INTRODUCTION

This website was produced at the behest of The Edmonton Heritage Council and is intended as an interactive reproduction of the material contained in the publication Capital Modern: Edmonton Architecture and Urban Design 1940-1969 (copies still available at the Art Gallery of Alberta Shop), a companion publication to the exhibition of the same name held at the Art Gallery of Alberta in 2007. Thanks must go out to the Art Gallery of Alberta; the exhibition curators Shafraaz Kaba, David Murray and Troy Smith; the photographer James Dow;  contributors Trevor Boddy and Marianne Fedori, the editor Catherine Crowston, as well as the Edmonton Archives, the Provincial Archives and all the others involved for graciously granting permission for the replication of the materials contained in the publication in an online format.

All the remaining text on the site is as contained in the original publication Capital Modern: Edmonton Architecture and Urban Design 1940-1969, editor Catherine Crowston, 2007.

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INTRODUCTION
Capital Modern: Edmonton Architecture & Urban Design 1940-1969 

CAPITAL MODERN: Edmonton Architecture and Urban Design 1940-1969 comes at a significant time for the Art Gallery of Alberta and for the City of Edmonton. As we move into the twenty-first century both the Gallery and the City are undergoing a revitalization that signals a new vision and a re-evaluations of our role in a changing community. CAPITAL MODERN allows us to explore the impact that moderism had on our city’s development during the most productive period of the last century and seeks to find the connections to the design and architecture of today.

Our vision states:  “The Art Gallery of Alberta creates a welcoming and engaging environment where people are motivated to transform their understanding of the world by connecting with the visual arts.” What better way to do this than to look with fresh eyes at the buildings that surround us? I would like to thank the curators, Shafraaz Kaba, David Murray and Troy Smith and all of the sponsors who, with CAPITAL MODERN,  have created a truly exceptional opportunity to “transform our understanding” of our most common experiences in an engaging and exciting way.

Tony Luppino
Executive Director
The Art Gallery of Alberta
2007