Arts Roundup
Nov. 12, 2026

Canadian arts breathe life into downtown Edmonton

Bringing the Nation is the latest downtown vibrancy project from Colin Campbell and CIVIQ Labs. Running Nov. 13 to 15 at ArtsHub Creative Studios, the McLeod Building, and the Stanley A. Milner branch of Edmonton Public Library, the patriotic series brings a wide swath of Canadian talent to the stage — for free. Jazz legend Jens Lindemann, genre-bending Franky Freedom, and multidisciplinary performer Mr. Kou are among those who will play. And who says you need to pick between arts and sports? The former Often restaurant space at the McLeod Building on Rice Howard Way will show the Grey Cup game between the Edmonton Elks and the Montreal Alouettes, as well as live entertainment, on Nov. 15.

The former Often space hosted another CIVIQ Labs event on Nov. 7, a collaboration with CJSR and Double Lunch. About 100 people came out to see locals Mox Jet and Fog Ra alongside Winnipeg's Fencing. The venue would have otherwise sat empty, but Campbell told Taproot he cleaned up the dust and transformed it into a makeshift venue because vibrancy throughout downtown matters. "We believe that this can be a district that can be at the same scale and hype as something like an ICE District," he said. "But it's going to be community-focused." That's a guiding principle of his project, which is driving conversation about culture as infrastructure at both underused spaces and major new attractions such as O-day'min Park. CIVIQ Labs events have been free because Campbell received two grants worth a combined $78,000 from the city's Downtown Action Plan Fund.

Campbell operates CIVIQ Labs in tandem with the venue Club 97 at 10225 97 Street NW as part of his Renew YEG ethos. Campell's work is primarily focused on The Quarters, which is "the most untapped gem in Edmonton, and it requires a lot of work," he said. He knows the area well, having worked for the Winspear Centre and Sparrow Capital at Brighton Block. He now manages property for Gene Dub's Five Oaks, a key stakeholder in the district's success. While people may have preconceived notions of social disorder, arts and the people they bring can do a lot for a community, Campbell said. Boyle McCauley News described the Feb. 28 opening night at Club 97 with Skystar and Sterling Scott thusly: "The house was packed, with standing room only. Everyone was dressed to the nines." As much as he's doing there, Campbell doesn't want to be the only game in town; he told Boyle McCauley News that he wants others to start projects in the area, too.

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Music

The Beaumont Music Festival will pause in 2027 after weather forced it to cancel the second day of its 2026 event. Organizers reported a deficit just under $107,000. The City of Beaumont has advanced the festival's 2027 grant of $30,000, and the festival is fundraising to help pay out its outstanding obligations.
Kaeley Jade spoke to the St. Albert Gazette about the music videos that accompany her album called The Great Unknown, which earned three of the five Best Music Video nominations at the 2027 Canadian Folk Music Awards. "I really wanted to craft this strong visual landscape," she said. "Music videos for me are such a fun way to dive into the themes of the music and extend beyond just the music." She also spoke to Altyeg Music Magazine.
Stony Plain singer-songwriter Dahlia Wakefield has released But No More, which draws on her experience surviving domestic violence. "I hope this song becomes a reminder that protecting your mental health, your happiness, and your safety matters," she said. Her album release party is in Edmonton on Nov. 14, and she is playing at the Edmonton Christmas Market at Fort Edmonton Park.
Mattie Cuvilier of Clean Up Your Act Productions said he aims to build inclusive spaces by mixing genres on concert bills. "I want to create opportunities for bands I enjoy, not just the ones that are the most popular," he told Altyeg Music Magazine.
CKUA reported raising $971,172 from 3,190 donors in its fall fundraiser. It counted 260 first-time donors and 155 new monthly donors.
Salad Days by Mac DeMarco, who was born and raised in Edmonton, ranked No. 78 on Pitchfork's list of the 100 best indie rock albums of all time.
Singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge will bring her Rise Again tour to the River Cree Resort and Casino on March 26.
The Rankin Family will bring its Together Again Tour to Edmonton on March 12 at the Jubilee Auditorium.
Hayden will play a show at the Horowitz Theatre on Feb. 12 following the release of his album The Recent Past.

Visual arts

Dara Ojo wants to give insects and arachnids a better reputation through his new photography book, Tiny Titans: The Silent Keepers of Our Ecosystem. "I feel a lot of people overlook insects because they're tiny and you could just squash them or sweep them away, but they are actually really fundamental to our survival," Ojo told Taproot. "They are declining at a very high rate, which is detrimental to our existence as humans." The Edmonton Public Library will host a book launch on Nov. 25.
Gridmakers is on display at the Art Gallery of St. Albert until Nov. 21. Edmonton's Kim McCollum based the work on the intricate grids of weaving patterns. "I love the way that the grid can say many things at once," McCollum told the St. Albert Gazette.
The latest exhibition at Musée Heritage Museum, called What's Underneath? Mining in St. Albert, tells the story of coal, gold, and oil extraction in the region. Curator Martin Bierens said he got the idea for the exhibit during Corb Lund's Water Not Coal campaign.
CTV Edmonton attended the Love Pro Wrestling show at the Art Gallery of Alberta, which paired matches with Kim Parrent's wrestling-themed portraits.
Edmonton photographers Clayton Reitzel, Heather Fryer, and Railene Hooper made Canada's team for the 2027 World Photographic Cup. Sherwood Park's Amy Moedt and Steve Ricketts are also on the 24-person team. Calgary will host the awards ceremony in April 2027.
On The Well Endowed Podcast from Edmonton Community Foundation, Alain and Erika Lefèvre discussed the legacy of their son, the internationally recognized visual artist Mathieu Lefèvre, and the fund they set up in his memory to support young and emerging artists.
Night of Artists created an installation of thousands of poppies to honour the soldiers laid to rest in Edmonton. It is on display at Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre.

Theatre and dance

Edmonton's Janita Frantsi became the first dancer named as Alberta's artist-in-residence and arts ambassador. She will receive $50,000 for Art Around Us, a project combining three filmed dance pieces with live performance. Her one-year residency runs through Sept. 30, 2027. Frantsi told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active she has a dream of dancing with as many Albertans as possible.
Teatro Live! will open its season with Sandy Rustin's The Cottage at Varscona Theatre from Nov. 13 to 19. The 1920s farce follows an unhappily married woman's attempt to leave her husband for her lover.
Citadel Theatre's The Great Gatsby is running in the Shoctor Theatre until Nov. 22. Reviewer Lucy Haines praised the cast, live jazz, and the adaptation's exploration of class prejudice and moral compromise. Liz Nicholls lauded Richard Lee Hsi's performance as Nick Carraway: "It's a role made for him, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he makes the adaptation, and the evening, tick." Postmedia's Justin Bell said the story falls a bit flat. "It's a problem with the source material — a story about a mysterious man where none of the characters really take centre stage."
Boy Player by Frank Moher is "a lovely night in the theatre, funny, with an inspiring lift-off," wrote Liz Nicholls. The show runs at Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre until Nov. 15.
Recent renovations to the Gateway Theatre are allowing Workshop West Playwrights' Theatre to expand its offerings to movie screenings, managing director Martin Galba told Postmedia. It showed The Rocky Horror Picture Show over Halloween and will screen Jesus Christ Superstar around Easter. The company is also starting its search for its next artistic director soon.
Steve Jodoin, artistic director and general manager of L'UniThéâtre, received a 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award from MacEwan University.
Grindstone Theatre is offering a three-part workshop with counselling therapist and improviser Anthony Goodwin of Still Listening. The workshops will explore how the principles of improv can allow one to be their true self, he told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.

Books and publishing

Shreya Ghosh and Rayanne Haines are among 24 writers longlisted for the 2026 CBC Poetry Prize. Ghosh said Before the last strand is drawn tight grew from reflections on traditional expectations around marriage and motherhood. Haines's poem, Seven Attempts at Not Speaking Ill of the Dead, is about the complicated feelings she and her siblings had after their father died. CBC will announce the shortlist on Nov. 19.
Second Shelf Books in Edmonton's French Quarter is raising money for the Canadian Mental Health Association. Owner Misty Kuefler told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active about losing her son Noah to suicide in April. Noah planned to buy his mother a bookstore once he was successful in his career. The shop she opened after his death includes tributes to him.
Myrna Kostash shared tales from "a lifetime of astonishment, adventure and healthy argument" upon receiving a 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Alberta. Reading books is "the foundation of a good life," she said, "even if you end up working in something you didn't expect, you've got the love of reading and just walling yourself around in ideas."
Editor Rhonda Kronyk became The Conversation Canada's first Indigenous affairs editor-in-residence. She is inviting pitches from researchers, primarily Indigenous academics, to help bring their work to general audiences.
Laberinto Press founder Luciana Erregue-Sacchi discussed anthologies and building publishing communities with Rayanne Haines on the Crow Reads Podcast. The press recently published Beyond the Concert Hall, an anthology exploring sound in all forms.
Paula Kirman marked the 20th anniversary of Boyle McCauley News. Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood MLA Janis Irwin presented her with a commemorative scroll at the community newspaper's annual general meeting.
Paper Birch Books co-owner Céline Chuang was featured with Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman in an Intuit QuickBooks Canada ad.
Corn and Tortillas written by Cynthia Jolly Stobbe and illustrated by Job Martínez, was among the top-selling fiction books on the Edmonton bestseller list from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.

Screen industries

Fish Griwkowsky spoke to Sarah Taylor and Calgary's Anna Cooley about Invisible Imagination, their documentary exploring aphantasia, a condition in which people can't imagine or picture things in their minds. "Maybe I'm enjoying life in a different way because I'm not anticipating seeing it in a certain way because I can't do that in my mind," Taylor said. The film will screen at Broad View International Film Festival on Nov. 14.
The Rosie Awards from the Alberta Media Production Industries Association included wins for Crip Trip from Catapult Pictures; Time Store from Hoopla Media; Lyra Brown's Shades of Blue music video from Moving Artistry Productions; The Secret Long Tree Society from Sticks and Stones' Bif Naked and Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story from Score G Productions; and Meadowlarks director Tasha Hubbard. Daniel Ennett and Frederick Kroetsch of Crip Trip spoke to CBC's Edmonton AM about the series' two wins.
BioWare will be the subject of Massive Effect: The BioWare Story, a documentary that started filming two years before its closure, Engadget reported. "It's the story of how a group of underdogs from the Alberta prairies built one of the most beloved studios in gaming, told by the people who were there," producer Shane Fennessey said in a statement on X. "Now, with the shocking news of the studio's closure, we carry the responsibility of telling how the story ends."
Christine Miller, founder and creative director of the Edmonton Underground Film Festival, spoke to the Moving Radio podcast about the 75 short films in its third edition on Nov. 14 at Freemasons' Hall.
The Edmonton Short Film Festival is accepting applications until Nov. 15 for its Film Career Development Program. The paid program offers people from underrepresented communities mentorship and hands-on experience making a short film. No previous film experience is required.
Simon Glassman's Buffet Infinity ranked No. 10 among David Sims's favourite horror films of 2026 so far in The Atlantic. The film tells its story through simulated television commercials and news segments set in Westridge County, Alberta.
Participants in Edmonton Screen's Greenlight Alberta program worked on Historica Canada's Heritage Minute about Capt. Jonathan Snyder, who died saving others in an ambush in Afghanistan in 2008.

More headlines

Submissions are open for the Edmonton Arts Prizes from the Edmonton Arts Council, including the inaugural City of Edmonton Dance Prize.
Settle Down, a podcast about entrepreneurship with Vanessa Marshall of Jack59, Mallory Yawnghwe of Indigenous Box, and Shani Gwin of pipikwan pêhtâkwan and wâsikan kisewâtisiwin, is back for a second season. On the season's first episode, Marshall discusses what it was like to pitch on Dragons' Den.
University of Alberta sociologist Amy Kaler is an academic consultant on Small Little Foot Soldiers: A People's History of the Canadian Anti-Apartheid Movement, an audio documentary based on interviews with activists from the 1970s and '80s. "People from every walk of life, from church leaders to communists to postal workers to university students, put their shoulders to the wheel and pushed the Canadian government to really take a stand against apartheid in South Africa," she said.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up soon:

Nov. 12-14: Broad View International Film Festival at Garneau Theatre
Nov. 13: Schmoozy 53 Opening Reception starting at 7pm at Latitude 53 Gallery
Nov. 13-14: All Is Bright 2026: Winter Festival at 124 Street and Area
Nov. 14: Edmonton Potters' Guild Annual Show & Sale starting at 10am at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
Nov. 14: Spectacle C'est la vida starting at 7pm at Roxy Theatre
Nov. 14: MADHOUSE: Stitched Perfection starting at 8pm at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns (Westbury Theatre)
Nov. 15: Workshop - Nguyen, Glass Ornament starting at 12:30pm at Night of Artists Gallery
Nov. 15: Along the Way starting at 7:30pm at All Saints Anglican Cathedral
Nov. 15: Electric Religious Presents a Tribute to Jimi Hendrix starting at 8pm at Yardbird Suite
Nov. 16: LitFest presents Hazel Mae starting at 7pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
Nov. 17: Screening of inVisible Persons starting at 6pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
Nov. 18: Ideas: 14 Tools to Generate Awesome Ideas & Never Feel Stuck Again starting at 7pm online
Nov. 18: Opera Pub starting at 7pm at The Druid Irish Pub

And here are more to keep in mind:

Nov. 27-29: Oddbird Art & Craft Fair Weekend One at Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre
Nov. 29: St. Albert Chamber Music Society Concert at St. Albert United Church
Dec. 4: Holly Ball at Art Gallery of Alberta

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

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Arts Roundup Nov. 12, 2026