The gallery is named after the Frank and Ellen Remai whose Foundation donated $30 million towards the building and future programming. The architects are Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and Smith Carter Architects and Engineers.
The Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan will be three times the size of the Mendel Gallery; it will also feature a theatre. The new gallery will be located downtown in the River Landing development on the shores of Saskatoon’s river valley.
The Mendel Gallery opened in 1964 and was hailed as:
“one of the finest examples of Modernist architecture”
in the province. It was named after Frederick Salmon Mendel who owned Intercontinental Packers Limited; he also donated much of his private collection to the gallery.
In the meantime, the Mendel Gallery continues to offer exceptional programming and exhibits. One exhibit of note is Brayers and Blusters: Inside a Printmaker’s Studio which will run from January 27-March 18, 2012. This exhibit will show the printmaking process “from plate to artist’s proof” and will feature workshops and demonstrations of equipment and tools. Presses, woodblocks, etching plates and supplies will be on display. Those interested in printmaking in Saskatoon, or who work for printing companies, should find much to enjoy and learn about from this exhibit. It might help to improve how they work.