Founded in 1924, Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) is a museum in Edmonton focused on developing and presenting original exhibits of contemporary and historical art from around the world. AGA’s vision is to become the creative hub of Alberta and transform people’s lives through art. Outside of its general art exhibits, AGA runs educational workshops, art rental and retail services, and a travelling exhibition.

In F2019, Art Gallery of Alberta acquired 33 new works of art, bringing its total collection to 6,131 works. During the year, AGA ran 19 exhibitions that included the works of 117 artists. In F2019, Art Gallery of Alberta welcomed 88,046 visitors, including more than 3,700 AGA members.

The museum runs various arts education programs throughout the year, targeted at both children and adults. Art Gallery of Alberta states that it ran 665 education and learning programs in F2019, serving 13,877 participants. These included 423 school programs and 38 family programs. AGA’s other learning programs include weekend art classes, open workshops, and children’s camps.

For the past 60 years, Art Gallery of Alberta has run an Art Rental and Sales (AR&S) program. The program allows members of the public to acquire art for their homes or offices at affordable prices. In F2019, AGA offered 80 clients a rental selection from 150 local artists. Art Gallery of Alberta also supports local creators through its gift shop, which carries 35 Albertan product lines and 25 Canadian product lines.

The Travelling Exhibition (TREX) program helps Albertans view art in their own communities. TREX is a collaboration between five arts organizations and galleries, including the AGA, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Alberta Society of Artists, and Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre. In F2019, the TREX program received 101 bookings and 167,805 visitors.

Art Gallery of Alberta is a medium-sized charity with $2.6m in donations and special events revenue in F2019, including $1.3m in donated art. AGA also received $2.7m in government funding, representing 39% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 10% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 18% of donations and special events revenue. This results in total overhead spending of 28%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 72 cents go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

AGA has net funding reserves of $3.3m, of which $1.4m is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity can cover 43% or five months of annual program costs.

This report is an update that has been sent to Art Gallery of Alberta for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated August 10, 2020 by Eric Zhao.