Sherwood Park’s Gallery@501 is set to open a new summer exhibition that invites residents to step into worlds built from everyday materials. Called Wonderpool: Portals to Imagined Worlds, the free show brings together three Edmonton-area artists and runs July 8 to August 22, 2026. The gallery is currently closed for installation and will reopen with the new exhibit on July 8.
The exhibit transforms the public gallery into a space where stickers, textiles, and mythological creatures pull visitors into imagined realms. Acting curator Lindsey Bond-Garcia said the works celebrate curiosity and transformation across different dimensions. The exhibit is described as turning ordinary items into “gateways to imagination, memory and myth.”
CW Carson creates dense abstract compositions using mass-produced stickers sourced from retail stores, exploring visual overindulgence and consumer culture. Sara Norquay reimagines quilting and printed textiles through intuitive arrangements of colour, texture, and pattern, rooted in her experiences of prairie winters. Byron McBride draws from mythology, fantasy traditions, gaming, and contemporary visual culture to paint and sculpt hybrid creatures.
The exhibition is free to the public and can be visited during regular hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Sundays, Mondays, and statutory holidays. It is located at #120, 501 Festival Avenue inside the Strathcona County Community Centre.
A special reception is set for Thursday, July 16, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Community Centre’s Agora. The event offers a chance to meet the artists and see the work up close.
