Dreamcatchers Gift & Art Gallery, a certified Aboriginal Business with Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, is family owned and operated. Its main goal is to help local businesses in Alberta enrich their offices, common areas and client contact spaces with beautiful, authentic Indigenous art. Through Dreamcatchers, art can be bought or rented, providing each office with a continuous stream of educational, motivational and cultural artworks. The gallery is also open to the general public and provides commissioned paintings. Each canvas tells a story. Each work of art inspires those that pause to reflect on its meaning.
Dreamcatchers is owned by artist Ellie Lagrandeur and managed by her daughter Stacey Shearing.
Lagrandeur maintained a successful career as an artist for over 35 years and developed a large collection of paintings. She discovered an opportunity to rent her art and the business idea flowed from there. Collaborating with her daughter brought the gallery to life and provided a creative space for Lagrandeur to paint, to represent other local artists and act as a base for the gallery’s rental program. She incorporated the business in 2018 and opened the doors on December 21, 2019.
“We were able to rent a large amount of art to clients in the oil field housing industry, which then gave us the amazing opportunity to donate significantly to charities of their choice,” says Lagrandeur. “Together, with our present clients, we have proudly supported local charities such as Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Kids With Cancer Society, Edmonton’s Food Bank and Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council Education Authority.”
The gallery is also pleased to give back in traditional ways. Lagrandeur notes, “Since opening the gallery, we have had the honour of being called upon to perform smudging ceremonies in local community spaces such as the Fort Saskatchewan Public Library and The Bridge Wellness Hub for Youth.” Lagrandeur recently designed orange t-shirts for Every Child Matters. The shirts sold out in two days and Dreamcatchers donated the proceeds to the Orange Shirt Society. This year she was commissioned to design two original Truth and Reconciliation paintings for the Education Student Association at Kings University in Edmonton.
The gallery is fairly new but Lagrandeur and the artists she represents are rapidly gaining traction across Alberta. In 2020, Lagrandeur was awarded the title of Artist of The Year for Art in Public Places in Fort Saskatchewan and in 2022 she was the artist of choice for a fully virtual paint night hosted by Painting For Truth to support the Anishnawbe Health Foundation. This virtual night was also used as a conversation starter about the importance of Indigenous culture, history and Truth and Reconciliation.
“We’re not just an art gallery, we’re an experience,” smiles Lagrandeur. “We strive to provide our customers and clients with one-of-a kind artworks and handmade gifts and often have our artists painting live in the gallery. Our exclusive and ever-growing collection for our rental program is flexible and unique while being affordable and accessible.”
The clients and community of Fort Saskatchewan have been very welcoming to the gallery; Lagrandeur and Shearing look forward to the continued expansion of their services across Alberta. They achieve this with a growing reputation along with incorporating Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
“The most rewarding thing for us” says Lagrandeur, “is to provide a welcoming space for everyone who walks through our doors, artists and customers alike. Our customers always mention how the gallery is inspiring, calm and spiritual. In addition, the positive feedback we have received from our rental clients has shown that not only is the product beneficial to all, but the charitable component enables us all to efficiently experience the joy of giving back. We are grateful for the opportunity to enrich their businesses and lives through art.”
Dreamcatchers thanks and acknowledges its art rental clients, including GNS Industrial Trailer Service Ltd. and Red Earth Lodge for their continued business, which has been instrumental for the opening of Dreamcatchers Gift & Art Gallery.
Lagrandeur and Shearing conclude, “We look forward to adding to our growing Indigenous art collection and creating new win-win business relationships that enable us to give back.”
Learn more at www.dreamcatchersartrental.com.
10209 100 AVE
Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 1Y7
780-589-2787
dreamcatchersgal@gmail.com