CALGARY – Glenbow, an independent, non-profit museum, archive and gallery located in Calgary, announced today the Shaw Family Foundation has donated $35 million to help increase the accessibility of the museum and to celebrate the legacy of Shaw Communications founder JR Shaw.
The donation includes $25 million to establish the JR Shaw Free Admissions Endowment, which will allow Glenbow to “eliminate general admission in perpetuity, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to access its resources,” a press release says.
“At Glenbow, we have long believed that art is for everyone and have committed to increasing accessibility to arts and culture,” said Nicholas R. Bell, president and CEO, Glenbow, in the release.
“This gift is pivotal in our journey to reimagine the museum. The Glenbow collection belongs to the people of Alberta and now, thanks to the incredible generosity and vision of the Shaw family, it will truly be inclusive and accessible to everyone.”
The other $10 million will go towards creating the JR Shaw Institute for Canadian Art, which will be operated by Glenbow and will have annual exhibitions, diverse programs, an artist-in-residence program and an internship and fellowship program.
The building in downtown Calgary that houses Glenbow will be renamed the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture (pictured above in an architectural concept rendering by Dialog) when it reopens after current renovations have been completed. The renovations “will transform 312,000 square feet of space into one of the most vibrant and inclusive art museums in North America,” the release explains.
“Our family is proud to honour JR the best way we know how – by building upon his passion for Canadian art and artists and passing it along for future generations to enjoy without any barriers,” said Julie Shaw, president of the Shaw Family Foundation.
“JR was so proud of the beautiful works created by Canada’s artists, and he did everything he could to ensure people would have the opportunity to enjoy them as much as he did,” she said. “In that spirit, this tribute to JR is also meant to be a generational gift for the people and visitors to the city he loved to call home.”
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Image borrowed from the @Glenbow Twitter page.
