Our senior programs at the Art Gallery of Alberta provide an accessible and welcoming space to connect with art and others. Enjoy a variety of activities, from monthly tours of our exhibitions to film screenings tailored specifically for you.
Our feature film is the 2020 documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. This film transports us to 1971, to Camp Jened, a “loose, free-spirited camp designed for teens with disabilities” and the activism this camp inspired.
Tickets are $5 or free with our Barrier Free option.
About the Film
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, directed by Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham and produced by the Obamas, takes viewers inside Camp Jened, a pioneering summer camp for teenagers and young adults with disabilities, located in the Catskills of New York from 1952 to 1977. The camp played a significant role in sparking the US disability rights movement.
The film follows a group of teens and counsellors who, through radical accessibility, found a place to be seen, cherished and to flourish free of discrimination at a time when folks with disabilities were largely hidden from view.
Many of the participants, emboldened by these transformative experiences, go on to demand change and actively participate in political action that brought about changes in disability rights legislation affecting them.
“I hope that this plants a seed within all of these students that they do talk, they do think differently, and that this is something they hold for the rest of their lives that will make the world a better place.” – Former Camp Jened camper, Jim Lebrecht.
Our film screening this month, on Friday, September 12th, will feature the 2024 documentary Yintah. A compelling film which focuses on the people of Wet’suwet’en, their fight for independence and the impact of the pipelines on their land.
About the Film
Yintah, meaning “land”, follows members of the Wet’suwet’en nation on a decade-long journey, as they fight against some of the largest fossil fuel companies on earth and reoccupy their land.
Living on unceded territory outside of Burns Lake in British Columbia, the Wet’suwet’en nation is in an ongoing conflict with the Canadian government, which has given its approval for fossil fuel companies to build pipelines through their territory. This documentary traces the community’s resistance and fight for Indigenous sovereignty, land rights and culture.
Seniors' Tours
If you're a senior who's passionate about learning more about our current exhibitions, then our Seniors' Tours are the perfect place to hear from curators, artists and much more.
Upcoming Dates
Explore the artists and artworks in our exhibition Listen to the Land, with Caitlin Bodewitz, Guest Curator and Executive Director of Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP).
About the exhibition: Listen to the Land highlights the work of artists Jonathan S. Green, Laura Grier and Heather Leier, who are each exploring their personal histories and relationship to the natural world through the medium of printmaking. Curator Caitlin Bodewitz, will guide your tour, introduce you to the artists’ practice and help you think about your connection to your surroundings.
Join us for our monthly Seniors’ Tour! This month, attendees will be exploring our outdoor exhibition, The Reciprocity Garden | ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (wâhkôhtowin). Follow Justine Jenkins, local artist and gardener, on the terrace where she will tell you all about the plants, herbs and vegetables, all while sharing her deep horticultural knowledge. During the tour, she will share information on gardening techniques, plant care, seed saving and much more!
Justine Jenkins (she/her) is a graduate from OCAD University in Toronto where she majored in Environmental Design. She is an active participant in several community gardens throughout the city and she generously shared her expertise in the creation of the garden and continues to ensure the maintenance of our wonderful outdoor exhibition.
About the exhibition: The Reciprocity Garden | ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (wâhkôhtowin)
In designing this garden there is an intention to open doors to our surrounding community, creating a space to gather and planting seeds to foster conversations about ways to sustain ourselves. We want to cultivate space where different ways of thinking can cross-pollinate, with the goal of understanding ways of being here together.
The idea of “reciprocity” is often considered through the lens of trade, but what if we think about it more broadly? That is, reciprocity as general acts of goodwill with the intention of fostering a stronger community. The garden tries to accomplish this by embodying the Cree idea of wâhkôhtowin, a connection to all that surrounds us. Together we all benefit from taking the time to consider what we sow, be it plants, ideas, dreams, or relationships.
Together in this space, the garden holds us all: the people, the plants, the creatures and the soil. It takes care to be able to thrive, and this tending gives us what we need in return. Through tending this space, we also care for each other.
Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta. Curated by Alaynee Goodwill-Littlechild, TD Curator of Indigenous Creativity, Sara McKarney with the help of Justine Jenkins. Presented by the Poole Centre of Design.
For more information about this program and other programming for seniors or to sign up for our mailing list, contact us at programming@youraga.ca.