The University of Alberta is one of the top five research universities in Canada, a public research institution located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It serves approximately 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students and holds a variety of major collections, such as the Clothing & Textile Collection and The Mactaggart Art Collection. The former holds more than 23,000 textile and clothing artifacts spanning 350 years, from a variety of cultures. The latter holds more than 1000 pieces of textiles, clothing, hand scrolls and engravings from ancient and modern East Asia.

The City of Edmonton is rich in cultural venues and is the gateway city to the western north. It has a rich indigenous heritage, plus diverse multi-cultural populations, reflected in the food and cultures resident here. The river valley winds through the city, with parks, trails and extensive public access, including from the University itself. The Art Gallery of Alberta is located in the city centre, linked by public transit. The AGA was designed by architect Randall Stout to reflect the distinctive environment of this northern city.

Edmonton is three hours from the mountains, either Banff National Park or Jasper National Park. To the east is the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Drumheller Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Royal Tyrrell Museum. These are just three of the distinctive natural sites to be found in this region.