The New Gallery’s (TNG) archives are messy, pulled together and bare the mark of many hands. Over 50 years, The New Gallery’s records have been shuffled, moved through multiple buildings, obfuscated and lost. “Pulling Back the Paper” was an archival exhibition and research lab at TNG’s Main Space curated by Su Ying Strang that gathered and shared the expansive histories of two intersecting communities from The New Gallery’s past and present—the Calgary faction of the Minquon Panchayat and Calgary Chinatown.


In the spirit of our ever evolving archives, The New Gallery is inviting community members to once again share their additions, amendments, and related perspectives to “Pulling Back the Paper,” the collaborative text drafted by Su Ying Strang for the corresponding Main Space project. The text acknowledges and challenges gaps in our documented histories that happen when relying on a singular expert, and calls on communities for their contributions through an editable Google Doc (linked in our bio) to document and archive a collective understanding of our past.

Notes can range from personal perspectives, additional readings, and amendments to the text. These additions, amendments and notes will be included in the republishing of this text for TNG’s 50th Anniversary Publication launching in collaboration with our 50th Anniversary Exhibition. The deadline to add notes to the text is March 29, 2025 at midnight MST.