2007 Annual Report Mendel Art Gallery

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Director’s Report In keeping with its mandate to be Saskatoon’s centre for visual art experiences in the broadest and most inclusive way possible, the Mendel Art Gallery, during the past year, strived to increase its investment in the area of public and professional programs, integrating it with curatorial practise to reach out to the community with an expanded social role. It also endeavoured to develop proactive, imaginative, and multi-disciplinary ways of forging mutually beneficial relationships with new and diverse audiences. Through the strategic development of partnerships and collaborations, the Mendel worked to serve as a catalyst for creating new networks to stimulate meaningful dialogue with citizens of all backgrounds and abilities, with the goal to ensuring the content of the programs was relevant and reflective of Saskatoon’s pluralism. Infusing young people with excitement for learning about complex issues through contemporary art remained a critical objective. Through an integrative strategy, the Mendel sought to weave together exhibitions, collections, publications, and other special programs and projects that were intended to incorporate an expanded vision for the organization in response to the evolution of contemporary art practise, shifting socio-political realities, and to meet the broad needs of its various and diverse audiences. I believe there are several indicators showing that the Mendel Art Gallery succeeded in meeting most of its major objectives in 2007. More than 154,000 visitors viewed an impressive array of exhibitions. There were large numbers participants in public and professional programs offered in-house, and another 27,575 people visited exhibitions produced and circulated by the Mendel to other galleries in Saskatchewan and Canada. The Mendel also offered numerous community outreach programs, bringing visual art experiences to countless others. Of course, it is simply not just these kind of statistics that are the measure of success, or the sole indicator of the value of cultural organizations such as the Mendel. Rather, it is the quality of experience that is paramount. Quality of experience is something that is often very difficult to evaluate and articulate, but nonetheless, it is the primary objective whenever the Mendel’s staff contemplates the intended outcomes of programs and activities to be offered. Stated simply, we ask ‘what difference will this program or activity make to the participant or audience, or to the community as a whole?’ Upon reflection of the Mendel’s 2007 activities, I hope that you feel the quality of your experience was such that the Mendel did make a difference in your life. Within this 2007 annual report you will see a comprehensive description of the Mendel’s programs and activities for the year, along with an identification of those people from both inside and outside of the organization who made it all possible. Special thanks goes to the artists—without them we simply would not exist—and to the many other partners that were involved with Mendel projects. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to our many dedicated and committed volunteers, our hardworking Board of Trustees, and of course our members, patrons, sponsors, and other supporters. I wish to also thank and acknowledge the efforts of our incredible staff. I am truly impressed by what they have accomplished given some of the very serious constraints of an aging and often inadequate facility. Regarding the facility, I am pleased that much was accomplished in 2007 to move our major capital project forward. Kindrachuk Agrey Architects made significant progress in advancing the architectural drawings and specifications, with the input from the Mendel’s key stakeholders. We were gratified to receive funding approval from the Province’s Building Communities Program in the amount of $4,092,877 in 2007, augmenting the $4,625,000 already approved by the City of Saskatoon, and the initial grant of $438,513 received from the Cultural Spaces Program of Heritage Canada. We look forward, with eager anticipation, to receiving approval for additional capital support from the Federal Government in 2008, and to the launching of our private sector capital campaign, necessary to generate the remaining funds needed for the $21.5 million capital project. Finally, I would like to thank our major funders. It is with deep and sincere gratitude that all of us associated with the Mendel Art Gallery acknowledge the City of Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and Saskatchewan Lotteries for their ongoing operational and program support. Combined they contributed more than $2.1 million towards our annual operations in 2007. Respectfully submitted, Richard Moldenhauer Acting Executive Director & CEO Richard Moldenhauer, Acting Executive Director & CEO Mendel Art Gallery 2007 Annual Report
In-House Exhibitions Curatorial Statement The Mendel Art Gallery supports contemporary and historical art and artists and fosters scholarship in regards to regional, national, and international art through an integrated strategy which includes exhibitions, public programs, collections, curatorial and artist residencies, as well as co-operative initiatives with other arts organizations. Through these programs we actively encourage and expand the participation of an increasingly diverse public and seek to broaden the relevance of artistic production within these various communities locally and nationally. The Saskatchewan art community offers a broad cross-section of contemporary art activity. It is the representation and stimulation of this activity which is the primary focus of the Mendel’s exhibitions and public programs; the high proportion of contemporary art exhibitions within Mendel programming is a clear indication of this commitment. Exhibitions place regional work within a national and international context through concurrent exhibitions, programming, and circulation. Solo, group, and Permanent Collection exhibitions are juxtaposed with the intent of informing one another. In developing our programs, the Mendel seeks to provide its audiences with access to the best in contemporary and historical art. The Mendel’s curatorial and programming premise emphasizes how art is both an indicator of important structural change in contemporary society while positively affecting awareness and change within that society. In recent years, Saskatoon has become a growing centre for new technologies and global information and goods exchange. These shifting social, aesthetic and environmental conditions are increasingly important to contemporary artists as they develop new forms of relational aesthetics. At what appears to be a turning point in world culture, we feel that art is a valuable and necessary way to examine these changes and the way they affect our ideas of communities and our sense of place, identity, aesthetics, and artistic practice itself. Our program of activity is centered on an expanded idea of the art museum, reinforcing the gallery as a place where people have access to work by artists, curators, and programmers, as well as a space to research, interact with, reflect on, and discuss contemporary life and art. —Dan Ring, Acting Head Curator Aboriginal Curator-in-Residence Adrian A. Stimson was the Mendel Art Gallery’s Aboriginal Curator-in- Residence from 2006– 2007 through the Canada Council of the Arts. The Aboriginal Curator-in- Residence program assists aboriginal curators with professional residencies in the visual arts at their chosen host institution. Following the completion of his residency in 2007, Adrian A. Stimson, Aboriginal Curatorin-Residence. Photo: Troy Mamer. Stimson was appointed Acting Associate Curator at the Mendel Art Gallery. Stimson is an interdisciplinary artist with a MFA from the University of Saskatchewan. His performances, paintings, and installations have received national recognition. In addition to his art practice, Stimson is a sessional instructor at the University of Saskatchewan. He has received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of his achievements and contributions to human rights and diversity in various communities. Stimson is a member of the Siksika (Blackfoot) Nation in southern Alberta. He has lived in Saskatoon since 2003. Stimson’s main project as Aboriginal Curator-in- Residence was a series of exhibitions titled Articulation. These exhibitions created the opportunity for the Curator-in-Residence, artists, and the Mendel to explore and experiment with curatorial ideas. It was an articulation of a community in action: curator, artists, and institution. There were three exhibitions in the Articulation series: Conex-Us in the January–March exhibition period, Express during the April-June period, and Joined in the fall. For details of these exhibitions, please see the full descriptions in the chronological listing that follows. Mendel Art Gallery 2007 Annual Report
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2007 Annual Report Mendel Art Gallery

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