MacKenzie Art Gallery facts for kids
Exterior facade of the MacKenzie Art Gallery
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| Former name | Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery |
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| Established | 1953 |
| Location | 3475 Albert Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Type | Art museum |
The MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG) is an art museum located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It's often called MAG for short. The museum is inside the T. C. Douglas Building, which is right next to the Wascana Centre. This building has eight galleries, which are special rooms for showing art. Together, these rooms have about 2,230 square meters (24,000 square feet) of space for art exhibits.
The museum started with a private collection of art. This collection was given to Regina College (which is now the University of Regina) by a person named Norman MacKenzie. In 1953, the college created the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery to show these artworks. In 1990, the art museum became its own independent place, separate from the university. It then moved into the T. C. Douglas Building, where it is today.
The MacKenzie Art Gallery has a permanent collection of over 5,000 artworks. These artworks cover more than 5,000 years of Canadian history. Besides showing art from its own collection, the museum also hosts many travelling art shows. These shows bring art from other places for people to see.
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History of the MacKenzie Art Gallery
The MacKenzie Art Gallery started because of Norman MacKenzie's art collection. He gave his collection to Regina College in 1936. In 1953, the college opened an art museum to show his art. This museum was first known as the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery. Because it opened in 1953, it is the oldest public art museum in the province of Saskatchewan.
Becoming an Independent Museum
In 1990, the museum became an independent organization. This meant it was no longer directly part of the University of Regina. However, it still works with the university on different projects. In the same year, the museum moved to its current building. The museum still takes care of the art collection owned by the University of Regina. But it also has its own permanent collection, which grew from Norman MacKenzie's original gift.
Important Milestones and Donations
In 1998, the MacKenzie Art Gallery made history. It became the first public art museum in Canada to have an indigenous Canadian as its main curator. A curator is someone who chooses and organizes the art for shows.
In 2018, the museum received a very large gift. Someone gave C$25 million (Canadian dollars) anonymously, meaning they didn't say who they were. This money was given to a special fund that helps the museum. The museum plans to use this money to support its yearly activities and programs. It will also help build a new cafe and a space for events.
Changes and Repatriation
The museum made some changes in 2019. It launched a new look and logo in May. The museum also promised to support more Indigenous Canadian artists. It also decided to use more French language, which is one of Canada's official languages.
In June 2019, the museum started charging adults a small fee to enter the second-floor galleries. However, other parts of the museum remained free. Soon after, the museum announced that it would offer free admission to the second floor for 12 days each year. This free admission program was paid for by another private donation of C$1 million.
In 2019, an artist named Divya Mehra noticed something special. A sculpture at the museum, thought to be Vishnu, might have been stolen from a temple in 1913. Another expert, Siddhartha Shah, confirmed her findings. He also said the sculpture actually showed Annapurna, a different goddess. In 2021, the Annapurna sculpture was returned to the Government of Uttar Pradesh in India. It was placed in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple on November 15, 2021.
Architecture of the Museum Building
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The museum building is located at the edge of Wascana Centre. This is a large urban park with a lake and a creek. The museum building is used for many things. Some parts are for the museum, and other parts are offices for government groups. The whole building is about 9,290 square meters (100,000 square feet). But the museum only uses some of this space.
Exhibition and Other Spaces
The museum has eight galleries, which are the main exhibition spaces. These galleries have about 2,230 square meters (24,000 square feet) for showing art. Besides the art exhibits, the museum also has special areas. These include a lab for fixing artworks, workshops, and storage rooms. There's also a theatre with 185 seats, a gift shop, and rooms for meetings.
Building Design and Renovations
The museum's building has a white Tyndall stone outside. It was first built in 1978 as a government office building. It was named after Tommy Douglas, who used to be the Premier of Saskatchewan. The museum didn't move into this building until 1990.
In 2002, the museum finished a big renovation project. It cost C$8.3 million. During this work, the outside stone was removed and put back. This was done to add special seals to protect the building. All the windows were replaced, and the roof was also redone. These renovations were important to make sure the building was safe for showing different types of artworks.
Outdoor Sculpture Garden
The museum also has an outdoor sculpture garden. It is located just southwest of the main entrance. This garden opened on Canada Day in 1999. The sculpture garden shows artworks from the museum's own collection. It also displays other artworks that are on loan from the Saskatchewan Arts Board.
Permanent Collection of Art
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As of 2019, the museum's permanent collection has over 5,000 artworks. These pieces cover a period of 5,000 years. The museum wants to show many different kinds of art and cultures to the public. However, its collection focuses a lot on art from Canada. This includes art by indigenous Canadian artists, artists from Saskatchewan, and artists from Western Canada.
Origin and Growth of the Collection
The museum's permanent collection started with Norman MacKenzie's private art. He gave it to the museum in 1936. In 1953, the college opened a museum to show these artworks. The museum's collection kept growing over time. In 1990, the museum and its collection became independent from the university.
The museum's collection includes art by Saskatchewan artists like Joe Fafard and David Thauberger. It also has works by famous non-Canadian artists. These include Hans Hoffman, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, and Andy Warhol.
Focus on Indigenous Art
The MacKenzie Art Gallery was one of the first Canadian art museums to show works by indigenous Canadian artists as important fine art. It showed its first piece of Indigenous art in 1975.
In January 2019, the museum received a donation of 1,000 artworks. These were by modern Indigenous artists from Canada and Native Americans in the United States. This donation was partly given because the MacKenzie Art Gallery had shown Indigenous art early on. The people who donated the art, Thomas Druyan and Alice Ladner, also said they would give the rest of their collection to the museum later.
Outdoor Artworks
The museum also has several outdoor artworks in its permanent collection. Most of these are shown in the MacKenzie Sculpture Garden. This garden is located south of the museum building. One artwork in the garden is the Bronze Mother and Child II statue by Jacques Lipchitz.
In 2017, for Canada's 150th birthday, the museum asked Indigenous Canadian artists to create an outdoor art display. This project cost C$315,000, with most of the money coming from the Department of Canadian Heritage. The museum wanted the artwork to reflect on Canada's history and efforts to build better relationships between cultures. The artwork is 30 meters (98 feet) long. It was put on the outside of the building in May 2018, facing Albert Street. The piece is called Kâkikê/Forever by Duane Linklater. It is made of large acrylic letters with LED lights and aluminum. The letters spell out "As long as the sun shines, the river flows."
See also
- List of art museums
- List of museums in Saskatchewan
- Michelle LaVallee, artist, curator, and educator
