This weekend I took a road trip to Edmonton, and we spent Sunday afternoon at the new Art Gallery of Alberta. The gallery was founded in 1924, and is the oldest cultural institution in Alberta, but recently commissioned a new building to be constructed to house the gallery's collection of over 6000 objects, and their exhibition space. The structure was designed by Randall Stout, an architect from Los Angeles that once worked with Frank Gehry, and only opened on January 31st of this year.

The entrance to the building is characterized by these large organic waves, finished in stainless steel panels, which intersect with patinaed zinc surfaces and high performance glazing. Stout was inspired by the strict grid formation of the downtown core, and the river valley that winds through the centre of the city, and juxtaposed the two forms in creating the architecture of the space. The exterior finishes were selected to reflected the extreme weather patterns of the area, which enables the building to transform as the weather does. The art gallery also utilizes many sustainable design strategies, including using recyclable materials, natural lighting considerations, and efficient mechanical systems.

The gallery is an incredible addition to the culture of our province. This new space means that the AGA will be able to host higher profile exhibitions, which previously would have overlooked Alberta. The really exciting thing was how busy the gallery was, which indicates the enthusiasm the community has for the arts, and how this new space will continue to expose so many more people to art. You can find their current exhibits here, and I encourage you to check it out soon!

Life List: #72 Go Dogsledding

This weekend, I got to knock an item off of my life list! Some friends and I headed out to lovely Canmore to spend some time in sleds with dogs.

Our tour was booked with Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours. It seems they come highly recommended by Dean McDermott:

About 30 people were booked for each tour, and we were all driven out to Spray Lakes, where the teams were waiting for us. We got to mingle with the dogs, and were given a 30 instructional chat, where we learned how to go, HIKE!, and more importantly, how to stop, WOAH. There they also told us that we would each have the opportunity to drive the sleds on our own. I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't really think it would involve a lot of independent driving.

We were all split into teams and assigned sleds, where we were introduced to our dogs. I decided to drive first, while my partner climbed into the sled. And then we were off!

It was a bit intimidating when we were told we were going to be driving the sleds ourselves, but the sleds were deployed with a guide on every third sled, and they were there to instruct us through the entire process. They controlled the overall pace of the tour, as well as letting us know when up and down hills, or sharp corners were coming up.

We chose an absolutely beautiful day to go out. It was 4 degrees, which made it all the more pleasurable. The mountains were absolutely spectacular, and the sky was clear and bright. Such a perfect day for outdoor pursuits.

All in all, we were out on the sleds for about an hour and a half, each of us getting to drive for half the trip. I had such a blast, and definitely didn't want my turn to end. Turns out that Snowy Owl offers overnight trips if you are really interesting in spending more time with the dogs. Maybe that's the next item to add to the list?