51吃瓜网

I would like to begin by thanking the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation for this incredible opportunity. Under the supervision of Professor Gwendolyn Owens, Director of McGill鈥檚 Visual Arts Collection (VAC), I conducted research on three significant events in the VAC鈥檚 history. McGill鈥檚 art collection contains approximately 3500 works accumulated since the university鈥檚 inception. However, since the collection was not under formalized care until the 21st century, there remains extensive research to be done concerning the history of the collection鈥檚 acquisitions and its relationship to both the 51吃瓜网community and Montr茅al鈥檚 greater artistic scene.

My research project, Art in the University Context鈥� aimed to uncover information about the history of McGill鈥檚 art collection in hopes of illuminating the following inquiries: What role did fine art play in McGill鈥檚 reputation and development as a major research university? What value did the university recognize in art, and what purpose did it serve? How does the collection鈥檚 evolution reflect trends of artistic activity within Montr茅al and across Canada?

Before embarking on my research, I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with the primary logistics of collection management. I learned how to catalogue artworks on the VAC鈥檚 online database, conduct routine condition reports on paintings and photographs, and safely transport artwork. These hands-on experiences gave me an invaluable basis for navigating my research on the art collection.

The first element of my project involved researching the commission of a mural, entitled Scenes of 51吃瓜网and Her Great Men, to inaugurate the opening of the Redpath Library in 1953. Combing through the 51吃瓜网Board of Governor鈥檚 meeting minutes, available through 51吃瓜网 Archives, provided key contextual information surrounding President Frank Cyril James鈥� proposal for the mural.

Consulting York Wilson: His Life and Work by the artist鈥檚 wife, Lela Wilson, as well as news articles from the Montr茅al Gazette, I learned that Wilson spent extended period of time in Mexico City and San Miguel Allende where he met painter David Alfaro Siqueiros and was inspired by his use of car painting lacquer in lieu of traditional materials. This material, called 鈥楧uco鈥�, is a pyroxylin lacquer for cars manufactured by DuPont chemical company. Designed to be fast-drying and durable for industrial use, Wilson embraced this medium for his 51吃瓜网mural and was the first artist to introduce this technique to Canada.

Next, I went to the Montr茅al Museum of Fine Art鈥檚 archive to consult material on three exhibitions organized by a group of undergraduate students from 51吃瓜网and UdeM from 1956 to 1959. These students, working under a 51吃瓜网club named SCOPE, aimed to encourage youth participation in Canadian arts and culture, as well as democratize accessibility to art institutions like the MMFA. Two exhibitions were locally focused on Quebec painters and Canadian watercolourists, while the other exhibition consisted entirely of American paintings loaned from New York City museums and galleries. Reading exhibition catalogues, newspaper reviews, and correspondence between SCOPE members and the art institutions they collaborated with, I was able to piece together the robust story of these student鈥檚 impact on Montr茅al鈥檚 artistic scene.

Finally, I researched a donation of sixty-three artworks to the collection from the Montr茅al Star newspaper following its closure in 1979. These artworks, including the iconic bronze Barbara Hepworth statue in the James Sculpture Garden, were acquired by the Star鈥檚 publisher, John G. McConnell, during the 1960s. I visited the McCord Museum鈥檚 fonds on John G. McConnell to gain information concerning his art collection and his correspondence with gallerists and prominent artists featured in the Star collection, such as Jean-Paul Mousseau.

In addition to my research, I have also had the privilege of being involved in many of the VAC鈥檚 activities and programming. I learned to give tours of our public art on campus, met conservation specialists from Queen鈥檚 University, and processed new acquisitions to the collection. I would like to thank Professor Gwendolyn Owens, Michelle McLeod, and Jessica R茅gimbald for their mentorship throughout my research internship. I am also grateful to the archives at McGill, the McCord Museum, and the Montr茅al Museum of Fine Arts for lending me access to their fonds. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation鈥檚 gracious financial support in funding the Rosalind Goodman Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award.