Lantern Slides
Please note our galleries will be closed from Oct. 20-29. The bookstore, archives, and heritage home tours will remain open for regular hours.
Open Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EXHIBITIONS
Upcoming Exhibitions
Opening November 1st!
Elise Rasmussen:
An Alpine Trilogy
"Elise Rasmussen: An Alpine Trilogy" brings together three interconnected bodies of work that resonate deeply in Banff, where mountain culture converges with narratives of conquest, grandeur, and nostalgia. Through rigorous research and lens-based media, Rasmussen recasts traditional narratives of history and nature through an exploration of the French and Swiss Alps. In "Did You Know Blue Had No Name?," she interrogates the symbolism of “blueness,” revisiting Saussure’s cyanometer, the first ascent of Mont Blanc, and early photographic struggles with blue skies. "The Year Without a Summer" links an 1816 climate anomaly to today’s environmental crises, weaving historical texts, folklore, and travel reflections into a meditation on cultural responses to ecological disruption. In "Nostalgia: A Return to the Alps in Five Vignettes," Rasmussen examines the Alps as symbols of healing and escape, from Romantic ideals to modern wellness tourism, questioning our complex longing for harmony with nature. Together, these works reflect on visibility, memory, and the evolving relationship between humans and mountain environments. This exhibition is organized by The Whyte and curated by Christina Cuthbertson.
Opening November 1st!
Second Take:
Histories of Film in the Rockies
For over a century, the Canadian Rockies have been used as a backdrop for Hollywood adventure epics, melodramas, westerns, and comedies. Whether these movies meant to highlight the Canadian landscape or simply have the scenery stand in for elsewhere, the silver screen influenced how moviegoers see Canada. Drawing from The Whyte Archives & Special Collections, "Second Take: Histories of Film in the Rockies" explores how Canadian identity and stereotypes grew and changed from the silent era to the turn of the century. By highlighting the experiences of the Bow Valley community members involved in select productions, we peek behind the scenes of what it takes to create the fantasy of uninhabited wilderness, lurking enemy danger, stalwart heroes, and damsels in distress. Using titles from the silent era, the summer of 1953, and the late twentieth century, "Second Take" examines how the Canadian Rockies were transformed into the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan, the wilds of Alaska, and the foothills of Montana by the magic of Hollywood. Local landmarks framed as these far-flung locations changed audiences’ expectations of reality, as well as Canadians’ sense of place. An uncanny duality emerges, one of local pride in seeing the Rockies on the silver screen and the frustration wrought by their inherent misrepresentation. This exhibition illustrates the beauty and ridiculousness of Hollywood’s Canada, elements that linger in our collective imaginations and popular culture to this day. This exhibition is organized by The Whyte and curated by Elizabeth Kundert-Cameron, Dagny Dubois, Kate Riordon, and Brittany Staddon with special mention to Travis Rider and Colleen Crawler.
Current Exhibition
Current Exhibition
May 3 - October 19, 2025
The Ancestors Are Talking
Paintings by the Indigenous Seven
Norval Morrisseau. Attitude and Attention, Punk Rockers. Circa 1991. The Norval Morrisseau Estate, OfficialMorrisseau.com.
Current Exhibition
Through the Lens
Since 1997, Through the Lens has empowered hundreds of high school students from Banff, Canmore, Mînî Thnî, and beyond to explore their identities, relationships, and surroundings through the art of 35 mm film photography. Over the following two decades, the workshop evolved into a five-month program, culminating in a professional exhibition at The Whyte that celebrated student voices and perspectives. Though the original program concluded in 2017, its legacy was reignited in 2024 by alumni Nic Latulippe and Soloman Chiniquay. With support from the Wim and Nancy Pauw Foundation, they revived the program for a new generation.
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Photo by Josie Twoyoungmen. Canmore Collegiate High School, Grade 11.
Ongoing Exhibitions
Ongoing
Available Year Round
Heritage Gallery
The Heritage Gallery shares Canadian Rockies history through art, artifacts and archives and library materials. This gallery also has information on Indigenous Peoples, surveying, guiding and outfitting, travel, tourism and more!
Previous Exhibitions
JUNE - OCTOBER 2024
J.E.H. MacDonald:
The O'Hara Era
During the summer of 2024, The Whyte offered a rare opportunity to view over 100 works by Group of Seven artist J.E.H. MacDonald from public and private collections. Commemorating the 100th anniversary of his first trip to Lake O'Hara, the exhibition promises to be an exceptional and unique experience, with the Whyte Museum as the sole venue. The show is strengthened by original research conducted by geologists Patricia Cucman and the late Stanley Munn, who meticulously identified the exact locations of MacDonald's works, along with photographs, over the past 18 years. Their findings, documented in a major illustrated book titled To See What He Saw: J.E.H. MacDonald and the O'Hara Years 1924-1932, offer a fresh perspective on MacDonald and his work. Additionally, intriguing discoveries such as paint scrapings and teacup shards have been found in these exact locations, providing further insight into MacDonald's creative process and daily life during his time at Lake O'Hara. Partnering with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and sponsored by Masters Gallery Calgary, we invite you to join us for this breathtaking exhibition featuring mountain landscapes inspired by MacDonald. J.E.H. MacDonald, R.C.A. (1873-1932, Canadian) Cathedral Mountain from Opabin Pass, 1929, oil on board. Collection of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Gift of Catharine Robb Whyte, O.C., Banff, 1979.
