Upcoming Events and Workshops
Orange Shirt Awareness Workshop
Ages 16+ Tickets by donation starting at $5.00
Join us for a hands-on workshop where participants will learn a simple beaded edge technique on orange pellon to create their own beaded pin—a piece they can wear on Orange Shirt Day (September 30) to honor the children who never returned from residential schools and to affirm that Every Child Matters. The orange shirt symbolizes the stripping away of Indigenous identity and culture, while also representing resilience, remembrance, and healing.
The workshop will be guided by Pearl White Quills, from the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), Niitsitapi (The Real People) Siksika, Kainai, and Amskapi Piikani Nations. Blessed with the name Aa koa miyanist tsi'nih kiaki ~ Sings Many Different Songs Woman, Pearl is the founder of Bright Swan Creations. Since 2008, she has been creating beadwork inspired by knowledge passed down from her childhood. Alongside her children, she began selling beadwork at pow wows in 2012, later expanding into sewing and sharing her gifts in song and drumming. Facilitating workshops that pass on teachings has become her passion, with a mission to “Empower First Nations in all forms of artistry, having our Spirituality as the foundation. Inspiring healing through unity, as one.”
This workshop is not only an opportunity to learn beading techniques, but also to connect with Indigenous culture, teachings, and the spirit of reconciliation.
Canadian Art Hop
From coast to coast, The Canadian Art Hop spotlights the diverse and dynamic tapestry of arts through commercial galleries, artist-run centres, and public museums and galleries.
Visitors should expect great art, interesting programming, and to visit these spaces thereafter!
After Party: Artists Reception with Nicole Miller & Jessica Rimes
FREE, drop-in
Join us for the Artists Reception of After Party, where the work created throughout the residency will come together in its final form, with artists-in-residence Nicole Miller and Jessica Rimes in attendance. After Party transforms the gallery into a domestic space shaped by the traces of a social gathering - the cups left behind, the misplaced objects, the quiet conversations, and the memories that linger once everyone else has gone home. Come experience the completed installation, spend time with the artists, and see what has been left behind.
In conjunction with Canadian Art Hop.
Artists Trading Cards: Trash!
FREE, all ages (accompanied by an adult), please register
Turn trash (or what is left after the party) into art - create and trade mini artworks made from recycled materials! Bring your own trash or use ours!
Artists Trading Cards are miniature works of art, created by hand and exchanged with others—tiny canvases that spark conversation, connection, and creativity. No prior art experience is needed, and people of all ages (children accompanied by an adult) and backgrounds are welcome.
All supplies are provided, with a wide range of materials—from paints and markers to collage paper, and, trash of course.
In conjunction with Canadian Art Hop
What Are Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)? Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches - the size of a standard playing card. Originating in the 1990s, the ATC movement began in Switzerland with artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who envisioned a way for artists to exchange their creations without monetary transactions. The concept quickly gained global popularity, fostering artistic expression and collaboration. Today, ATCs are celebrated as an inclusive and accessible way to share art and build connections within creative communities.
Create A Coping Altar
FREE, please register, ages 18+ no art experience required
Make a Coping Altar is a reflective, hands-on workshop about creating a small personal structure for attention, grounding, and meaning. Through an introduction to the ideas behind Strange Companions, artist Bramble Lee Pryde will explore how people use objects, rituals, and symbolic arrangements to live alongside uncertainty. Participants will then be guided through a private exercise to consider what they want their altar to hold, acknowledge, remember, or make space for. After an introduction to the materials and possible approaches, participants will create a small altar using objects, images, textures, words, and constructed elements. The altar is not intended as a cure or solution, but as a personal site of recognition: a place to return to, pause, or hold what cannot be neatly resolved. Participants will leave with a completed altar and a practical framework for using symbolic objects and small rituals in their own lives.
Create Your Personal Existential Dreadling
FREE, please register, ages 18+
Create Your Personal Dreadling is a hands-on workshop exploring how imagined creatures can give form to the anxieties, uncertainties, and coping strategies we carry with us. Beginning with an introduction to The Existential Dreadlings and the ideas behind the project, artist Bramble Lee Pryde will guide participants through a private word clustering exercise to help uncover the character, purpose, and personality of their own Dreadling. Participants will not be required to share their responses with the group. Using a selection of accessible art materials, participants can choose to draw or sculpt their symbolic creature. The goal is not to eliminate uncertainty, but to create something that can stand beside it: a witness, guardian, absorber, companion, or entirely new kind of being. Participants will leave with an original Dreadling of their own and a different way of thinking about how imagination, symbolism, and making can help us live alongside the unresolved.
Take A Photo From Someone You Know: Scrapbook Workshop
Free. All ages and abilities welcome.
Participants are invited to create a short scrapbook focusing on a memorable social event/party they attended, with the guidance of the artists and participating peers. We will share stories as we create the books, swap crafting tips, and support the making of the books as small event time capsules.
HOME Closing Reception
FREE, limited seating, please register
Join us to close out the Sparrow residency's HOME exhibition with a communal long table gathering, an evening of shared food and conversation, gathered around the table the way we would at home. Meet residency artists Ezgi Turker, Shea Iles, Kseniia Koshmai, Jona Redwood, and Yu Chen, and hear more about the stories of home explored through their work across miniature boxes, portraiture, beadwork and games, dreamcatchers and maps, and letters.
Following the Framing Your Stories workshop earlier that afternoon, this is your last chance to walk through the full exhibition together before it closes. Bring the frame you made, bring a friend, or just bring yourself — pull up a seat at the long table and stay a while.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Framing Your Stories - A Drop-In Workshop
FREE, please register
Drop by anytime between 2 and 5pm — no experience, artistic skill, or commitment required. Come for ten minutes or stay the whole time.
Join us for an afternoon of storytelling and reflection as part of the Sparrow residency's HOME exhibition. Throughout the residency, our cohort of artists — Ezgi Turker, Shea Iles, Kseniia Koshmai, Jona Redwood, and Yu Chen — has explored what home means through miniature boxes, portraiture, beadwork and games, dreamcatchers and maps, and letters — the places we've left, the ones we've found, and the ones we carry with us. Now it's your turn to add your voice. Using a frame we provide, you'll create a small piece of your own story of home — a memory, a feeling, a place, a person — expressed however you'd like: write it, sketch it, collage it. All supplies are provided, so just bring yourself and your story. The artists will be present throughout the afternoon, so it's a chance to create alongside them and hear more about the work. When you're done, take your frame home as a keepsake of the afternoon, and of what home means to you.
Stay on as the afternoon rolls into our closing reception, where we'll celebrate the exhibition together over food and conversation. It's the last chance to see the installations before the show closes — come frame your story of home, then stay to hear everyone else's.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Artists Trading Cards: theme of HOME
FREE, please register
What does home mean to you? Is it a place, a memory, a community, or a feeling that lives within you? For some, home is where they’ve come from. For others, it’s where they are building a future. For some, home is deeply connected to ancestral land, traditions, and resilience.
Sparrow Artspace invites you to explore these ideas at an Artists Trading Card (ATC) session. ATCs are miniature works of art, created by hand and exchanged with others—tiny canvases that spark conversation, connection, and creativity.
This community art-making experience is connected to the HOME Residency in July and August 2026, which brings together newcomer and Indigenous artists to reflect on, reimagine, and share perspectives on home through art. Some of the artists will be in attendance at this trading card session.
Come create, share, and trade art that speaks to what HOME means to you. Leave with a pocket-sized collection of original artworks that hold many voices and many visions of home.
No prior art experience is needed, and people of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. All supplies are provided, with a wide range of materials—from paints and markers to collage paper, and more.
What Are Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)?Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches—the size of a standard playing card. Originating in the 1990s, the ATC movement began in Switzerland with artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who envisioned a way for artists to exchange their creations without monetary transactions. The concept quickly gained global popularity, fostering artistic expression and collaboration. Today, ATCs are celebrated as an inclusive and accessible way to share art and build connections within creative communities.
Home Residency - Artist Talk with Jona Redwood and Yu Chen
FREE, please register
Join HOME Residency artists Jona Redwood and Yu Chen for an artist talk exploring identity, belonging, cultural memory, and the personal meanings carried through handcrafted objects and portraiture. Jona will share their practice creating dreamcatchers, jewelry, and interactive craft experiences as intentional forms of grounding, self-expression, mindfulness, and connection. Yu Chen will speak about her oil painting practice, which uses portraiture and traditional attire to explore immigrant identity, cultural exchange, and collaboration. Together, the artists will reflect on how art can hold personal stories, honour cultural meaning, and create space for connection across lived experiences.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Tiny Homes Workshop with Kseniia Koshnai
Tickets $0-$25, please register
This workshop invites participants to reflect on what home means to them through painting. Each person will create a small wooden box inspired by a memory, a place, a feeling, or something important. Participants will be guided through simple painting techniques and supported in developing their ideas. The focus is on creating something personal and meaningful rather than perfect. Each box becomes a small container for a story. Participants leave with an object they can keep and carry as a piece of home.
This workshop is facilitated by resident artist Kseniia Koshmai, whose practice explores memory, belonging, and the idea of carrying home within. Through her work with miniature painting on wooden objects, she creates pieces that connect people with their personal stories and the warmth of their memories.
No experience required and all supplies will be provided.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Cyanotype Workshop: Bleaching, Toning & Wet Cyanotypes
$70, please register, ages 15+
In this experimental workshop, participants will explore how water, bleaching, and toning can transform cyanotype prints on paper. Moving beyond the traditional process, we will embrace unpredictability to create expressive and varied results.
Participants will begin with a brief review of cyanotype printing on paper before experimenting with wet techniques—using water during the developing stage to alter tones, create movement, and introduce unexpected textures. We will also explore bleaching and toning methods using everyday materials such as coffee and a variety of teas, shifting the classic blue into a range of earthy colours.
Through a series of small studies, you will build a collection of sample prints that reflect each technique. This workshop encourages curiosity, play, and a willingness to explore the unexpected.
You will leave with a selection of unique cyanotype samples and the knowledge to continue experimenting with wet processes and toning methods on your own.
All materials are included - but you can bring flowers and leaves!
No experience necessary.
Game Night: Parallel Play with Shea Iles
Tickets $0-$25, please register
During his performances/workshop/hang session, Shea Iles invites folks from the audience to join him on stage to play a solo card game while he improvises on guitar alongside them. (If you don't know any solitaire games, that's okay — Shea will teach everyone a really easy one at the start so that anyone can have a turn.) This is a kind of collaboration he has come to really enjoy: two people doing their own thing, side by side, connected only by circumstance. Shea will also talk about why he loves games, what he thinks they can do, and how he's working to integrate them into his artistic practice.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Stitch & B.I.T.C.H (Brave, Inspired, Thriving, Connected, Healing) Circle
FREE - please register, for WOMEN ages 18+
Join us for an empowering women's circle at Sparrow Artspace.
Hey ladies! Join us for Stitch & B.I.T.C.H, a cozy in-person gathering where you can create while you connect with other amazing women. Bring your favorite project or just show up for good vibes and great company. Let's laugh, share stories, and create together in this welcoming circle. Can’t wait to see you there! Donations welcome but not mandatory.
Limited supply of crafting materials available for those wanting to try a new craft.
Free parking available in lot across the street. Located on bus routes #90 and #4/5.
Cyanotype Workshop: Experimenting with Paper and Fabric
$70, please register, ages 15+
This workshop expands the cyanotype process onto several kinds of paper and fabrics, using the different materials to create different results. Using both botanical materials and photographic imagery, participants will explore how light, texture can create different results to your cyanotype prints.
You will learn which fabrics and papers work best for cyanotype printing, and which to avoid, while being guided through the full process of preparing the surface, arranging compositions, exposing prints, and developing final results. Through a series of small studies, participants will build a collection of samples that highlight the unique qualities of cyanotype on cloth.
After experimenting we will print a composition in a mini canvas bag, that you can take home to store the samples we created.
All materials are included - but you can bring flowers and leaves! No experience necessary.
What Do You Carry When Home Changes? Workshop with Jona Redwood
Tickets $0-$25, please register
This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore their personal understanding of home through reflection and making. Guided by prompts and material exploration, participants will create a small, intentional object using fiber, thread, and mixed materials inspired by dreamcatcher techniques. Rather than focusing on traditional forms, the workshop emphasizes personal meaning—what we hold onto, what we release, and how our sense of home evolves over time.
Participants are invited to bring in their own artifact or trinket to represent what home means to them or what they would want to contribute to the idea. We will also have lots of supplies on-hand as well. Participants will have the option to contribute their piece to a collaborative installation within the exhibition or take it home. Taught by artist-in-residence Jona Redwood.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
“Letters from/to my homes” Workshop with Ezgi Türker
Tickets $0-$25, please register
This workshop invites participants to address their personal homes by writing letters. A lived home or a home yet to come, or an imagined home. A past or future self, a person, the land and the inhabitants of the land. We’ll write together to write letters where we find refuge and we’ll listen to letters from these ‘homes’.
This workshop is facilitated by resident artist, Ezgi Türker, who is working on her project “Letters from/to my homes”. This project began as an intimate exchange between her two selves: one who remains in Istanbul and one who now lives in Calgary/Mohkinstsis. Through this correspondence, she reflects on memory, longing, and the simultaneous act of losing and creating home. Each letter becomes a dialogue between two temporal selves, reimagining the parallel lives that might have unfolded elsewhere.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 at Sparrow Artspace and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Home Residency - Artist Talk with Kseniia Koshmai, Ezgi Türker and Shea Iles
FREE, please register
Join HOME Residency artists Kseniia Koshmai, Ezgi Türker, and Shea Iles for an artist talk exploring memory, belonging, play, and the many meanings of home. Kseniia will speak about her miniature paintings on wooden objects as containers for memory and personal stories, while Ezgi will share her project "Letters from/to my homes", an intimate correspondence between past and present selves. Shea will share how beadwork, music, and games come together in his practice as ways of exploring heritage, pattern, improvisation, and relationship. Together, the artists will reflect on how home and identity can be carried through objects, letters, gestures, sound, and play.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Artists Trading Cards for NEWCOMERS
FREE - please register, All ages welcome (accompanied by an adult), no experience necessary.
Join us at Sparrow Artspace for a fun and creative event where you can make and trade your own Artists Trading Cards with other newcomers in Calgary! This is a great way to meet fellow newcomers and creatives, share your work, and connect with the local art community. All suplies will be provided.
Board members Yiting Hui and Sandra Neill will be in attendance to answer any questions about our artists-in-residence program and connect newcomers to other artists resources in the community!
What Are Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)?Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches—the size of a standard playing card. Originating in the 1990s, the ATC movement began in Switzerland with artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who envisioned a way for artists to exchange their creations without monetary transactions. The concept quickly gained global popularity, fostering artistic expression and collaboration. Today, ATCs are celebrated as an inclusive and accessible way to share art and build connections within creative communities.
Basic Cyanotype & Memory-Making
$70, please register, ages 15+
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore ways of preserving the beauty of our short Calgary summer through the historic cyanotype process. Using locally gathered botanical materials, we will create a series of rich blue-and-white prints that capture details of seasonal plant life.
Participants will learn about the history of cyanotypes and be guided through each step of the process, including preparing paper, composing images, exposing prints, and developing the final works. Along the way, we will reflect on the act of noticing—paying attention to small, often overlooked details in the landscape as a way of documenting and preserving our experience of summer in the city.
Using some of the samples created, each participant will create a small handmade book of botanical cyanotypes, designed to be stored in a tin. This becomes a personal archive of the season, bringing together individual prints into a meaningful and personal collection.
All materials are included - but you can bring flowers and leaves! No experience necessary.
Multicultural Life Drawing with Yu Chen
Tickets $0-$25, please register
This drawing session invites participants to draw from life while models wear traditional attire from different cultural backgrounds. The session focuses on close observation of form, texture, and detail, while also encouraging awareness of the cultural context behind what is being drawn. Open to all levels (no instruction will be given), it creates a relaxed and inclusive environment for artistic practice and cultural exchange. Bring your own supplies and we will also have some art supplies on-hand. Hosted by artist-in-residence Yu Chen.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
HOME Opening Reception
Free, please register
Join artists-in-residency Kseniia Koshmai, Yu Chen, Jona Redwood, Shea Iles and Ezgi Turker for the reception of HOME residency, which creates space for dialogue between these perspectives, fostering connection while honouring the distinct histories, relationships, and experiences each artist carries.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Game Night: Parallel Play with Shea Iles
Tickets $0-$25, please register
During his performances/workshop/hang session, Shea Iles invites folks from the audience to join him on stage to play a solo card game while he improvises on guitar alongside them. (If you don't know any solitaire games, that's okay — Shea will teach everyone a really easy one at the start so that anyone can have a turn.) This is a kind of collaboration he has come to really enjoy: two people doing their own thing, side by side, connected only by circumstance. Shea will also talk about why he loves games, what he thinks they can do, and how he's working to integrate them into his artistic practice.
This is part of the HOME residency in July/August 2026 and gratefully funded by Calgary Arts Development.
Stitch & B.I.T.C.H (Brave, Inspired, Thriving, Connected, Healing) Circle
FREE - please register, for WOMEN ages 18+
Join us for an empowering women's circle at Sparrow Artspace.
Hey ladies! Join us for Stitch & B.I.T.C.H, a cozy in-person gathering where you can create while you connect with other amazing women. Bring your favorite project or just show up for good vibes and great company. Let's laugh, share stories, and create together in this welcoming circle. Can’t wait to see you there! Donations welcome but not mandatory.
Limited supply of crafting materials available for those wanting to try a new craft.
Free parking available in lot across the street. Located on bus routes #90 and #4/5.
Artists Trading Cards: Trash!
FREE, all ages (accompanied by an adult), please register
Turn trash into art - create and trade mini artworks made from recycled materials! Bring your own trash or use ours!
Artists Trading Cards are miniature works of art, created by hand and exchanged with others—tiny canvases that spark conversation, connection, and creativity. No prior art experience is needed, and people of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. All supplies are provided, with a wide range of materials—from paints and markers to collage paper, and, trash of course.
**ATC show here by Lorraine Stratkotter
What Are Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)?Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches—the size of a standard playing card. Originating in the 1990s, the ATC movement began in Switzerland with artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who envisioned a way for artists to exchange their creations without monetary transactions. The concept quickly gained global popularity, fostering artistic expression and collaboration. Today, ATCs are celebrated as an inclusive and accessible way to share art and build connections within creative communities.
Sparrow Pop-Up!
Free, drop-in, Stephen Avenue
Introducing SPARROW POP-UP — free art, out in the community! 🌳
This summer, Sparrow Arts Society is bringing free, drop-in art-making right to Calgary's community markets and public spaces. No experience, no required skills, no cost — just show up, make something, and meet the working artists behind it. Every pop-up is co-designed with our artists-in-residence, so what you create connects to real, living artistic practice. All ages, all skill levels, all welcome.
📅 WHERE TO FIND US
📍 The Downtown Markets — Stephen Avenue (@thedowntownmarkets)
Tuesday, June 23 · ⏰ 11am–6pm 📌 Stephen Ave (8 Ave SW), Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: Ellie Ryan 🤝 Sparrow board: Sandra Neill ✨Theme: Sep, Sew Sprawl - sewing fabric apples
📍 Bridgeland Riverside Farmers' Market
Thursday, June 25 · ⏰ 3:30–7:30pm 📌 917 Centre Ave NE, Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: Page Cowell 🤝 Sparrow board: Jamie Mason ✨Theme: Sep, Sew Sprawl - sewing fabric apples
📍 Canopy Art Market (@canopyartandwellness)
Sunday, June 28 · ⏰ 1:30–7pm 📌 Canopy Studios, 1723 9 St SW, Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: TBA 🤝 Sparrow board: Mellissa Fonseca
📍 Canada Cultural Day (@cityofcalgary)
Wednesday, July 1 · ⏰ 11am–5pm 📌 Sien Lok Park, Riverfront Ave & 1 St SW, Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: Ezgi Turker 🤝 Sparrow board: Danielle Piper, Dorothea Buchlinski & Sandra Neill ✨ Theme: HOME — Badges & Beads
📍 Bridgeland Riverside Farmers' Market
Thursday, July 2 · ⏰ 3:30–7:30pm 📌 917 Centre Ave NE, Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: Jona Redwood 🤝 Sparrow board: TBD
📍 Dalhousie Farmers' Market 🗓 Thursday, July 9 · ⏰ 3:30–7:30pm 📌 Dalhousie Community Centre, 5432 Dalhart Rd NW, Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: Yu Chen 🤝 Sparrow board: TBD
📍 Heritage Park Market Nights 🗓 Saturday, July 11 · ⏰ 12–6pm 📌 Heritage Park Plaza, 1900 Heritage Dr SW, Calgary 🎨 Featured artist: Kseniia 🤝 Sparrow board: TBD
Cyanotype Summer Series #3: Out of the Blue: Wet Cyanotypes & Toning
For adults, no experience required, $70 - please register
This workshop expands the cyanotype process onto several kinds of paper and fabrics, using the different materials to create different results. Using both botanical materials and photographic imagery, participants will explore how light, texture can create different results to your cyanotype prints.
You will learn which fabrics and papers work best for cyanotype printing, and which to avoid, while being guided through the full process of preparing the surface, arranging compositions, exposing prints, and developing final results. Through a series of small studies, participants will build a collection of samples that highlight the unique qualities of cyanotype on cloth.
After experimenting we will print a composition in a small canvas bag, that you can take home to store the samples we created.
-
Cyanotype is basically a SUN PRINT. It is a photograph printing technique which involves adding a photo sensitive solution to paper or fabric, layering plants or other objects on top of it to create a resist (or shadow), and exposing it in the sun. After that the print is rinsed in water to develop it. It produces interesting artistic images in a beautiful cyan blue.
This three-part workshop we will learn and explore the cyanotype process through paper and fabric, moving from foundational techniques to experimental approaches. Together, we will document the fleeting qualities of summer while developing hands-on skills in alternative photography.
In all three workshops we will be exposing our prints in SUN LIGHT, although we will also have a UV light inside as an alternative in case of bad weather.
Each workshop can be taken individually or as part of the full series.
-
Ana Zanella is a Calgary-based mixed media artist with a passion for exploring new techniques and materials. She was drawn to cyanotype for its experimental nature and the beautiful unpredictability of the process. For many years, Ana has used cyanotype as a way to document her travels and everyday life, creating prints that capture moments and memories. During the workshop, she will share a selection of her cyanotype works and insights into her creative process.
Cyanotype Summer Series #2: True Blue: Cyanotype Experimenting with Paper and Fabric
For adults, no experience required, $70 - please register
This workshop expands the cyanotype process onto several kinds of paper and fabrics, using the different materials to create different results. Using both botanical materials and photographic imagery, participants will explore how light, texture can create different results to your cyanotype prints.
You will learn which fabrics and papers work best for cyanotype printing, and which to avoid, while being guided through the full process of preparing the surface, arranging compositions, exposing prints, and developing final results. Through a series of small studies, participants will build a collection of samples that highlight the unique qualities of cyanotype on cloth.
After experimenting we will print a composition in a small canvas bag, that you can take home to store the samples we created.
-
Cyanotype is basically a SUN PRINT. It is a photograph printing technique which involves adding a photo sensitive solution to paper or fabric, layering plants or other objects on top of it to create a resist (or shadow), and exposing it in the sun. After that the print is rinsed in water to develop it. It produces interesting artistic images in a beautiful cyan blue.
This three-part workshop we will learn and explore the cyanotype process through paper and fabric, moving from foundational techniques to experimental approaches. Together, we will document the fleeting qualities of summer while developing hands-on skills in alternative photography.
In all three workshops we will be exposing our prints in SUN LIGHT, although we will also have a UV light inside as an alternative in case of bad weather.
Each workshop can be taken individually or as part of the full series.
-
Ana Zanella is a Calgary-based mixed media artist with a passion for exploring new techniques and materials. She was drawn to cyanotype for its experimental nature and the beautiful unpredictability of the process. For many years, Ana has used cyanotype as a way to document her travels and everyday life, creating prints that capture moments and memories. During the workshop, she will share a selection of her cyanotype works and insights into her creative process.
Artists Reception: Seep, Sew, Sprawl
FREE, drop-in
Join artists-in-residency Ellie Ryan & Page Cowell for the reception of SEEP, SEW, SPRAWL: an exhibition investigating the resilience of nature in urban environments through immersive, kinetic installations.
Stitch & B.I.T.C.H (Brave, Inspired, Thriving, Connected, Healing) Circle
FREE - please register, for WOMEN ages 18+
Sitch & B.I.T.C.H Circle (Bold, Inspired, Thriving, Connected, Healing)
Hey ladies! Join us for a cozy, come-as-you-choose space for WOMEN only who crave connection, creativity, and candid conversations. Whether you are stitching, creating, conspiring, or sipping tea and taking it all in, this is the space for you.
Please note that this is a CHILDREN free space
Cyanotype Summer Series #1: Happy Blues: Cyanotype & Memory-Making
For adults, no experience required, $70 - please register
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore ways of preserving the beauty of our short Calgary summer through the historic cyanotype process. Using locally gathered botanical materials, we will create a series of rich blue-and-white prints that capture details of seasonal plant life.
Participants will learn about the history of cyanotypes and be guided through each step of the process, including preparing paper, composing images, exposing prints, and developing the final works. Along the way, we will reflect on the act of noticing—paying attention to small, often overlooked details in the landscape as a way of documenting and preserving our experience of summer in the city.
Using some of the samples created, each participant will create a small handmade book of botanical cyanotypes, designed to be stored in a tin. This becomes a personal archive of the season, bringing together individual prints into a meaningful and personal collection.
You will leave with a completed mini book of cyanotype images, along with the knowledge and confidence to continue exploring and documenting the natural landscape in seasons to come.
-
Cyanotype is basically a SUN PRINT. It is a photograph printing technique which involves adding a photo sensitive solution to paper or fabric, layering plants or other objects on top of it to create a resist (or shadow), and exposing it in the sun. After that the print is rinsed in water to develop it. It produces interesting artistic images in a beautiful cyan blue.
This three-part workshop we will learn and explore the cyanotype process through paper and fabric, moving from foundational techniques to experimental approaches. Together, we will document the fleeting qualities of summer while developing hands-on skills in alternative photography.
In all three workshops we will be exposing our prints in SUN LIGHT, although we will also have a UV light inside as an alternative in case of bad weather.
Each workshop can be taken individually or as part of the full series.
-
Ana Zanella is a Calgary-based mixed media artist with a passion for exploring new techniques and materials. She was drawn to cyanotype for its experimental nature and the beautiful unpredictability of the process. For many years, Ana has used cyanotype as a way to document her travels and everyday life, creating prints that capture moments and memories. During the workshop, she will share a selection of her cyanotype works and insights into her creative process.
Intro to Projection Mapping
PWYC ($10+), for adults, please register
Projection mapping uses everyday projectors to transform space and objects into interactive displays and captivating 3D video content. This workshop teaches the very basics of projection mapping, serving as an easy entry point for all levels, from going over projectors to learning the software (MadMapper). Taught by artist-in-residence Ellie Ryan.
Women in Photography Print Exchange: Renewal
FREE, please register
Looking to meet fellow photographers, while making female friends who share your passions and interest? So are we! Whether you are a professional, semi-professional or passionate hobbyist, we want to get to know you and what you love to photograph. Bring yourself, bring your friends — this one is for the ladies!
The evening will start with refreshments and the opportunity to mingle and get to know each other. Then we’ll move into the print exchange.
How does that work? Please bring an 8 x 10 print in an envelope exploring the theme of “Renewal.” The anonymous print will be placed on a central table. The envelopes will be shuffled and handed-out at random. When you get a print, share with the group what you love about it! (Kind words only, this is not a critique but a celebration!) Then the photographer will reveal themselves, talk a little about the print, and about their work in general.
Once all the prints have been exchanged, guests are welcome to stay and chat, and hopefully make a new friend or two along the way.
Animating at Home: A Beginner’s Animation Workshop for Families
FAMILY WORKSHOP: For kids 7-13 AND an adults, registration
This hands-on workshop introduces children ages 7–13 (plus an adult) to the magic of animation! From character design and drawing to stop motion and photography, participants will learn how to bring their ideas to life on screen using accessible software and materials. Perfect for beginners, this session encourages imagination, storytelling, and plenty of fun. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring a phone or tablet if possible. Kids must be accompanied by an adults. Taught by artist-in-residence Page Cowell.
Artists Trading Cards for NEWCOMERS
FREE - please register, All ages welcome (accompanied by an adult), no experience necessary.
Join us at Sparrow Artspace for a fun and creative event where you can make and trade your own Artists Trading Cards with other newcomers in Calgary! This is a great way to meet fellow newcomers and creatives, share your work, and connect with the local art community. All suplies will be provided.
Board members Yiting Hui and Sandra Neill will be in attendance to answer any questions about our artists-in-residence program and connect newcomers to other artists resources in the community!
What Are Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)?Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of art measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches—the size of a standard playing card. Originating in the 1990s, the ATC movement began in Switzerland with artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who envisioned a way for artists to exchange their creations without monetary transactions. The concept quickly gained global popularity, fostering artistic expression and collaboration. Today, ATCs are celebrated as an inclusive and accessible way to share art and build connections within creative communities.