It seems important to me today to take a moment to correct certain erroneous information circulating about the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) at a time when the Museum needs the support of the citizens of our beautiful metropolis more than ever.
Of course, I share the outrage and anger associated with the prolonged shutdown of our beloved MAC – how could I do otherwise? We are all – the management team, the board and the staff – disappointed by the delays in this long-awaited project. Despite everything, I never questioned the commitment and dedication of all the participating partners, the Ministry of Culture, the Government of Canada, Place des Arts, the Société québécoise des infrastructures, but also many citizens benefactors and the MAC Foundation – to whom I am grateful. We all fervently hope for an inauguration as soon as possible.
We are at our fourth exhibition at Place Ville Marie (PVM) since our arrival in December 2021, and have welcomed nearly 55,000 visitors.
The MAC’s expertise continues to shine. I am proud of our accomplishments at PVM beginning with Forensic Architecture’s hotly topical inaugural exhibition with Laura Poitras, followed by the extraordinary Mika Rottenberg, Quebec artists Nelson Henricks, Skawennati, a mural commission from Walter Scott , and the very recent exhibition of the winner of the 2021 Duchamp Prize, Lili Reynaud-Dewar.
The MAC remains committed to its role as a catalyst for ideas, a space for dialogue and a showcase for new trends in contemporary art. The MAC teams work with dedication to maintain ties with our audiences and the community through exhibitions, multiple educational initiatives, research projects and major sectoral projects.
An enriched offer
Also, we are preparing a year of captivating programming, rich in activities spread over several sites across the city that will enrich the existing offer next fall.
Regarding the MAC’s collection operations, we faced operational constraints related to temporary operation sites while we await the start of construction at Place des Arts. We had to make several difficult decisions, including the decision to impose a temporary moratorium on acquisitions – a reality shared by many museums.
We are all faced with the same challenges (space, adaptation of practices to climate change, etc.).
Aware of the important role that acquisitions can play in the careers of artists, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the MAC continues to support them and offer them opportunities.
As for loan requests, they are carefully analyzed by the Collection team, in accordance with our Collections Management Policy and physical access to works.
I am convinced that the MAC, a key player in the arts ecosystem in Quebec, must regain its place in the largest cultural district in the country, and even if I do not have a definitive answer today on the date on which we will be able to return to our building, rest assured that this will be communicated to the citizens who regularly tell us of their great eagerness to find their MAC.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the exceptional work of the teams, who made considerable efforts to move the MAC and the collections, a major undertaking in itself; and have shown an unwavering commitment and motivation to maintain and adapt our activities, while developing major projects in anticipation of the upcoming reintegration into our new MAC.
* With the support of Claudie Imbleau-Chagnon, president of the board of directors of the MAC as well as that of all the members of the board: Eleonore Derome, Lisa Baillargeon, Arielle Beaudin, Geneviève Cadieux, Yves Gauthier, Stéphanie Moffatt, Josée Noiseux, Marc Séguin, Jean-Philippe Shoiry, Martine St-Victor, Kristian Manchester