Contemporary Calgary is at a pivotal moment of growth as it evolves its world-class programming. The public contemporary art gallery welcomed new chief curator Mona Filip this past spring.
A key player in Calgary’s arts and culture landscape, Contemporary Calgary’s appointment of Filip will deepen its impact on the city. Filip’s arrival coincides with the Centennial Planetarium project, which will reimagine the gallery’s current home as a multidisciplinary civic hub.
Opened in 1967 and featuring an award-winning brutalist design, the planetarium was Calgary’s first science centre and has housed Contemporary Calgary since 2020.
“The plans for the renovation and expansion captivated me,” says Filip. “It’s a significant moment of growth and renewal, and I wanted to be part of it, to bring to life an artistic program that measures up to the organization’s ambitions and the public’s expectations.”
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Filip studied art in Buffalo, N.Y. and Washington, D.C., before working for close to two decades as a curator in Toronto. Filip brings a unique blend of global experience to the role.
“Her depth of experience, international perspective and thoughtful vision will allow us to amplify our ambition and broaden our reach,” says CEO David Leinster. “Filip saw the entire building, not just the galleries, but every corner, as a living canvas for exploration. Her leadership marks a new chapter rooted in rigour, collaboration and creative risk-taking.”
Set to be completed by 2029, the Centennial Planetarium Transformation Project’s expansion and reinvention will be supported by the Alberta Government with $40 million in funding.
Filip envisions the revitalized space as a site for immersive, intergenerational and cross-cultural experiences where artists with unique approaches to innovation will be supported to explore new directions.
“I want to engage our audiences in expansive explorations of ideas,” she says, “led by artists helping us imagine possible futures.”
Filip is committed to featuring local and regional creators, who she says are involved in the same vital conversations happening around the world.
“Our programming will highlight how regional artistic practices contribute to international discourse,” she says.
This inclusive, expansive approach is already being implemented. Filip is reconnecting with people like local artist and chair of Alberta University of the Arts, Adrian Stimson, who praised her appointment as chief curator.
“Her care for artists, critical thinking and belief that art can change the world is more than we can ask for in a chief curator,” says Stimson. “Bravo, Contemporary Calgary.”
Filip’s philosophy centres around the belief that contemporary art fosters empathy, dialogue and social change.
“Art is an instrument of survival and resistance,” she says. “It allows us to see the world through others’ eyes. That’s where change begins – with ourselves, and through that, with our communities.”
As Calgary undergoes rapid civic growth, Filip sees Contemporary Calgary becoming even more of a cultural anchor and gathering place where imagination fuels possibility.
“We want visitors to feel the same curiosity and wonder that once brought them to the Science Centre,” she says. “Our goal is not to offer answers, but to spark meaningful questions about who we are, and who we want to become.”
With Filip at the helm of programming, Contemporary Calgary is not only growing, it’s daring to dream.
Visit ContemporaryCalgary.com and see where your imagination takes you.
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