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McMaster Museum of Art

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McMaster Museum of Art
Map
Former name
McMaster Art Gallery
(1967–1994)
Established1967
LocationMcMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Coordinates43°15′46″N 79°55′05″W / 43.26266°N 79.91803°W / 43.26266; -79.91803
TypeArt museum
Visitors30,000 (2015–16)[1]
DirectorCarol Podedworny
Public transit accessHamilton Street Railway:
1 King
5 Delaware
Websitemuseum.mcmaster.ca

The McMaster Museum of Art (MMA) is a non-profit public art gallery at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The museum is located in the centre of the campus, attached to Mills Memorial Library and close to the McMaster University Student Centre.

History

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McMaster University was founded in 1887, in Toronto, and the art collection began soon after as portraits of presidents and faculty accumulated.[2] A donation of European prints by the Carnegie Institute in the 1930s led to more systematic collecting and programming. By the 1950s, regular art exhibitions were presented on campus in Mills Memorial Library.

In 1967, with the help of the chair of the History Department, Dr. Togo Salmon, the McMaster Art Gallery was given a purpose-built facility in the east wing of Togo Salmon Hall.[3] The gallery moved across campus to its present larger location where it opened to the public under a new name, the McMaster Museum of Art, on June 11, 1994.[2][4] Five years later the building was renamed the Alvin A. Lee Building in honour of President Emeritus Alvin A. Lee, an influential champion of the MMA, whose efforts helped make the current building possible.[5][6]

Programming

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The MMA offers year-round exhibits consisting of historical, modern and contemporary art. In addition to hosting the McMaster University BFA graduating exhibition, the MMA also hosts a variety of public events including lunch and learn sessions, artist talks and workshops.[7] The MMA's Education Gallery serves as a multipurpose room for lectures and study and is home to the museum's modest library made up of books, artist's files and exhibition catalogues.[8]

The MMA belongs to the Ontario Association of Art Galleries reciprocal program, through which members of participating galleries receive free admission to all galleries.[9]

Collection

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Many faculty members and the Wentworth House Art Committee, established to acquire contemporary Canadian and European art, guided the growth of the collection. Professors Karl Denner (German Department) and George Wallace (Art and Art History Department) are credited with the advancement of the German Expressionist art collection in the early 1960s.[10][3]

The donation of over 200 European works in the 1980s by Hamilton jeweler Herman Levy O.B.E. put the museum on the map in the Canadian art scene.[11] He later bequeathed $15.25 million to the museum with specific directions that the money must be spent within five years, on acquisition of art of non-North American origins. More recently, the Donald Murray Shepherd Trust provided funds for the purchase of contemporary European art from notable artists such as David Bomberg, Christian Rohlfs, and Natalia Goncharova.[3]

The permanent collection, one of the finest University collections in the country, consists of over 7,000 objects.[12] It includes:

The museum's Paper Centre contains over 4,000 prints, drawings, and watercolours that the public can view by appointment.[14]

The MMA is also home to the Bruce Brace Coin Collection, which consists of coins and medallions from Rome and Greece.[15] The Collection has been the focus of numismatic inquiry aimed at improving what is known about daily life and trade in ancient Rome and Greece from as early as the fifth century BC to the fall of the Roman empire.[16]

Selected works

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Collaborative projects

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McMaster Museum of Art works with faculties across the McMaster University campus. Notable projects/exhibitions using University research and experts include:

  • Light Echo : Department of Physics and Astronomy[17]
  • Rising to the Occasion : English & Cultural Studies (John Douglas Taylor Conference)[18]
  • Togo Salmon Centenary Exhibition : Classics Department[19]
  • Synasthesia Exhibition : Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences[20]
  • Fierce : Theatre and Film Studies[21]
  • Scrapes : Faculty of Humanities[22]
  • Allyson Mitchell: Ladies Sasquatch : Women's Studies[23]
  • First Contact? Exhibition Talk : Indigenous Studies[24]
  • Faculty Exhibition / Annual Graduating Student Exhibitions : McMaster School of the Arts
  • A Glimpse of China in the 18th Century : Art History and The Confucious Institute[25]
  • The Art of Seeing – Visual Literacy Course with Department of Family Medicine : Faculty of Health Sciences[26]
  • Chewa Masks of Pain and Loss: AIDS in Malawi : Department of Anthropology[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Museum of Art" (PDF). McMaster University Fact Book 2016–2017. McMaster University. October 2017. p. 65. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b "McMaster Museum of Art". Get With the Program. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "McMaster Museum of Art opens 125 & 45. An Interrogative Spirit". Museum Publicity. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  4. ^ Canadian Art Magazine, Winter 1996, ‘The Legacy’ by Sarah Hampton, pp 38–49
  5. ^ "Overview - McMaster Museum of Art". McMaster Museum of Art. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  6. ^ Rockingham, Graham (2014-05-27). "Former Mac president to be honoured". The Hamilton Spectator. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  7. ^ "McMaster Museum of Art". Cobalt Connects. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Library". McMaster Museum of Art. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  9. ^ Ontario Association of Art Galleries http://oaag.org/membership/reciprocal.html
  10. ^ The Art Collection of McMaster University (1987), McMaster University, Kim G. Ness. 330 pages, illustrated
  11. ^ The Hamilton Spectator, Art Museum Marks Two Birthdays by Regina Haggo, February 2, 2012 http://www.thespec.com/whatson/artsentertainment/article/664101--art-museum-marks-two-birthdays
  12. ^ Tourism Hamilton, May 2011, http://www.tourismhamilton.com/telling-our-stories-may-is-museum-month[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Van Gogh Gallery http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/544/Still-Life-with-Ginger-Jar-and-Onions.html
  14. ^ London Arts http://www.londonarts.ca/Default.aspx?Select=ArtsOrganizationsDetail&Business=SfeLNzVMN2EfvKDN6%2F3bVw%3D%3D[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Brace, Bruce R. "History of the Collection". McMaster Museum of Art Online Roman Coin Collection. Retrieved 30 October 2015.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Hemsworth, Wade (December 8, 2010). "Ancient coins buy McMaster researchers a look at the past". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  17. ^ Canadian Art Magazine http://www.canadianart.ca/online/see-it/2009/10/08/dianne-bos/ Archived 2011-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Akimbo Art News http://www.akimbo.ca/exhibitions/?id=31175
  19. ^ McMaster Daily News website http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=3177 Archived 2005-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Marcia Smilack’s website http://marciasmilack.com/pressarticle.php?id=10
  21. ^ The Toronto Star, https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/756799--fiery-female-filmmakers-showcased-at-fierce-exhibit
  22. ^ McMaster Faculty of Humanities Website http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~english/HealthEmbodimentVisualCulture/Exhibition.html Archived 2012-08-03 at archive.today
  23. ^ Canadian Art Video Interview http://www.canadianart.ca/online/video/2009/01/15/allyson-mitchell/ Archived 2011-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ McMaster Museum of Art Blog "Scenes from a Great Talk « McMaster Museum of Art's blog". Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  25. ^ Hanban news http://english.hanban.org/article/2011-10/28/content_364705.htm
  26. ^ Maclean's Magazine Article http://www.macleans.ca/2010/11/11/out-of-the-hospital/
  27. ^ McMaster Daily News http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=3284 Archived 2005-11-04 at the Wayback Machine
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