Art For All

In 1995, the Department of Art & Design’s Fine Arts Building (FAB) Gallery (formerly known as the Fine Arts Gallery) presented Rubens to Picasso: Four Centuries of Master Drawings; a major exhibition curated by the late art historian and professor Dr. Victor Chan. The show featured 64 original master drawings spanning 400 years of European art history, including Peter Paul Rubens, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Edvard Munch, Caspar David Friedrich and Vincent Van Gogh, among many others. The show was a blockbuster, drawing thousands of visitors across the University of Alberta campus and the broader Edmonton community.

Yet for some, especially those with mobility issues, accessing the full exhibition proved frustratingly complex.

Spanning two levels, the show initially relied on an ad-hoc lift elevator installed specifically for the event. While intended to provide full accessibility, the system was awkward to operate and difficult to navigate.

“The main route was up the stairs,” says department chair Sean Caulfield, who was a graduate printmaking student at the time. “Over the years the infrastructure to maintain the lift was not kept up due to funding restrictions and eventually stopped working — so for approximately 10 - 15 years, there was no accessibility on the second floor. That was unacceptable. We lobbied hard, and despite tight budgets, the university heard us and people came through.”

Initial funding, he says, came from Access, Community + Belonging, with additional support from the Dean’s Office and the university — a joint investment that directly reflects the U of A’s commitment to building a barrier-free campus.

“Barrier-free access is critically important in public spaces,” says FAB Gallery manager April Dean. “It signals, through architecture and design, who is welcome.”

Visitors requiring step-free access can now simply check in with main entrance staff, who will guide them to a nearby building elevator leading to pedway level. From there, a newly installed exterior ramp leads directly to a dedicated second-floor gallery entrance. While the detour requires staff assistance, it breaks down a long-standing barrier and ensures the entire exhibition space is open to all.

“Essentially, we have two entrances now,” adds Caulfield.

Climates of Health: The Weather Inside Us — an interdisciplinary exhibition exploring the intersection of climate, health and art — will be the inaugural show for the newly upgraded gallery space.

“A lot of us in the department are interested in climate change and ecology, and this exhibition looks specifically at the ways climate change is impacting human health and ecological health,” Caulfield says, adding that the exhibition is in partnership with the Climate Change + Health Hub backed by funding from the Prince Takamoto Japan Centre.

The exhibit features work by notable Japanese artists alongside U of A artists, including Caulfield, Dean and Marilène Oliver.

“The show serves multiple purposes. It’s about climate change and how creative practice can respond to it — but also about cultural exchange,” Caulfield explains. “We face wildfires here, while Tokyo deals with intense summer heat and flooding. These shared, yet different cultural experiences are central to what we’re exploring.”

Complementing the exhibit is the Big Ideas in Climate & Health event on Sept. 16 at the Timms Centre for the Arts. The program opens with keynote speaker Dr. Craig Stephen, followed by three individual TED-talk style talks from Drs. Shintaro Kono, Jim Johansson and Anne Hicks, concluding with an opportunity to view the exhibition next door in the fine arts building.

“FAB gallery has been the U of A’s primary public art gallery and exhibition space since 1987,” says Dean. “Ensuring all members of our university community and beyond can engage with exhibitions like Climates of Health through the addition of a barrier free entrance on the second floor has been a very meaningful change for our students, staff and visitors.”

Climates of Health: The Weather Inside Us, Sept. 8, 2026 - Oct. 3, 2026. FAB Gallery Main Floor, FAB Gallery, 1-1 Fine Arts Building, North Campus.