Step into Wonderpool: Portals to Imagined Worlds

Gallery@501 invites the public to step into Wonderpool: Portals to Imagined Worlds, where everyday materials become gateways to imagination, memory and myth.

This new summer exhibition, open July 8 to August 22, 2026, brings together the work of three Edmonton-area artists – CW Carson, Sara Norquay and Byron McBride – through a shared interest in collecting, experimenting with materials and transforming everyday objects. Working with stickers, textiles, printmaking, painting, and relief-sculpture, the artists create immersive, richly layered worlds that invite visitors to look at familiar materials in new ways.

CW Carson creates dense abstract compositions using mass-produced stickers sourced from everyday retail stores. Incorporating recognizable imagery from popular culture, Carson’s works shift between representation and abstraction, inviting viewers of all ages to reconsider the visual language of consumer culture.

Sara Norquay reimagines quilting and printed textiles through intuitive compositions of colour, texture and pattern. Rooted in experiences of prairie winters, her layered works create abstract environments that evoke comfort, reflection and imaginative escape, while intricate quilting lines suggest pathways into emotional and symbolic landscapes.

Byron McBride draws from mythology, fantasy traditions, gaming and contemporary visual culture to create hybrid creatures through painting, printmaking and relief sculpture. His figures blend the ancient and the familiar, encouraging viewers to construct their own narratives around these evolving mythological beings.

“Together, the works in Wonderpool: Portals to Imagined Worlds celebrate curiosity and transformation across imagined realms,” said Lindsey Bond-Garcia, acting curator at Gallery@501. “By pushing materials beyond their conventional uses, the artists create spaces of wonder that invite new ways of seeing, making and being.”

A creative hub since 2011, Gallery@501 continues to support and inspire a diverse arts community while providing a welcoming space for people to connect through art.

The public is invited to attend the exhibition reception on Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Strathcona County Community Centre Agora. Admission is free.

For more information, visit strathcona.ca/ArtGallery.

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Contact:
Strathcona County Communications
780-410-6595