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Saskatoon, Canadaby Chad RedlSince its establishment in 1906 Saskatoon has been a thriving Prairie City in the heart of Saskatchewan, Canada. One of themost exceptional things about the art and culture in Saskatoon is how it is influenced by numerous attributes, such as the FirstNation Culture, multiculturalism, science and agriculture. All of these and more have worked their way into inspiring many localartists over countless generations.Boasting a beautiful riverbank, Saskatoon has numerous public art installations giving its culture a voice through the arts. Thecity is also known as the ‘City of Bridges’ and it thrives year round (even as a winter city) as its arts and culture scene fuels themake up of the city center and its future development.The Mendal Art Gallery is a cornerstone of the arts in Saskatoon. The doors opened on October 16, 1964. Founded by FredMendel and his original donation of thirteen paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, this public collection isnow the largest public art collection in Saskatchewan. The gallery attracts a huge following of all ages, and contributes a freshlook at both contemporary and classical art. Over the past 45 years the gallery has experienced great success and is currentlyembarking on a project to relocate the collection and gallery to a new space at River Landing. This new center will be named theArt Gallery of Saskatchewan, and will be situated along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River. It will offer approx. 125,000square feet of dedicated art space. This 200 million dollar project will enhance the experience of the art lover in Saskatoon. It isscheduled to be completed in 2014, a date all local art lovers are awaiting eagerly!One of the most prominent galleries in Saskatoon is The Stall Gallery which is also primarily located at River Landing in themidst of the Farmer’s Market. The vision of the Stall Gallery was to create a space that provides people from all walks of lifewith a place to visit fresh, original and thought-provoking artworks. The Stall Gallery is attempting to impact the art world bydiminishing the stigma that makes people think that art is only a luxury item for the rich. Instead, owners Bevin Bradley andRoberta Ross promote the mindset that art can and should be accessible for all: “Everyone should be able to invest in a pieceof art and experience the joys it brings.” They create this vision by being extremely flexible in their payment plans. The peopleof Saskatoon value a sense of community, and the Stall Gallery values it as well, making them invested in creating somethingextremely unique for and as part of the area. As artists themselves, Bevin and Roberta are very supportive to their fellow artistsand clients. They only carry work from artists who are exceptional not only in their practice but as individuals too.Saskatoon is a very inspiring place. Art and culture are becoming ever more popular as our community grows. Through the workof the visionaries like Fred Mendal, Bevin Bradley, Roberta Ross and artists like me, hopefully the future of the arts in Saskatoonwill be bright, continuing to flourish and inspire generations to come.128 ARTisSpectrum