Howl in the Grass

September 2025 – August 2027

Featuring work from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts collection, Howl in the Grass is a group exhibition alluding to the mystery and aliveness of land and sky in the prairies. As any howl is a method of attracting attention, connecting with others, and announcing a presence – this exhibition invites viewers to listen, to feel, and to connect with the diverse calls of the land along the Great Plains in Alberta and beyond.

What is now commonly described as “the prairies” is far from a monolithic landscape. Just as we cannot blanket the Great Plains under one category of ecology (the region is host to a dynamic relationship of grasslands, boreal forests, foothills, and badlands—each shaped by distinct histories, ecosystems, and ways of life), the artworks in the exhibition are similarly varied, sharing a depth of emotive qualities and stories with us.

Howl in the Grass beckons viewers to imagine standing at the edge of an expansive rural landscape, taking account of each visceral call and feeling; perhaps listening to prairie winds howling across the horizon, watching the roll and tumble of a disembarked tangle of weeds, or searching for a coyote whose calls echo slyly through the land’s tall, soft, and swaying grasses.

Curated by Ash Slemming
Touring from the Alberta Society of Artists, TREX Southwest