SAAG opens temporary Lethbridge gallery in Acadia Block during renovations
The Southern Alberta Art Gallery has relocated staff and exhibition space across the street while its main building undergoes capital upgrades.
The Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG) has moved its downtown Lethbridge operations to a temporary storefront at 616 3rd Avenue South in the Acadia Block while its original building undergoes a capital project renovation, curator Adam Whitford said. The new space sits across the street from the gallery's usual location, next to Well Vitality Health Clinic and Whitby's Diner.
Whitford said the Acadia Block site will serve as SAAG's main hub for the duration of the renovation, hosting quarterly exhibitions that rotate every couple of months. The gallery has also expanded into other community venues, including a photographic collage titled Detain by Don Gill, currently on display at the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre.
The temporary location opened last week with the third installment of a four-part exhibition series called Asterisms, created to mark SAAG's 50th anniversary in 2026. Whitford said the series name reflects the gallery's shift away from being tied to a single building, framing it instead as a network of relationships during the off-site period.
The latest installment, Asterisms: Waterways, by Rachel Chaisson and Rita McKeough, combines electronic media, sound, video and interactive sculptures. It runs until November 14.
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