Capital City Art
Capital City Art (CCA) promotes and celebrates local visual art and artists in Edmonton. The Library connects Edmontonians with visual art through promotion of local artists, curation of community art in all our locations, and classes or events linked to EPL's art collections.
The Stanley A. Milner Library features three unique gallery spaces for exhibition of local art. As EPL’s flagship location, the Stanley A. Milner Library is situated in the heart of Edmonton’s Arts District. An architectural gem, Milner Library houses an extensive permanent art collection as well as three public art installations.
Other features of this branch include the EPL Makerspace and PÎYÊSÎW WÂSKÂHIKAN (Thunderbird House).
Calls for Submission
Artists are invited to submit their works for exhibition at the Stanley A. Milner Library through EPL’s Capital City Art Gallery Submission form. Occasional Calls for Submission also provide local artists opportunity to showcase their works. Details can be found through our Frequently Asked Questions.
Leila Zolfalipour is an Edmonton-based visual artist originally from Iran. Her practice explores identity, multiculturalism, and our connection to the natural world. Through painting, sculpture, and digital media, she reinterprets Persian motifs and weaving traditions, focusing on the untold stories of women involved in creating Persian carpets.
Leila holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of Alberta, graduating with distinction in 2024. She is a Juried Member of the Alberta Society of Artists and has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Her work integrates Persian carpet patterns into the Canadian landscape, using natural materials such as wood and clay sourced from the local environment, to explore the interplay between heritage and place.
She is the recipient of awards, including the EAC Individual Grant, the Elizabeth Ann Burgess Award for Contemporary Arts (2023, 2024), and the 2024 Alberta Culture Days People’s Choice Award. Her most recent project, generously supported by the Edmonton Arts Council, is set to be exhibited across Alberta. In addition to her artistic practice, Leila teaches workshops that engage diverse audiences in painting and drawing. She has also served as an assessor, consultant and juror, and she continues to foster dialogue on cultural appreciation and belonging through her art.
Follow her on Instagram and check out her website to learn more.
Past Featured Artists
Are you an emerging artist?
EPL offers free space for local artists to display their works. We also provide space for exhibits through partnerships with not-for-profit arts groups, educational institutions and community organizations. By doing so, we hope to encourage creativity and foster collaborative relationships within our communities.
EPL encourages creativity and discovery in its locations. We provide free space for artists to display their work in the community. Exhibit space varies from branch to branch. Please apply using the Capital City Art Gallery Submission Form.
Public Art
Libraries simply make sense for public art, says David Turnbull, Director of Public Art and Conservation with the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC).
“What we’re really looking at is considering the space and the citizens that use that space. And libraries are a place for gathering, for experimenting – they’re a home away from home.”
Photos provided by the Edmonton Arts Council
Programs & Events
Programs & Events
Inside the Studio: My Artistic Process
It Was Never About Pink
Capital City Press Anthology Volume Five
Inside the Studio: My Artistic Process
It Was Never About Pink
Capital City Press Anthology Volume Five
FAQs
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Capital City Art promotes and celebrates visual art through promotion of local art and artists, curation of community art and through events linked to EPL collections and exhibits. It comprises both physical gallery spaces in our branches, online displays through EPL.ca and by offering free classes for those who want to explore and learn more about the visual arts.
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Convivencia is a Spanish term meaning “living together” that encapsulates the experience of coexisting across difference. Through Convivencia we acknowledge the distinctions that make us who we are while remaining open to unexpected connections.
We invite Edmonton and area artists to be inspired to explore themes of community, neighborliness, dialogue, diversity, care, and belonging, to name a few, in 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional form.
Submissions for the Living Together – Convivencia exhibit will be accepted online from July 14 – August 15, 2025.
The Living Together - Convivencia exhibit will run from September 2025 – November 2025 across EPL branches.
Please contact your local branch with any questions.
You can submit your art HERE.
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Yes, there are several locations with cases suitable for exhibition of three-dimensional works. Priority will be given to works demonstrating quality, originality, and consistency of style and form.
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The Library may promote the exhibit on the Library website, in social media and other promotions. The Library may also archive the exhibit on the Library website.
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Capital City Art seeks to engage with artists associated with the Greater Edmonton Area and the Enoch Cree Nation. These may be individuals or groups of artists. EPL also provides space for exhibits through our partnerships with not-for-profit arts groups, educational institutions and community organizations.
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Artists are asked to fill out the Capital City Art Gallery Submission Form. Through the form you will include a description of the exhibit, provide an artist biography and sample images of your work. You may select one or two preferred branches for your exhibit and identify a preferred timeframe for the exhibit. To see details on Capital City Art Gallery spaces across EPL branches, click on “View Gallery Details.” After you submit your request, a staff member from the branch will contact you directly about your submission.
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- Due to limited space, preference will be given to artists from the Greater Edmonton Area and Enoch Cree Nation who have not displayed recently in a CCA gallery space.
- Exhibits must be suitable for public spaces serving people of all ages and supporting a welcoming environment.
- Exhibits may be for individual artists or groups of artists.
- Artwork will be chosen for quality, originality, and consistency of style and form.
- Artwork should be ready for hanging/display.
- The branch leadership team shall determine if an exhibit is appropriate for display in the branch CCA Gallery Space and reserves the right to refuse any exhibit.
- CCA Gallery spaces endeavour to be responsive to the diverse cultural interest of the community and are aligned with EPL’s Mission, Values and Community-led Philosophy.
- CCA Gallery spaces may not be used for commercial or political purposes, for the solicitation of business, for profit, or for fundraising, other than fundraising that supports the Library.
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Yes! You can view gallery details here or link to information from within the submission form.
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- Each artist or group wishing to exhibit in a CCA Gallery needs to sign an Agreement to Exhibit contract.
- The artist is required to provide current contact information and is asked to in timely communication with EPL in order to ensure effective coordination for the exhibit.
- Artwork should not be in formats that are easily damaged or stolen, as the Library cannot provide security.
- Hanging works should be framed or otherwise suitably prepared for use with hanging systems available in or approved by the Library.
- The exhibiting individual or institution must agree to cover all costs related to display beyond the available infrastructure at each location.
- For liability reasons, artists must install their own artworks.
- For liability reasons, EPL is not able to store artworks before or after an exhibition.
- Artists must be prepared to set up and take down their exhibits within their allotted time slots.
- Artists are encouraged to provide insurance to cover loss or damage to their works. The Library is not responsible for loss or damage.
- No material, including advertisement, may be affixed to any part of the interior or exterior of the Library without prior approval.
- The artist understands that library gallery spaces are provided at no cost to the artist and that no payment is made to the artist for exhibition of their works.
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Generally, exhibits are in place for no less than 1 month. The exhibit schedule will be discussed once the works have been accepted for exhibit.