Glenbow has had a
changing yet integral
role in Calgary’s art
scene for 50 years, while
Contemporary Calgary is
one of the new kids on
the block. They’re both
paving the way for a new
era of art in Calgary
by mathew silver
24
THE ESSENTIAL CALGARY 2016/17
Glenbow, which was founded in 1966 as The
Glenbow Museum, has a rich and illustrious
history.
It all started with a generous philanthropist
named Eric Lafferty Harvie. When Imperial Oil
struck a geyser on land to which he owned
mineral rights in 1947, Harvie came into an
embarrassment of riches. With his newfound
wealth he endeavoured to showcase the
beauty and history of Southern Alberta, and
to expose Calgarians to the exoticism of
global cultures.
It was a simpler time. Calgary had a
population of slightly more than 330,000
people (compared to 1,235,171 in April 2016),
most of whom had never travelled outside of
the country. Google wouldn’t exist for another
half-century, which meant that museums
were an important and essential destination
for learning about the past. It also came at a
time when people were discarding their old
items — little treasures of local heritage that
would eventually provide a window to the
past. Harvie started collecting anything and
everything.
Fifty years after Glenbow was founded,
Harvie’s vision has grown into the largest art
collection in Western Canada with 33,000
artworks on display and in its archives. The
museum remains a cultural anchor for the
regional and Western Canadian experience.
Now, change is afoot. Glenbow consulted
focus groups to drop “the” and “museum”
from its name, with the goal of modernizing
the brand. The eight-storey building which
houses the museum is due for an upgrade
as well. It was built in 1976 by the Alberta
government, which suggests that the
carpeting, lighting, and woodwork are
outmoded.
Since a museum will be measured for
both its collection and the building in which
it resides, Glenbow has engaged a local
architecture firm to address everything from
PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT TO RIGHT) COURTESY GLENBOW; COURTESY TOURISM CALGARY
A Tale of Two Galleries