The Foothills’ most historic art gallery is celebrating half a century of creativity, art and nature.
The Leighton Art Centre is commemorating its 50th anniversary with a harvest dinner, attendance at which will directly benefit the organization's many programs, including children’s programming and environmental stewardship.
"It's such an incredible feat that so many people contributed to over the years," said executive director Christina Cuthbertson, who has been with the organization since 2021.
"It's an opportunity to think both about the past, all the people that have contributed to getting us here, and about the future and where this organization is going to be in the next 50 years."
The organization has been a long-standing staple of the Foothills community and will continue to be just that through its many initiatives, including fostering an appreciation for art and nature in the next generation.
"We have an incredible legacy of amazing children's programming and we serve about 10,000 children every year through our school program and our summer camp program," said Cuthbertson.
"We really believe in working with young people, teaching them things like creativity and resilience because we know these are skills that they're gonna need as they grow and become future stewards of nature."
Located on 80 acres of grassland near Millarville, the Leighton Art Centre features four kilometres of of walking trails, outdoor sculptures and more along with its signature view of the Rocky Mountains.
"It's one of those places where you've got to really see it to believe it," said Cuthbertson. "I would make the bold claim that it's the best view in Alberta."
Outside of showcasing local art and supporting local artists, the organization is renowned for its environmental work, including an ongoing study monitoring mountain bluebird broods and working with naturalists on other conservation efforts.
"We're an organization that is really focused on connecting people, art and nature," said Cuthbertson.
"Thinking about the way that humans interact with nature... the way that humans think of themselves in relation to the land and the environment is one of the really most pressing questions of our time," she continued. "So our organization is really focused on trying to understand those things better through visual art, performing art and school programming."
Cuthbertson reflected on the organization's recent history and accomplishments, including successfully navigating the pandemic.
"I arrived [during] peak pandemic time," she said. "We were transitioning to doing more online programming, lots of outdoor programming and it was again a really huge community effort to keep this place running and going through a really uncertain time.
"But we came through it, not without bumps and bruises, like many not-for-profit organizations, and we're still here, we're still fighting and we're going to be driving as we go into the next 50 years."
To mark the occasion, the organization is introducing a new event in the form of a harvest dinner gala and art auction, happening on Sept. 14 from 5:30 p.m. to sunset.
"We'll do a beautiful, sumptuous family-style harvest dinner to really celebrate the accomplishments of the year and to be in nature and enjoy the beautiful view and beautiful company," said Cuthbertson, adding that the event will happen rain or shine in accordance with the organization's embracing of nature's beauty.
Tickets for the Harvest Dinner & 50th Anniversary Celebration are still available and can be purchased here.
In 1970, Barbara Leighton purchased the historic 1919 Ballyhamage one-room schoolhouse to further her dream of opening her own school where classes in art and craft would cater to the surrounding community.
According to the centre’s history, many of Leighton’s friends pitched in to help restore the space and fit it out as an art studio. A few years later, she added weaving and pottery studios, allowing the school to offer a variety of programming.
The Leighton Centre was officially incorporated in 1974 and the red, one-room schoolhouse remains at the heart of the centre’s children’s programs.
The centre, located at 282027 144 St. West, is open to visitors, with admission by donation, Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available on its website.
