From Studios To Gallery Walls:Students Dive Into Alberta’s Art Scene

Senior high art students stepped into Alberta’s creative world on May 13 during a full-day field trip that blended professional art spaces, student exhibitions, hands-on inspiration, and cultural experiences into one unforgettable day.

Accompanied by teacher Monica To, the group departed Vermilion at 8 a.m., travelling first to VASA, the Visual Arts Studio Association in St. Albert. The visit offered students a look into a very different side of the art world, one built around collaboration, shared space, and community-driven creativity.

Unlike a traditional gallery setting, VASA operates as an artist collective where members work together to share studio space, resources, marketing efforts, and creative support. As students explored the building, they toured more than 20 individual studios and workspaces filled with everything from finished pieces to works still actively in progress.

The experience gave students a rare behind-the-scenes look at how artists actually create, experiment, and build careers within the arts community. Every room offered something different, with paintings, mixed media works, sculptures, and evolving projects lining walls, tables, and creative spaces throughout the building.

Students also had the opportunity to meet artists working on site, including Carol Johnson and Kim Smith, hearing directly from professional creatives about their artistic journeys, processes, and studio practices.

From there, the group walked to the Art Gallery of St. Albert, where they explored additional gallery exhibits, including an upstairs showcase featuring artwork created by students from St. Albert’s three high schools. Seeing student work displayed in a professional gallery environment added another layer of inspiration to the day and highlighted the possibilities available to young artists pursuing creative passions.

The trip continued into Edmonton with a stop for an authentic Chinese buffet lunch at Yang Ming before students headed downtown to the Alberta Craft Council.

There, students experienced an entirely different side of the arts world through exhibits featuring fibre art, ceramics, jewelry, glasswork, and contemporary craft installations. Curator Erin McDonald guided the group through the current exhibits, offering insight into both the techniques and creative concepts behind the displayed works.

Throughout the day, students were exposed not only to different forms of art but also to the environments, conversations, and communities that help shape Alberta’s creative industry.

By the time the group returned to Vermilion around 5:30 p.m., students had spent the day fully immersed in creativity from studio spaces and gallery walls to professional artists and student exhibitions.

The field trip allowed students to experience art as something alive, collaborative, and constantly evolving while encouraging them to think bigger about where creativity can take them both inside and outside the classroom.