vision and persistence made that future possible.

In 1995, the College reaches one of the most consequential academic milestones in its history: degree-granting status. Following years of planning, advocacy and review, the Alberta government grants the institution authority to award Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees, formally recognizing the depth, rigour and maturity of its programs. The change places the College on equal academic footing with Canada’s leading art institutions and marks a decisive shift from diploma-based training to university-level education.

To reflect this expanded mandate, the College adopts a new name: Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD). The addition of “Design” acknowledges a reality long evident within the institution — that design education now accounts for roughly half of its graduates and plays a central role in contemporary creative practice. As President Arthur Greenblatt notes at the time, the change is not a dramatic departure but a clearer reflection of what the College already is and does.

With degree-granting status secured, the College also becomes a formal member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, joining its Canadian and American peers in a shared commitment to professional standards, student mobility and international exchange. As reported in the Calgary Herald, this moment signals both recognition and responsibility: the College now has full control over its academic credentials and an obligation to deliver an education equal to the title it grants.

Together, degree authority and the name change affirm ACAD’s evolution into a contemporary institution — one capable of educating artists and designers for an increasingly complex professional landscape, while remaining rooted in the independence and experimentation that have defined it from the beginning.

Works Cited:

"February 10, 1995 (Page 61 of 170)." Calgary Herald (1939-), 10 Feb., 1995, pp. 61. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/february-10-1995-page-61-170/docview/3181872894/se-2.

"May 19, 1995 (Page 46 of 178)." Calgary Herald (1939-), 19 May, 1995, pp. 46. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/may-19-1995-page-46-178/docview/3182277896/se-2.

From alumni reunions and awards, to exhibitions, new scholarships, historical publications and institutional updates, the anniversary became a defining moment of reflection, renewal and momentum.

The 75th anniversary of the Alberta College of Art and Design was a year of celebration, reconnection, and meaningful change. Beginning in fall 2001, the milestone year brought together alumni, faculty, students, and supporters to reflect on 75 years of art and design education in Alberta—and to set the stage for what would come next.

The anniversary launched with a major Art to Dine For gala in Calgary, welcoming more than 700 guests to celebrate the achievements of ACAD alumni and faculty. The evening featured a keynote address by Sir Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art in London, and the announcement of ACAD’s new Honorary Patron Program, recognizing 48 individuals who had championed visual arts education across the province. A $160,000 gift from Petro-Canada helped launch a new scholarship endowment campaign, reinforcing ACAD’s commitment to supporting future generations of artists and designers.

Throughout the year, anniversary programming continued to highlight alumni voices and creative legacies. A major Alumni Homecoming Weekend in June 2002 brought graduates back from around the world for exhibitions, awards, and celebrations. Highlights included the presentation of 75th Anniversary Alumni Awards, the Projected 75 slide exhibition showcasing alumni work across decades, and a Moulin Rouge–themed dinner and dance that reunited more than 300 attendees.

Exhibitions such as Album: ACAD@75, curated at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, offered a snapshot of the College’s past while pointing toward its future. Alongside these public celebrations, ACAD used the anniversary year to modernize its institutional presence, launching a new website and alumni newsletter, publishing a 75-year history of the College, and strengthening its academic and administrative structures.

By the close of its 75th year, ACAD had not only celebrated its legacy—it had reinforced its role as a leading centre for creative education. The anniversary became a moment of collective pride, renewed connection, and forward momentum that would continue to shape the institution in the decades ahead.

Throughout years marked by government funding reductions, he provided continuity and stability, securing extended leadership terms while championing students, alumni and faculty through new exhibition opportunities and a strong culture of community engagement.

Dr. Daniel Doz begins his term as President and CEO of the Alberta College of Art + Design, bringing a leadership style grounded in communication, advocacy and long-term vision. Describing himself as a “storyteller,” Doz emphasizes the importance of articulating the College’s role and value — to government, to the arts community and to the public — at a moment when post-secondary institutions face increasing financial pressure and scrutiny.

As one of only four degree-granting, publicly funded art and design colleges in Canada, ACAD holds a unique position within both Alberta’s cultural landscape and the national arts ecosystem. Doz commits to strengthening that position by acting as both champion and translator: communicating the College’s needs to government while ensuring those conversations are shared transparently within the institution. His approach reflects a belief that progress depends on collaboration rather than isolation.

Drawing on experience gained during his tenure at Ryerson University — where he played a role in major capital projects including the Ryerson Gallery and Research Centre, the Student Learning Centre and the university’s master planning — Doz arrives well prepared to guide ACAD through its next phase of growth. Born in Montreal and educated in France, his interdisciplinary background spans art, cinema, photography, theatre and architecture, reinforcing his understanding of creative education as inherently cross-disciplinary.

Under Doz’s leadership, ACAD explores innovative ideas such as satellite and downtown gallery locations, expanded partnerships with other institutions, and the development of a film program. Central to his vision is positioning the College as a value-added cultural asset for the city and province — one that contributes not only to artistic production, but also to economic development, public life and community identity.

In years marked by government funding reductions and sector-wide uncertainty, Doz provides continuity and stability. Through extended leadership terms, he champions students, alumni and faculty, supports new exhibition opportunities and fosters a strong culture of engagement grounded in partnership, collaboration and shared purpose.

Works Cited:

The Art of Leadership, "October 26, 2010 (Page 12 of 64)." Calgary Herald (1939-), 26 Oct., 2010, pp. 12. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/october-26-2010-page-12-64/docview/2264023894/se-2.

Its name, gifted by the Elder Council, refers to the central pole of a tipi, symbolizing connection, support and the circle-of-life teachings.

The Lodgepole Center officially opened in September 2016 as a dedicated Indigenous resource and gathering space, reflecting the institution’s growing commitment to Indigenous presence, learning and community on campus. The opening was marked by a gathering of students, faculty, staff and the Elder Advisory Council, and included speeches, a traditional pipe ceremony and a guided tour led by Indigenous Liaison Tina Kinnee-Brown.

Hosted by President and CEO Dr. Daniel Doz, the event underscored the collaborative origins of the space. As Doz noted at the opening, the Lodgepole Center emerged directly from student advocacy and engagement, demonstrating how collective action can shape meaningful institutional change. Designed to engage and inform the entire college community, the Centre supports Indigenous cultural education, dialogue and collaboration across disciplines and departments.

Open to all members of the community, the Lodgepole Center provides space for quiet study, smudging, traditional ceremonies, sharing circles and cultural programming guided by the Elder Advisory Council. It also serves as a home for the Indigenous Students Club and hosts workshops and activities such as traditional naming ceremonies, moccasin and drum making, and elder advising consultations. The space’s flexibility reflects a holistic approach to learning, welcoming cultural, academic and community-based uses alike.

The Centre’s name was gifted by the Elder Council. “Lodgepole” refers to the central pole of a tipi or the lodgepole pine placed at the centre of a Sundance ceremony — a powerful symbol of connection, support and the teachings of the circle of life. In this spirit, the Lodgepole Center functions as both a physical and cultural anchor within the institution.

On March 1, 2018, the Alberta government officially granted the Alberta College of Art + Design university status. Announced in Calgary by the Minister of Advanced Education, Marlin Schmidt, the decision formally recognized ACAD’s academic quality, governance and long-standing ability to deliver rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs in art and design.

The designation marked a pivotal milestone in the institution’s evolution. As the only fine arts–focused post-secondary institution in Alberta, ACAD’s elevation to university status affirmed its unique role within the province’s educational and cultural landscape. Schmidt emphasized that ensuring ACAD’s success would benefit Alberta as a whole, particularly as the province worked to diversify its economy and foster new creative and knowledge-based industries. “We’re doing things differently,” he noted, underscoring the arts as both a cultural and economic driver.

University status enhanced ACAD’s reputation provincially, nationally and internationally, strengthening the value and recognition of its degrees while positioning the institution for long-term growth. It also affirmed what students, faculty and alumni had long known: that ACAD’s programs demanded a high level of intellectual, creative and professional rigor.

ACAD President and CEO Dr. Daniel Doz described the change as an act of support, evolution and belief — a signal that the education students receive at ACAD would be recognized on equal footing across Alberta and Canada. For students, the moment carried deep significance. As student association director Camille Porcheron reflected, the designation helped clarify that an ACAD degree is a serious academic and creative undertaking, validating years of intense studio practice, research and commitment.

University status was not a sudden transformation, but the culmination of decades of advocacy, excellence and persistence. It formally acknowledged ACAD’s place as Alberta’s primary institution for fine arts education — and marked the beginning of a new chapter as Alberta University of the Arts.

Source: CBC News, “Alberta College of Art and Design gains university status,” March 1, 2018.

Since, the student-led event has become a much-anticipated tradition with 1000+ students participating and event attendance exceeding 3,000 visitors to campus.

During a moment when students were seeking new ways to connect and energize campus life, AUArts’ Studio Technician team devised a bold plan to empower students and activate the institution’s creative community. On November 4, 2022, AUArts hosted its First Annual Gallery Crawl, a student-led event in which over 500 students participated by opening up studios, pop-up galleries, and exhibition spaces across campus.

The Gallery Crawl drew attention not only for its celebration of student work but also for how it transformed the campus into a vibrant, participatory art experience. The event invited visitors to explore all five floors of the building, activating design and fine art spaces with music, exhibitions, and creative programming.

Since that first iteration, the Gallery Crawl has become a highly anticipated annual tradition. Participation has continued to grow, with nearly 1,000 students showcasing work in later years and overall attendance exceeding 3,000 visitors, marking the event as one of AUArts’ most energetic community engagements.

What began as an idea to bring art into campus life has matured into a defining moment for students to share their creative practice with each other and with the wider Calgary community, reinforcing AUArts’ commitment to student leadership, community-building, and public access to art.

In 2023, AUArts launched Indigenous Pathways: Soksipaitapiiwahsin (Good Living Ways) as a five-year plan guided by Elders to advance meaningful reconciliation across the University. The Pathways articulate AUArts’ institutional response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and provide a clear framework for Reconcili-Actions grounded in Indigenous knowledge, leadership, and community accountability.

The Indigenous Pathways were developed through a three-year consultative process led by the Elder Council, involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the AUArts community. Formally endorsed by the Board of Governors, the plan was designed in parallel with the University’s work in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) and reflects themes that emerged through sustained dialogue, listening, and collaboration.

At the core of Soksipaitapiiwahsin are ten essential goals that guide implementation, evaluation, and renewal. These include strengthening the role of the Elder Council; establishing and supporting spaces for Indigenous cultures and community—while recognizing the Lodgepole Center as the primary and autonomous gathering place; enhancing recruitment, retention, and academic success for Indigenous students; increasing the number of Indigenous faculty and staff; and expanding Indigenous programming and curriculum that engage Indigenous art, life, cultures, and traditions.

The Pathways also commit AUArts to facilitating research that respects Indigenous approaches to knowledge and learning; deepening engagement with Indigenous communities; ensuring Indigenous perspectives are reflected across classrooms, campus life, and institutional decision-making; expanding educational opportunities for Indigenous communities; and ensuring that Indigenous community members—both within and beyond the University—remain central to how the Pathways are enacted and renewed.

AUArts’ first major step toward reconciliation was the creation of the Lodgepole Center in 2016. With the launch of Indigenous Pathways, the University articulated a more ambitious and sustained vision—one rooted in Treaty 7 knowledge and practices and guided by Elders, Knowledge Keepers, artists, and creatives. The Pathways acknowledge that meaningful transformation takes time and requires ongoing commitment, reflection, and action, including shifts in values, attitudes, and behaviours.

The development of Soksipaitapiiwahsin was made possible through the contributions of many individuals, including members of the Elder Council, students, instructors, staff, and community leaders from Cree, Anishnaabek, Métis, Stoney Nakoda, Kainai, Siksika, Tsuut’ina, Inuit, and other Nations. Together, their collective work established a foundation for an unbiased and resilient AUArts community—one in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, craftspersons, designers, and creative thinkers can thrive.