HOLLY CULP
Arts Writer

Although the Mendel Art Gallery may appear seamless in its exhibition of art from a patron’s perspective, the truth is that the Mendel is way over capacity in the storage area of its massive permanent collection.

The Mendel fell under heavy criticism last fall when they announced that, instead of expanding their current space, they would be entering the new Art Gallery of Saskatchewan, located at River Landing. Moving the gallery entirely and building a new facility will cost close to $55 million while a renovation of the current location would cost $22 million.

Established in 1964 with the City of Saskatoon, the province and Fred Mendel each contributing a third of the costs toward the project, the Mendel has been a staple in Saskatoon for nearly half a century, receiving close to 200,000 visitors per year.

According to the Mendel’s director Vincent Varga, the building is not meeting the basic needs of the gallery.

“It was built at a time where there were different standards of building, different standards of art,” said Varga. “The building was built with all the best of intentions but clearly after 45 years it has seen better days.”

A major concern for critics of the move is whether or not Mendel’s legacy will fit in to the new location. Varga assured that in the new location there will be a gallery named for Mendel that will permanently exhibit the 13 pieces that Mendel originally donated, which are kept in storage at the current location most of the time.

Another concern for the current location is maintaining the correct humidity and temperature and receiving works safely. Receiving an upcoming exhibition by artist Adrian Stimson, also known as Buffalo Boy, proved to be a logistical nightmare when the 2,600 pound bison, serving as the centerpiece of the show, was too large to fit into the Mendel’s elevator. The art world has changed drastically since the Mendel’s beginnings and the current facility does not seem to be making the grade.

“We’ve been maintaining the building over the years but there are some real physical limitations,” said Varga. “The art world is in essence what we have to keep up with because you never know what they’re going to do next.”

Questions of what will happen to the current building have been buzzing since the announcement to move was made. It remains unclear what exactly the building will become once the Mendel moves out.

“We don’t know specifically, but my understanding is that this is a city owned building. So it will be repurposed, but we’re not a part of that discussion,” said Varga.

Inside the cramped vault where the Mendel currently stores most of the 5,666 piece permanent collection, space is hard to come by. One of the pull-out racks of paintings revealed a Lawren Harris painting worth $3.5 million being hung not two inches away from the surrounding paintings. Paintings that couldn’t make it onto a pull-out rack rested on the floor. Sculptures, installations and other larger works are stored at a top-secret off-site location.

The Art Gallery of Saskatchewan is set to be built as a part of the River Landing project, and with support from the federal and provincial governments, the dream of a better space for Saskatoon’s art will soon be realized.

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photo: Robby Davis