Remai Modern announces admission by-donation Wednesdays
For immediate release — February 14, 2022
SASKATOON, CANADA — Starting on February 16, admission to Remai Modern will be by donation on Wednesdays as part of a one-year pilot. The goal of this move is to help increase access to the museum’s exhibitions and increase participation in programs. The museum is also removing the admission charge for children and youth under the age of 18 on all open days.
These changes come as a result of extensive consultation done with the public and stakeholder groups through the Board of Directors’ recent strategic planning process.
“One of four key goals laid out in Remai Modern’s new strategic plan is Accessibility, Inclusivity and Relevance. We have a responsibility as a public institution to ensure everyone in our community has opportunities to access to the museum and its programs,” said Doug Matheson, Chair, Board of Directors.
Visitors are invited to pay any amount of their choice to visit Remai Modern on Wednesdays throughout the year. As part of this new structure, all donations collected on Wednesdays will be matched by the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation.
“This is one of several ways we are working to better connect with residents and visitors, particularly those who have felt a real or perceived barrier to visit us thus far. We are grateful for the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation’s support of this move with their match,” said Aileen Burns & Johan Lundh, Co-Executive Director & CEOs. “Since opening, we have built strong relationships with young people through our schools, weekend artmaking and other youth-oriented programs which attract nearly 20,000 participants per year. By removing the admission charge for our younger visitors, we hope that they will come more often outside of structured programs, make the museum spaces their own, and bring their friends and families to share what they’ve learned.”
All donations to Remai Modern, including those collected on by-donation Wednesdays, support museum programs, such as working with local artists, connecting visitors with relevant and engaging art from around the world, offering inspiring programs for children and helping the museum reach a wide range of audiences both inside the museum and out in the community.
About the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation
Saskatoon entrepreneur and philanthropist Ellen Remai is Remai Modern’s lead patron. Since 2011, she has pledged more than $103 million to Remai Modern through the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation. The contribution is one of the largest donations to the arts in Canadian history.
Remai’s latest gift to the museum was a 2021 pledge of $800,000 amidst a challenging financial year for arts organizations and the economy as a whole.
About Remai Modern
Remai Modern is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Traditional Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to First Nations and Métis ancestors and reaffirm our relationship with one another.
Remai Modern is a new museum of modern and contemporary art in Saskatoon. The museum presents and collects local and international modern and contemporary art that connects, inspires and challenges diverse audiences through equitable and accessible programs.
Open since October 2017, Remai Modern is the largest contemporary art museum in western Canada and houses a collection of more than 8,000 works, including the world’s foremost collection of Picasso linocut prints.
Remai Modern would like to acknowledge the contributions of the Frank & Ellen Remai Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, SaskCulture through the Sask Lotteries Fund, SK Arts and the City of Saskatoon.
For additional information contact:
Stephanie McKay, Communications Manager
306.975.2242
smckay@remaimodern.org
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