Vision

Latitude 53 empowers artists engaged with contemporary culture.

Mission

Latitude 53 is an artist-centred organization that supports artists, writers and curators who question, inform and inspire.

Latitude 53 is a site for risk-taking, experimentation, and curiosity.

Latitude 53 works to sustain artists and the community that supports them in an ethical, responsible and resilient way.

Latitude 53 is an advocate for the local art community and for creating connections nationally and internationally.

Values

Inclusivity - to create a place of belonging

Responsiveness - to respond and adapt to the needs of artists and the arts community, as well as social, cultural and political concerns

Connectivity - to build and sustain collective energy, knowledge and resources within and amongst communities

Transparency - to be clear and accountable in all activities

Boldness - to be courageous, to be inspiring, to elevate future possibilities

History

Founded in 1973 by a collective of Edmonton artists, Latitude 53 is one of Canada’s oldest artist-run centres dedicated to supporting artists.

Latitude 53 became a registered charity in 1978 and has been influential and supportive of the formation of other artistic groups, including SNAP (Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists), CARFAC, and Alberta Art Foundation (now part of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts).

Latitude 53 has presented significant exhibitions by notable Canadian artists in the formative stages of their careers, including Lyndal Osborne (1974), Rita McKeough (1980), Janet Cardiff (1989), George Bures Miller (1989), Micah Lexier (1989), Diana Thorneycroft (1991), Kent Monkman (1994), Luis Jacob (2002), Jon Sasaki (2009), Brenda Draney (2010), Jason de Haan (2011), Luther Konadu (2018), Bridget Moser (2019) and Lauren Crazybull (2020).

Today, Latitude 53 is one of the largest and oldest centres in the Canadian Prairies, and it serves as a major centre for contemporary art in Northern Alberta.

Latitude 53 is currently open in a transitional space located on the ground floor of the McLeod Building in downtown amiskwacîwâskahikan at 10130 100 Street, just steps from where the gallery first opened fifty years ago.

Latitude 53 Society of Artists acknowledges Treaty 6 territory; the ancestral and traditional territory of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, as well as the Métis. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples whose footsteps have marked these lands for generations. Our recognition of this land is an act of reconciliation and an expression of our gratitude for those whose territory we reside on or are visiting.

Latitude 53 Society of Artists is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our own organization and strives to provide and maintain a fair and equitable environment for all by valuing and respecting individual differences for our enrichment and that of the community we serve.

Latitude 53’s washrooms are non-gendered.