On this day in 1924, the Edmonton Museum of Art opened its first exhibition.
The event happened just a few months after the museum was incorporated in August of that year. The organizers were a mix of local artists, politicians, and business leaders, but Maud Bowman, a passionate advocate for the value of art, led the effort. (Bowman would later become the museum's first president and director.)
The fledgling museum had a tireless advocate but neither a collection nor a space to show it. The first exhibition was held in the Palm Room at the Hotel Macdonald and consisted of almost 150 pieces of art and historical relics, borrowed mostly from local artists and collectors. Included in the exhibition were 24 paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Canada.
){kind=link}
The exhibition was a wild success, with thousands coming to view the artwork over three days. It soon became an annual event, with four more showings held at the hotel. The museum then moved to a vacant office on Jasper Avenue in 1927.
For the next few decades, the museum moved between rented spaces downtown, slowly growing its collection through purchases and donations. In 1952, the Edmonton Museum of Art found its first real home in Secord House. There, the museum not only had the space to display its collection, but it also hosted art education classes and other events.
Around this time, the organization changed its name to the Edmonton Art Gallery. However, it soon became apparent that Secord House lacked environmental controls and security, which limited what institutions would loan art to the museum.
Construction began on a new building, made possible by financial gifts and a land donation from the City of Edmonton. In 1969, the museum moved into the Arthur Blow Condell Memorial Building. Designed by architect Don Bittorf, the building stood as one of the most striking examples of Brutalist architecture in Edmonton.
In the mid 2000s, the art gallery began another major renovation. The institution got another name, too, becoming the Art Gallery of Alberta in 2005. The gallery itself was overhauled. Much of the original building was demolished, while the rest was incorporated into a new structure, which opened in 2010. Part of the design included a 190-metre steel ribbon set above the entrance of the museum, which was inspired by both the North Saskatchewan River and the northern lights.
The new building boasts 30,000 square feet of exhibition space, providing more room to showcase the AGA's impressive collection, most of which is focused on Albertan and Western Canadian artists. This year, the gallery celebrated its centennial with several special events, including a speakeasy night that paid tribute to the Palm Room where the gallery got its start 100 years ago.
This clipping was found on Vintage Edmonton, a daily look at Edmonton's history from armchair archivist @revRecluse of @VintageEdmonton.