A TIMELINE OF THE REMAI MODERN TRUSTEE TURNOVER TEMPEST
A timeline of the events leading to the turmoil surrounding the removal/resignations of half the Remai Modern art gallery board:
Oct. 21, 2017: The Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan opens after more than four years of construction beset by delays and rising costs.
October 2018: The Remai Modern marks one year of operation and celebrates surpassing its ambitious goals for attendance, revenue and membership sales.
Dec. 10, 2018: City council’s governance and priorities committee meets in camera, then reconvenes to unanimously endorse the reappointment of Coun. Mairin Loewen and Coun. Cynthia Block to the Remai Modern board of trustees. The committee also endorses the creation of a Remai Modern/city council “working group.” Council votes to defer decisions on other appointments to the Remai Modern board until January. Most of the other 2019 appointments to boards and committees are endorsed by council.
Dec. 17, 2018: Council votes to create a working group that includes Loewen, Coun. Bev Dubois and Coun. Ann Iwanchuk and three members from the Remai Modern board. The motion endorsed does not explain the group or its mandate.
Dec. 19, 2018: Gregory Burke, executive director and chief executive officer of the Remai Modern and, prior to that, of the Mendel Art Gallery since February 2013, announces he is leaving to become executive director of the Auckland Art Gallery in his hometown in New Zealand.
Jan. 21, 2019: Council’s governance and priorities committee votes to defer Remai Modern board appointments until February.
Feb. 11, 2019: Board chair Scott Verity sends a memo to Remai Modern staff explaining changes to the organizational structure. In it, Verity explains the board has decided to create a new position to separate some of the duties of the executive director/ceo. The new chief operating officer will focus on the operational side of the gallery, while the CEO will handle programming. Celene Anger, the City of Saskatoon’s director of construction and design, has been appointed to the new role on an interim basis, Verity explains. Verity also mentions two reports on the gallery workplace by the city’s ombudsman and by Logia Consulting. He says a human resources officer was appointed by the board to implement “recommended workplace improvements” in response to the Logia report.
Feb. 13, 2019: According to Remai Modern board member and secretary Alison Norlen, she and board chair Scott Verity receive phone calls from Mayor Charlie Clark to inform them their terms on the board will not be renewed. Norlen sends an email to Verity, the board and Clark in which she attributes the removal of herself and Verity to their “strong voices, (including at times points of view that differ from council), that our high level of experience, is seen as undesirable at this point in the Remai’s progression, at least according to city council.” She further cautions against decisions “that can be seen as political, as opposed to the best interest of our magnificent modern gallery.” Norlen would later share the email with media.
Feb. 19, 2019: Council’s governance and priorities committee meets in camera for nine hours with board appointments among the agenda items. It’s now known that by the time the committee met, the city clerk had received four letters from board members who were either leaving the board or withdrawing their request to be reappointed. Those who resigned include: vice-chair Trent Bester, treasurer Jenna Richards, Veronica Gamracy and Garnet Mcelree. Karen Chad signalled in October she did not intend to seek reappointment. Council endorsed the reappointment of two board members and the appointment of five new board members at 10:30 p.m. The fate of board member Beau Atkins is not immediately known. It appears there had already been two vacancies on the 14-member board.
Feb. 20, 2019: Clark, Loewen, Block and city clerk Joanne Sproule refuse to reveal the composition of the board after the departures. “We are focused on supporting the gallery as it moves forward in advancing its mandate. I’m not at liberty to comment on any of the other board appointments,” Clark says in a brief interview with The Starphoenix. Clark cites the confidential process of board and committee appointments for his silence.
Feb. 22. 2019: Verity reveals in a statement that he was not given a reason for not being reappointed to the board. He also releases the Feb. 11 memo sent to staff. Verity hints at political interference with the board, but declines further comment. Richards and Gamracy share their letters of resignation with The Starphoenix. Both praise Verity, but decline to comment further. Gamracy says in her letter that the relationship between the board and the City of Saskatoon was “problematic.”
Feb. 25, 2019: The four resigning board members and Norlen confirm their status in emails sent to the city clerk that are attached to the city council agenda. Council votes unanimously to approve the five new board members and the two returning members. Council also endorses a statement expressing appreciation to those who helped open the gallery and saying that council “remains focused on supporting the gallery to fulfil the mandate of our community’s modern art museum.” Clark tells reporters that council’s role does not include meddling with the operation of the gallery or with programming, but declines an opportunity to deny that political interference took place. He acknowledges the gallery had a “tremendous first year.”