A visionary gift

In the early 1900s, deep in the heart of the prairies, thousands of miles from the nearest gallery, Norman MacKenzie envisioned Regina as home to one of the finest art galleries in Canada. With a simple bequest in his will, he planted the seeds that made it happen.

In 1936, he left to the University of Saskatchewan 374 art objects, in addition to property and securities He also indicated his wish that a gallery be built in Regina to house that collection. Unfortunately, his death occurred during the Depression and his estate was not worth enough to fulfill his dream.

It was 1953 before the University built a single gallery adjacent to the College Building on College Avenue that included MacKenzie’s bequest. Then in 1957, with additional funds from the province, the gallery was extended and expanded to include an art department. In 1990, it moved to its current location in the TC Douglas Building on Albert Street where it now houses an impressive array of art collections fulfilling MacKenzie’s wish.

According to Timothy Long, Head Curator of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, there was visionary element in MacKenzie’s bequest. “It was intended to foster the arts in a province that had very little access to art of any historical significance,” explains Long. “In 1957 it was, quite literally, the best art gallery between Toronto and Vancouver.”

Long explains that another of MacKenzie’s wishes was to make the gallery valuable for students. Currently, it is used to present examples of various schools and periods, exposing students and the public to the history of art through primary sources.

Philanthropists today who wish to support the Gallery have a number of options for leaving their own legacy gifts, including financial donations, donations of artwork or through the purchase of a work of art in memory of a loved one. In this way, they can leave a meaningful gift to the community that, like MacKenzie’s gift, can be enjoyed for decades to come. “A gift like his has consequences that extend over several generations,” says Long. “I say, ‘Hats off to MacKenzie’.”