Garments with a message: The Fashion Show premieres

September 14, 2026

Media Release, Art Gallery of Regina

Key points from this story:

• Exhibition opens September 25, 2026
• Runs until November 14, 2026
• Free admission at Art Gallery of Regina
• Features four Saskatchewan artists and designers
• Artist-led Culture Days workshops offered
• Opening reception September 25, 5–8 PM

On Friday, September 25, the Art Gallery of Regina will unveil an unexpected new exhibition--The Fashion Show, an exhibition of garments by Saskatchewan artists and fashion designers Jason Baerg (Prince Albert/Toronto), David Le (Regina/Toronto), Geanna Rae (Regina), and Lisa Wicklund (Regina). This groundbreaking exhibition overturns longstanding prejudices that have kept fashion out of art galleries; it invites viewers to appreciate fashion as meaningful contemporary art rather than dismissing it as frivolous or merely a commodity.

Artists whose work is included in The Fashion Show represent a diversity of backgrounds and approaches: Lisa Wicklund is an established fashion designer whose elegant designs and luxurious details have garnered acclaim; Jason Baerg, internationally recognized for visual art that merges abstract painting with new media, seamlessly translates his visual language into garments, allowing for a dynamic exchange of ideas and approaches between canvas and cloth; Geanna Rae, a self-taught artist, disrupts expectations with subversive, playfully political pieces; and David Le, a printmaker and emerging fashion design student, creates size-inclusive, hand-printed garments that blend gender and cultural signifiers.

What makes The Fashion Show unique is its insistence that clothing is more than mere adornment, but a vital, expressive art form--our second skin, a vessel for autobiography and activism, a site where personal and collective narratives unfold. Unlike mass-produced fast fashion, the handcrafted garments on display are imbued with care and intention. In each garment and carefully staged installation, artists invite us to imagine being surrounded by comfort, shelter, and healing beauty, and to craft an authentic self through fashion.

Thoughtful, provocative and surprising works populate this exhibition. Geanna Rae's inversion and perversion of the iconic MAGA trucker hat brazenly challenges political symbols, transforming them into objects of commentary and critique. Lisa Wicklund's high-fashion ensembles, ingeniously constructed from repurposed comfort items such as bedspreads, blur the line between the familiar and the aspirational. David Le's garments, hand-printed and tailored for all bodies, expand the language of fashion to include everyone while also echoing the impacts of colonization for those of Vietnamese heritage. Meanwhile, Jason Baerg's designs propose fashion as a way to intimately activate the space of our bodies as a place for ceremony. As Baerg states, "By weaving Cree Metis cosmology into contemporary art and fashion, my work exists as a bridge between ancestral memory and the infinite possibilities of Indigenous futurities. Culture is a dynamic dialogue, where the conversation between the artist and
the observer presents an opportunity for change. My intention in every production is to leave viewers with new ideas to consider relating to art's formal aspects and conceptual impact."

More than an exhibition, The Fashion Show is an invitation--to consider how what we wear communicates not only who we are, but who we hope to become. It foregrounds fashion's communicative power as contemporary art, repositioning clothing as a vector for autobiography, activism, and aspiration. In an era dominated by disposable trends, this exhibition champions garments as living works of self-expression. To put on clothing is to be embraced within beauty and care.

Get into fashion this fall with the AGR! In addition to free admision to view The Fashion Show from September 25 to November 14, 2026, we have a range of free, artist-led and staff-led Culture Days events exploring themes of intimacy, cultural identity, consumer culture, and costume, sponsored by SaskCulture and funded by SaskLotteries.

Register for Culture Days events taking place at the Art Gallery of Regina (2420 Elphinstone Street), on our website and unravel the complex ways we communicate and take comfort from fashion through creation and collective experiences:

Friday, Sept. 18, 5 - 8 PM PUNK PATCH WORKSHOP
Create wearable slogan patches rooted in DIY and punk aesthetics and personal storytelling with Geanna Rae.

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2 - 4 PM FASHION SKETCHING FOR YOUTH
Artist David Le will guide youth through sketching and photomontage to create designs that reflect their perspectives and to see fashion as a tool for self-discovery, cultural appreciation, and emotional well-being.

Saturday, Sept. 26, 5 - 8 PM RUNWAY RESONANCE
Learn how to create immersive soundscapes that elevate the mood, narrative, and energy of a fashion show, transforming it into a multisensory celebration with Jason Baerg and Patrick Moon Bird.

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2 - 5 PM ECO-DYED ACCESSORIES
In this hands-on workshop, youth will forage for natural materials and use eco-printing and natural dyeing techniques to transform garments with vibrant, one-of-a-kind patterns, strengthening their connection to nature through wearable art.

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2 - 4 PM SUNDAY AFTERNOON FASHION SHOW
In the spirit of inclusivity, everyone is invited to walk the runway, supported by peers and the sounds of cheers as well as a thoughtfully crafted soundscape, before striking a pose for our event paparazzo. Whether wearing their workshop creations or simply dressing up for fun, the Sunday Afternoon Fashion Show celebrates individuality, community and stories.