Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre (Image Credit: Excite Lethbridge-Facebook)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Featuring Inaugural Exhibition by artist Hali Heavy Shield

SAAG and Excite Lethbridge partner to launch new art initiative

Mar 26, 2026 | 4:55 PM

A presentation at Excite Lethbridge Saturday will not only showcase the work of Blackfoot artists but also launch a new partnership with the Southern Alberta Art Gallery Maansiksikaitsitapiitsinikssin.

The Gallery is partnering with Excite to transform different zones of the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre into rotating art spaces, accessible to all throughout the year.

Kicking off this new partnership will be the opening reception to Hat & Boot Dance, a new exhibition by artist Hali Heavy Shield.

The exhibit features Heavy Shield’s large-scale drawings of her traditional Blackfoot beaded bag and dancers engaged in the Hat and Boot Dance.

The work is meant to evoke the vitality of Blackfoot cowboy life and invites viewers into the emotions of the dance.

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Heavy Shield is a multidisciplinary artist from the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) and is the first Blackfoot woman ever to earn a PhD from Iniskim, the University of Lethbridge.

“We are thrilled to bring contemporary art directly to the broader southern Alberta community through this partnership with Excite Lethbridge,” the gallery noted. “It is fitting that our first exhibition in this space with Hali explores the rich, intertwined histories of powwow and rodeo cultures.”

Hat & Boot Dance will be on display at the Lethbridge Trade & Reception Convention Centre from Mar. 28 to Jun. 26.

The reception is taking place Saturday Mar. 28 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.