The MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina will soon be showcasing more Indigenous artwork.
Thomas Druyan and Alice Ladner have pledged to donate over 1,000 pieces by Indigenous artists.
The Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art was named after Druyan’s grandparents Wolf and Sala Kampelmacher.
“It’s important that this collection is used as an educational resource,” Timothy Long, head curator at the MacKenzie Art Gallery said. “It’s important for the gallery and I think it’s important for the province, where we have such an incredible cohort of Indigenous artists that work here.”
Some of the gift is touring as part of the gallery’s Provincial Touring Artists and Exhibition Program, and more of the collection will be on display at the MacKenzie starting Jan. 25.
“One piece led to another, and it soon became a passion, with treks to galleries all over Canada and the northeastern U.S. We have also been fortunate to have lived up north for more than a decade, which has allowed us to meet many leading Inuit artists,” says Druyan. “This personal contact with the artists and their families has greatly enriched our appreciation of the art in our collection and enhanced our passion about the material. All the more reason, therefore, to give it to a museum that we are confident will care for it much as we do, and that is the MacKenzie Art Gallery. Although my grandparents were neither rich nor famous, I am glad that there will be something in their adopted country to commemorate them.”
The donation is being delivered in three installments over a three-year period, and is worth seven figures, according to the museum’s Executive Director and CEO Anthony Kiendl.
“Thomas and Alice are visionary collectors, who bring a rare sensitivity and desire to understanding how different artists develop their skills, as well as how these works relate to the artist’s own community and its traditions,” Kiendl, says. “Just as importantly, they understand that this collection will engage the next generation of audiences and scholars—a commitment we share.”
The first installment came in 2016 with 221 of the 234 pieces from the exhibition called, “Across the Turtle’s Back: The Kampelmacher Memorial Collection of Indigenous Art.”
“Alice and I are thrilled that our collection is going to reside at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, which has been a leader since the 1970’s in showcasing works by Indigenous artists and in promoting Indigenous curatorship,” Druyan added. “This collection is named for my grandparents of blessed memory, who immigrated to Canada in 1969, because I want to give back to the country that welcomed us at our time of need. We can think of no better way to do so than with a gift that reflects the cultural diversity of these lands—and by giving them to an institution where we feel confident they will be shared with the public in a wide range of exhibitions and educational programs. We were heartened by the warm reception that the people of Regina gave to the 2016 exhibition of a portion of our collection and are pleased to deepen our relationship.”
(Photo: The Anishinaabe/Ojibway artist Allen (Ahmoo) Angeconeb’s silkscreen on paper work Wolves Looking Out of Den. Photo courtesy of MacKenzie Hamon.)