Message from the Director
Last October over 500 people attended the opening of the William Kurelek retrospective exhibition. Later that evening, and extending through the night, 4500 people walked through our doors for the second annual Nuit Blanche. A few weeks later 370 guests (including patrons at 25 corporate tables) sat down to an exquisite black-tie dinner in our permanent collection galleries at the Gallery Ball, which raised a record amount, thanks in large part to a dedicated committee (including my wife Hazel).
Clearly we’re more than numbers at the WAG, but more people through our doors means more people engaging in our mission—helping people to see more of life and society through the experience of art and artistic innovation. And this theme continues on all fronts with our education and exhibition programs:
This fall the WAG welcomed the first graduate students enrolled in a new Masters in Curatorial Practice at the University of Winnipeg; and I had the privilege of teaching the first graduate art history seminar in the province as part of this program. An international symposium on mental health and the arts (part of the Kurelek exhibition programming) saw over 100 participants gather at the WAG. Recently we formed a partnership with the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, which will see the Muriel Richardson Auditorium becoming the Festival’s newest venue for their 25th anniversary season this summer—bringing in thousands of new visitors to the WAG.
Look out for the New Music Festival’s pre-launch here at the end of January, and the next 10x20x20 event that gathers architects, designers, and artists together to mingle and present ideas. Looking ahead to spring break, kids can take advantage of our weeklong art camp, following the sellout success of our summer camp program. Art and learning go hand in hand—and start at the WAG.
Turning to exhibitions, American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell brings to the WAG and to Canada the first ever exhibition of one of America’s greatest painters and illustrators. We are the only Canadian venue, so this show is not to be missed! The Collection on View, which features works from the permanent collection, just got bigger with an exhibition of largescale contemporary sculptures and installations. In March, we play host to Canada’s representatives and their winning project for the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture with the Migrating Landscapes exhibition. This summer’s big contemporary show, Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination, will take visitors on a real trip through the fantastic world of fables, stories, and the make believe as seen through the eyes and minds of a group of international artists.
Commencing in the Fall 2012 the WAG will be launching its 100th anniversary celebrations with a series of major exhibitions and events, starting with Winnipeg Now—showing our visitors why Winnipeg and the WAG are at the centre of Canada’s contemporary art scene. And this is just the start of a 12-month schedule of art exhibitions and programming that will honor and embolden the WAG’s place as Canada’s oldest civic art gallery. Gearing up for our Centennial we are looking at all of our assets. While the WAG is known for its award-winning modernist building, its collection of over 25,000 artworks, and its history of impressive exhibitions and programs reaching back almost one hundred years, it is also much more. It is the people—of all ages and backgrounds—who have made the WAG what it is today and we are proud to reconfirm our place as the premiere visual arts institution in our city and province. We have a lot to celebrate.
Stephen Borys