Remai Modern and University of Saskatchewan to sign partnership agreement

SASKATOON – In what is believed to be the first agreement in Canada between a university and a city-owned art museum, University of Saskatchewan (U of S) President Peter Stoicheff and Remai Modern Executive Director and CEO Gregory Burke will sign an historic partnership agreement Tuesday.

The partnership agreement between Remai Modern and the U of S expresses the aspirations of two of the city’s and the province’s most significant cultural institutions to collaborate in areas of complementary strength and mission.

The partnership recognizes the complementary nature of the two institutions’ visions to be global leaders in select areas of activity—Remai Modern as a direction-setting art museum that boldly collects, presents and interprets the art of our time, developing new models for sharing knowledge and engaging diverse local and global communities—and the U of S as a member of the country’s top research-intensive, medical-doctoral universities with globally recognized expertise in specific areas of research, scholarly and artistic work.

“With this agreement, we’re seeking to optimize the collaborative possibilities between Remai Modern and the university, through joint initiatives that will benefit Remai Modern, the university, and the community,” said Burke.

“The partnership contributes to the international leadership of both organizations and to their respective mandates to serve their local communities,” said Stoicheff. “The respective programs of both Remai Modern and the U of S engage with and impact the broader social, cultural and economic development of the city and the province. Both institutions affirm their commitment to advancing diversity, sustainability, connectivity and creativity.”

The two cultural institutions are agreeing to pursue collaborative enterprises in the areas of public programming; Indigenous initiatives; partnered exhibitions; research, scholarly and artistic work; teaching and instruction; and acquisition activities.

A special focus of the partnership involves engagement with Remai Modern’s pre-eminent collection of Pablo Picasso linocuts and a related collection of ceramics by Picasso.

The signing of the partnership, which is open to media and the public, will take place in the atrium at Remai Modern on Tuesday, December 5 at 6:30 pm, in advance of Stoicheff’s “Viewpoints” talk at the museum at 7 pm. The talk Peter Stoicheff viewpoints is free with admission.

In his talk, Stoicheff, formerly a member of the Remai Modern Board of Directors, will share his thoughts on selected works displayed in the museum’s inaugural exhibition, Field Guide. He’ll touch on a selection of linocuts by Picasso and exemplary modernist works by Saskatchewan artists.

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