posted on Nov. 23: Museum looks forward to new shows, programs

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/cameraman.jpg” caption=”Cameraman films new exhibit in Museum”]The large billboard at Longwood and Aberdeen streets in
Hamilton tells the story. McMaster's Museum of Art is “refreshed,
renewed, restyled and reopened.”

After being closed for six months, the Museum doors were
opened to patrons on Sunday, Nov. 18.

At an afternoon reception to mark the occasion, Gillian Cooper,
chair of the Museum's Administrative Board, gave a brief
summary of the improvements made to the facility while it was
closed.

“Our environmental system has been enhanced with the latest
technological advancements, renovations have been made to
the galleries — the walls in the galleries and support spaces
have been resurfaced and painted — carpets have been cleaned,
and permanent collection exhibitions have been redesigned and
reinstalled,” she said.

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She also provided an overview of the work that's been carried out
by staff during this period. “They have worked diligently to
preserve and research the collection. They have researched and
scheduled special educational programming, they have
developed exhibitions for the 2002-03 program year and they
have implement a renewed public awareness plan for the
Museum.” (The awareness plan includes the installation of the
advertising billboard mentioned above and new banners with
images from the collection.)

Cooper commended Museum staff for their dedication and
commitment to maintaining the integrity of the collection under
difficult circumstances. She also thanked Karen Belaire,
vice-president administration, for her role in ensuring the
completion of the maintenance and renewal project.

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University President Peter George, present for the reopening,
described the collection as one of the most significant university
art collections not just in the country but in North America. “The
Museum is extremely important to the teaching function of
McMaster and its students but it also serves as a cultural and
educational resource for the entire University community,” he
added.

The event also marked the launch of a special exhibit of the
Ontario Crafts Council titled Looking Forward: New Views of
the Craft Object.

Rosalyn Morrison, executive director of the Ontario Crafts
Council, described the 50-piece exhibit as one that explores the
richness and diversity of the craft field and demonstrates the
“value of the handmade object now in the high-tech era.” The
show was on view at the One of A Kind Show in Toronto last
year.

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In developing the exhibit, a call for submissions yielded works
from 150 national artists. From this, 50 works were selected.
Morrison described the show as cosmopolitan, sophisticated
and one “that indicates that Canadian craft continues to be a
force on the international scene.”

Photos(top to bottom):Cameraman films exhibit; Cox
Table, 1999 by Robert Akroyd and dinnerware set by Allison
Skinner; Sasa Bug, 1999 by Jennifer Angus;Bird, 2000 by Tanya
Zaryski.