The culture of Alberta refers to the art, customs, and traditions of the people of Alberta. Alberta entered into Confederation in 1905, placing her in a tie with Saskatchewan as the country's second youngest province. Despite her short history, the province possesses a rich culture. The vastness of the land and variation of geography – which includes mountains, foothills, grassland, parkland, forest, and rockland – have served as important sources of creative inspiration across all art forms. Alberta's primary industries of farming, ranching, and petroleum also play a major part in the province's culture and identity.
The Glenbow Museum is an art and history regional museum in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The museum focuses on Western Canadian history and culture, including Indigenous perspectives. The Glenbow was established as a private non-profit foundation in 1955 by lawyer, businessman and philanthropist Eric Lafferty Harvie with materials from his personal collection.
Walter Joseph Phillips was an English-born Canadian painter and printmaker. He is credited with popularizing the colour woodcut in the style of the Japanese, in Canada.
Alex Simeon Janvier, LL.D is a First Nation artist in Canada. As a member of the commonly referred to "Indian Group of Seven", Janvier is a pioneer of contemporary Canadian Aboriginal art in Canada.
Hugh Aylmer Dempsey, was a Canadian historian, an author and the Chief Curator Emeritus of the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta. Dempsey authored more than 20 books, focusing primarily on the history of people of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary and was made an honorary chief of the Kainai Blackfoot in 1967. For his contributions to the study of the Plains Indians, Dempsey was awarded membership in the Order of Canada in 1975.
Lars Jonson Haukaness was a Norwegian born American-Canadian impressionist painter and art instructor who was known for his landscapes.
David B. Williams is a noted Canadian Ojibway aboriginal artist.
Margaret Dorothy Shelton (1915–1984) was a Canadian artist who lived nearly all of her life in Alberta. She worked in a number of mediums but is best known for her block printing.
Faye HeavyShield is a Kainai First Nations sculptor and installation artist. She is known for her repetitive use of objects and writing to create large-scale, often minimal, site-specific installations.
Jane Ash Poitras is a Cree painter and printmaker from Canada. Her work uses the idioms of mainstream art to express the experience of Aboriginal people in Canada.
Rita McKeough is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, musician and educator who frequently works in installation and performance.
Reta Cowley was a Canadian painter. She is known for her watercolors of the prairie country around Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which capture the unique qualities of space and light.
William (Bill) Laing is a Scottish/Canadian artist based in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his printmaking and sculpture.
Malcolm Collett is a Canadian animator.
Mary Annora Brown (1899–1987), known as Annora Brown, was a Canadian visual artist whose work encompassed painting and graphic design. She was best known for her depictions of natural landscapes, wildflowers, and First Nations communities in Canada. Much of her work thematically explored Albertan identity, though she remained relatively obscure in discussions of Canadian art.
Nancy Tousley is a senior art critic, journalist, art writer and independent curator whose practice has included writing for a major daily newspaper, art magazines, and exhibition catalogues.
Amy Malbeuf is a Canadian-Métis visual artist, educator, and cultural tattoo practitioner born in Rich Lake, Alberta.
Linda Craddock is a Canadian visual artist living in Calgary, Alberta. Her work has been featured in exhibitions since 1973.
Adrian Stimson is an artist and a member of the Siksika Nation.
Ronald Benjamin Moppett is a Canadian painter. He is known primarily for abstract paintings and for works in which he combines paint and collage, along with non-traditional materials. Moppett is based in Calgary, Alberta.
