The general director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), Stéphane Aquin, appointed in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic following the dismissal of Nathalie Bondil, has just accepted a new three-year mandate. He will have the task of implementing the first strategic plan of the museum institution.
Creation of a new space dedicated to Quebec and Canadian art in the Claire and Marc Bourgie pavilion; redeployment of the Inuit art collection in the historic Hornstein Pavilion; development of the new decorative art and design collection in the future Liliane and David M. Stewart Pavilion; transformation of the visitor reception area in the Jean-Noël Desmarais pavilion; redevelopment of Avenue du Musée into an urban garden; opening a cafe…
These are some of the projects that will be carried out by the MMFA in the coming months so that the institution is perfectly “adapted to the reality of the 21st century,” indicated Stéphane Aquin, who will continue to team up with the director of conservation, Mary-Dailey Desmarais, and with the deputy director general, Yves Théoret.
To achieve its strategic plan, the MMFA is leading a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $100 million over five years. According to Jo-Anne Duchesne, executive director of the Foundation, the museum has already reached 80% of this objective. The distribution will be as follows: 64% of the funds will be invested in the collection and programming; 15% will go to education programs like “The Sharing Museum” or “The Art Hive,” and 21% will be devoted to special projects.
“The pandemic has accelerated an awareness of what will make the 21st century: migration phenomena due to conflicts, concerns for social justice, changing demographics, with the aging of the baby boomer generation, the growing importance of the socio-cultural diversity of Montreal… The transformations that we want to make aim to adapt the museum to these changes to make it a place of life and exchange,” indicated the Director General of the MMFA.
Stéphane Aquin, who was the chief curator of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington until his appointment in 2020, had suggested that his time at the head of the MMFA was temporary. In an interview with La Presse, he said: “I am here to take the museum to the next generation. My mandate is a passing of the baton. The Museum of Fine Arts is a 19th century invention. We must accelerate the transition to the 21st century and let another generation take care of it. »
How does he explain the extension of his mandate? “In all honesty, when I came back, I told myself that a few years should be enough to accomplish the work: cleaning up the working climate, establishing a governance framework, showcasing the collection, but all this always takes more time than we think and, with the submission of the strategic plan, the board of directors asked me to stay for its implementation. »
Stéphane Aquin, whose main objective upon arriving was also to “reconnect with the staff”, believes he has fulfilled his mission.
“Humblely, relations with the 250 employees are very good. They are extremely talented colleagues. Putting processes back in place, resplitting the positions of general director and director of conservation, which we should never have merged, and renewing the board of directors [chaired by André Dufour], which is now made up of 14 people, all that helped,” the general manager told us.
Other news announced Monday: Dale Chihuly’s blown glass sculpture, The Sun, which was on display outside the historic MMFA pavilion since 2003 before being removed in 2020, will be reinstalled inside the museum, in the center of the future pavilion dedicated to decorative art and design. A decision justified by the bad weather which ended up damaging the tendrils of the work. Restoring it will require an investment of $200,000.
“We want the museum to be welcoming, accessible and open,” concludes Stéphane Aquin. I think that all of the transformation projects that we are going to put in place will allow us to achieve these objectives. »
The MMFA intends to exhibit some of the 17,000 works from its collection of Quebec and Canadian art on level 4 of the Claire and Marc Bourgie pavilion, where the Inuit art collection is currently located. The museum’s objective is to organize temporary exhibitions at least once a year, said the director of conservation, Mary-Dailey Desmarais. “We want to invite local curators and artists to carry out Quebec and Canadian projects. » As for the Inuit art collection, which includes around 900 works created by some 300 artists, it will be exhibited (in part) in the historic Hornstein Pavilion – currently under renovation. The space, which will be twice as large as in its current state, will be open next year thanks to the work of curator and visual artist Asinnajaq.
