TREX assistant Sierra Zukowski in the downtown gallery. An ope call for submissions to the TREX program will close on March 1. (CHAT News Photo/Bob Schneider)

By Chris Brown

Art across Alberta

TREX wants to show local artistic talent to the province

Jan 28, 2021 | 4:22 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is looking for the next round of area artists to showcase across the province.

The Travelling Exhibition Program, also known as TREX, has launched an open call until March 1 for artists in southeast Alberta.

“It’s open to any theme, any stage of artist whether you’re an emerging, a student still or a seasoned veteran artist,” says TREX assistant Sierra Zukowski. “There’s no sort of boundaries on what that looks like. You can submit as a group is you like even or as an individual.”

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There are no boundaries on the medium, either, Zukowski says.

“If you’re a digital artist we have the opportunity to show your work on screens, do something like that. Painting, sculpture, textiles, photography, pretty much any sort of medium you can think of.”

Applicants must submit an artist statement, a resume or CV, 10-20 images and proposed theme or statement detailing the exhibition.

Successful applicants could see their work in future travelling exhibitions across the province and the TREX space gallery in downtown Medicine Hat.

Each year the travelling exhibitions reach more than 600,000 Albertans in smaller communities and non-traditional but high-traffic venues like schools, libraries, visitor centres, hospitals and museums. Each exhibition is about 15-20 pieces and is shown around the province for two and a half years.

Zukowski says there’s a lot of local talent that has so far gone untapped.

“We have some great high school programs, a great program at the college here but also some artists that have been practising for a really long time. We as the organizer of this TREX program, we want to tap into that talent and help to let it be seen throughout the province and help get exposure to those artists but also enrich the quality of life for the people that are viewing exhibitions and let them see it.”

A new exhibition will be installed at the downtown TREX gallery next week.

TREX is a provincially funded program, organized in partnership with Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre.