Works from hundreds of Calgary artists, young and old, is now on display in a special gallery starting this weekend.

The People’s Portrait Prize, hosted by cSPACE in the old King Edward School, features over 400 works from about 250 artists in the City of Calgary. What makes this exhibit so special, organizers say, is the fact that the show welcomes all artists to submit their work.

“A lot of these artists work at home in their studios and have never had a chance to exhibit. Many of them, this is the first time that their artwork has been hanging on a wall in a public space,” says organizer Melissa Cole.

This is the second year that the show has taken place in the building and Cole says that the number of pieces have about doubled since 2017.

“We put out a call to Calgary and area artists and accepted everybody who came so we had a huge lineup in this hallway last year, people were waiting in line for an hour to drop off their artwork and this year, it’s almost twice the size.”

One of the artists, Brian ‘Bunny’ Batista, says the show is an incredible opportunity for artists and visitors alike.

“What’s fantastic about People’s Portrait Prize is that people are coming out. A lot of artists they are in their basement doing that very secretive genius thing but this event brings everybody out and everybody together and it really helps build culture and community.”

Cole says there are a few small prizes up for grabs for some of the artists, but that’s not the real reason that many are participating.

“Most of the prizes are smaller, art store gift certificates, that sort of thing but for most people, it’s just being part of this and getting to know more artists and seeing their work on the walls.”

Visitors to the exhibition also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite work in the gallery online.

“Each artwork has a number, so you can pick your favourite, go to our website, peoplesportraitprize.com and put in your favourite number,” Cole says.

The gallery is on until March 24 but voting for the People’s Prize closes on Saturday evening.

You can find more information on the gallery’s website.

(With files from Kevin Fleming)