The gavel will fall at an auction inside the barns at Stampede Park this month and successful bidders won't be taking home cattle. Those on hand will find the unexpected at Pavilion, an art auction fundraiser to support the Stampede's youth programming.

Instead of hay and livestock inside the stalls of the Agriculture Building, art lovers will find cutting-edge works of art from top Canadian painters and visual artists to bid upon.

"We see this as a creative way to merge today’s contemporary world and that pioneering spirit of the Stampede," says the Calgary Stampede Foundation’s executive director, Sue Tomney. Pavilion reflects back to the Stampede’s early days, when showcasing art first became a major part of the exhibition.

A unique partnership between the Foundation and eight Canadian galleries will see Christie’s auction off 23 distinctive lots of artwork from Jessica Bradley Art + Projects, Masters Gallery Ltd., Newzones, Paul Kuhn Gallery, Skew Gallery, Susan Whitney Gallery, TrepanierBaer Contemporary Art and Virginia Christopher Fine Art.

The inaugral event, in 2007, raised $160,000 and a portion of the proceeds went toward funding education programs including Stampede School, The Young Canadians School of Performing Arts and Stampede 4-H on Parade.

Pavilion will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25. For more information on the contemporary art auction, click here or call 403.261.9155.