DIGITAL LIBRARY

Thick as Thieves and When Our Eyes Touch run May 1 to November 8, 2026, at The Whyte in Banff AB. This exhibition explores connection, influence, and relationships that shape our world, inviting reflection on trust, power, and community. Presented alongside portrait paintings by founders Peter and Catharine Whyte, it opens a wider conversation about bonds that can be intimate, strategic, sustaining, and complicated. Organized and circulated by the MacKenzie Art Gallery, curat

This winter, a renewed energy filled The Whyte as the museum welcomed a major contemporary solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Elise Rasmussen, An Alpine Trilogy. Presented alongside it in the Rummel Room, Second Take: Histories of Film in the Rockies offers a complementary journey through cinematic and cultural memory.

On a warm September evening, guests gathered beneath the glow of The Whyte for the inaugural Night at The Whyte fundraising dinner and live auction. The Heritage Gallery transformed into an intimate setting of candlelight, conversation, and community. From a curator’s tour with Joseph Sanchez to the energy of the live auction, the evening celebrated art, connection, and generosity in support of exhibitions, education, and storytelling in the Canadian Rockies.

On December 18, 2025, Chic Scott sat down with Barry Blanchard for a Fireside Chat at The Whyte. Barry Blanchard is one of Canada’s most accomplished and respected mountaineers. A legendary alpinist, guide, and author, Barry has played a pivotal role in shaping modern Canadian mountaineering and shares a long history and deep connection with Chic Scott.

Fourteen years later, the Fireside Chats at The Whyte remained a warm, community gathering. As Director of Archives and Special Collections Elizabeth Kundert-Cameron observed at the final event, familiar faces returned year after year, and Chic’s stories “evoked… the feeling of being at a family party.” What began as an open house in the Abegweit became a recorded oral history, preserved in The Whyte's Archives and Special Collections Library for future generations.

On November 1st, 2023, Frances Klatzel joined Chic Scott for a Fireside Chat at The Whyte. Born and raised in Calgary, she obtained a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Calgary and worked for the Canadian Parks Service for seven years. A trip to Nepal in 1980 changed her life; she helped create a museum of Sherpa culture, founded Mera Publications and co-founded CORE International.

This summer, The Whyte’s Heritage Gallery became one of Banff’s most inviting music venues with its Summer Performance Series. Five diverse shows - spanning Indigenous storytelling, prairie ballads, honky-tonk, R&B, and more - drew nearly 550 attendees. Artists and audiences alike praised the intimate, welcoming atmosphere, calling it a true community connector. Supported by The Rimrock Banff, the series added fresh energy to Banff’s cultural life.

Opening May 2025, The Ancestors Are Talking: Paintings by the Indigenous Seven has seen overwhelming success this summer. Opening weekend featured two celebrations and a sold-out performance by Mohawk singer-songwriter Logan Staats, welcoming artists’ families, Indigenous communities, arts leaders, members, donors, visitors, and Bow Valley and Mini Thni locals. Curated by Joseph M. Sanchez with Dawn Saunders Dahl and Chief Curator Christina Cuthbertson. On view through Octobe