Remai gallery board picks lawyer as interim leader
A Saskatoon lawyer has been named the interim chair of the troubled Remai Modern art gallery board.
Beau Atkins, one of just three non-politicians returning to the board, was appointed at Tuesday’s annual general meeting of the board. Dr. Grant Stoneham, another of the returning board members, was named interim vice-chair.
The changes come as part of leadership upheaval at the Remai Modern with seven board members departing, six of whom are leaving as a result of the ouster of former chair Scott Verity and former secretary Alison Norlen.
A board source said Wednesday the members want time to sort through the transition before the roles are solidified. The upheaval comes after a successful first year of operation with suggestions that political interference from city hall had become a problem.
Ironically, the gallery’s 2018 annual report, released Wednesday, includes messages from Verity and departed executive director and CEO Gregory Burke.
“I continue to believe in and support the museum’s mission to exhibit dynamic modern and contemporary world art from a Saskatchewan point of view,” Verity said in a statement in the report.
After Tuesday’s meeting, the city council-appointed board is now composed of 10 members, including Coun. Cynthia Block and Coun. Mairin Loewen, although there are spots for 14.
A biography on the Edge Family Law website says Atkins was born and raised in Calgary before attending law school at the University of Saskatchewan in 2008. Atkins, Block and Loewen were approached for comment Wednesday.
According to Norlen, she and Verity were informed by Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark on Feb. 13 that their terms would not be renewed. Four more members resigned as a result, with some suggesting political interference had become a problem.
Clark has said city council became involved in gallery operations due to “workplace concerns” that he declined to identify.
Meanwhile, the Remai Modern managed a surplus in its first full calendar year of operation and attracted far more visits than expected, according to the art gallery’s 2018 annual report.
The gallery accumulated 421,434 total visits in 2018. The largest chunk of that total, 181,695, were visits to the free Connect Gallery. The total visits may include people who also visited the areas of the building where paid admission or membership is required. In other words, some people may have been counted more than once.
Other visitation statistics include: 109,476 visits to the retail store, 44,705 who paid general admission, 37,847 restaurant patrons and 15,171 visits by members.
The number of members as of Dec. 31 topped 7,000; 2018 membership revenue was $303,815. Admission revenue was $431,406.
The report shows the gallery raised $9.8 million in revenue in 2018, including $5.5 million from the City of Saskatoon, $1.6 million in donations and sponsorships and $1.7 million in self-generated revenue, including admissions, memberships and rentals. The gallery spent $52,000 less than it took in.