Research

WAG-Qaumajuq Curator of Inuit Art, Darlene Coward Wight reflected on the time she spent with renowned Inuit artist, Elisapee Ishulutaq in the new McMichael Canadian…

Head of Collections & Exhibitions, Riva Symko wrote about decolonizing museums in Anchorage Museum’s latest issue of Chatter Marks. In the article, From Considering a…

Darlene Coward Wight, WAG-Qaumajuq Curator of Inuit Art talked about the new Inuit art centre with Rachel Ozerkevich of Art & Object. “Since 1961, WAG…

In this Kingston Whig Standard article, WAG-Qaumajuq Curator of Inuit Art, Darlene Coward Wight gives insight into the life of Oviloo Tunnillie. The novice artist’s…

WAG-Qaumajuq Curator of Inuit Art, Darlene Coward Wight, wrote an article for Above & Beyond – Canada’s Arctic Journal about Germaine Arnaktauyok. “In 1998, I…

Due to construction and opening of Qaumajuq – the Inuit art centre, the WAG instituted an acquisitions slowdown for 2020-21, both for artwork donations and…

The world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art will soon be accessible for all to see in the new Visible Vault at Qaumajuq, the…

Today was an important day at the WAG. With the leadership of Elders Clarence and Barbara Nepinak and their daughter Rebecca, Ceremony was held in…

Every summer, the WAG is pleased to welcome students for internships in a variety of departments and roles. Hear from four interns on their experience…

This small painting carries big energy. The striking, intense colour and strong, urgent brushstrokes seem to animate the image beyond the edges of the paper….

Our curators always have an eye out for works of art to add to the WAG collection, your collection. Both to build exhibitions and diversify…

Get to know the WAG’s Head of Collections & Exhibitions and Curator of Canadian Art, Dr. Riva Symko, who started in January. Riva’s primary areas of…

The WAG received an early holiday present in 2016 with the loan of the monumental sculpture The Thinker by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). One of the…

Shortly after my arrival at the WAG, we organized a retrospective exhibition of the Winnipeg artist, Bruce Head (1931-2009). Sadly, a year later Bruce passed…

Every so often there is a singular artwork that seems tailor made in scale and timing for a gallery space. This was the case for…

I often associate spring with new growth – and the waiting and hoping for things planted in past seasons to rise up. It’s like the…

Speaking of spring and planting, one of my favourite photographic series by Winnipeg artist Sarah Anne Johnson is her series on tree planting. A few…

When visitors see “The Story” (1890) by the Canadian artist George Agnew Reid (1860-1947) at the WAG, they often ask two things – what are…

Winnipeg-born Rosalie Favell often incorporates material from family photo albums and popular culture and media to document her experience as an Indigenous woman and artist….

A 737 cargo jet filled with Antique Greek and Roman sculptures and artifacts destined from Berlin to Winnipeg. That was the start of the 2015…

The main limestone-clad stairway originating from the entrance hall of the WAG provides a gracious entree to the Mezzanine and Gallery levels, offering exhibition spaces…

I remember clearly the day I first met the Winnipeg artist Eva Stubbs (1925-2017). I had just arrived at the WAG as Director a few…

Turning from the art collection to the architecture and back to the collection, I wanted to devote some posts to the artists behind the works….

For me, it’s the best rooftop garden in the city hands down. On a bright spring day, hot summer evening, or fall afternoon, this expansive…

We called it a summer with the Impressionists: “French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950” brought together 70 paintings and sculptures from the Brooklyn Museum in…

A window is a valued asset in these days of self isolation; and a window that opens up to a view is a prize. With…

You may have seen a star blanket mural by Kenneth Lavallee on the side of a building in Winnipeg. I wanted one for the WAG…

“Easter Morning, La Petite Penitente, Brittany” was painted by Mary Riter Hamilton (1873-1954) around 1900 while she was studying in Paris. After her studies, Hamilton…

My Daily Art . . . Over life-sized on a pedestal, she stands over two meters tall, sheathed in sculpted white plaster – honest, direct,…

For some reason several of my photos of these two artists happen to show them standing together – Jaimie Isaac and Julie Nagam. Of course…

My Daily Art is back . . . Fifty years apart they both wore blue. Half a century ago it was Her Royal Highness Princess…

Turning from the WAG collection to the architecture behind the art, I wanted to feature some of the spaces of what is considered one of…

Art is a voice, and a powerful one. Art also brings us together and helps us communicate with each other, and learn – as a…

From the surreal images of the northern Manitoba landscape to the fields and forests of 19th-century France, I wanted to share a painting by the…

I am hoping this is the last day for months that I post a snow picture. But to bid adieu to the winter I may…

In 2016, I came across a Globe & Mail story about an artist, Teva Harrison, who, after being diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer,…

Another celebrated Victorian artist, William De Morgan (1839-1917) was one of the most influential ceramic artists of his day, even though some said his vessels…

Participating in the WAG’s INSURGENCE/RESURGENCE exhibition in 2017, Joi T. Arcand chose Cree syllabics in neon and other materials to explore the revitalization of the…

The British painter John Everett Millais (1829-1896) gave his painting “Afternoon Tea” in the WAG collection the subtitle “The Gossips”. Perhaps it was because he…

Often when we think about Inuit art, carvings, prints, drawings, and textiles come to mind. But there is a lot more to this contemporary artistic…

Still thinking of the landscape, I wanted to return to Winnipeg – and our amazing river landscapes. In Native Fires (1996) in the WAG collection,…

In this time of self-isolation and quarantine, people’s faces are protected, covered, and even hid. It made me think about the hooded portraits by Winnipeg…

A big part of great architecture is relationships. Over the last few years I’ve had the pleasure of working with Michael Maltzan on the creation…

Robert Archambeau has been working and teaching with clay for over sixty years. This is a legacy of studio excellence, academic prowess, and profound mentorship…

My Daily Art . . . This morning I woke up searching for an artwork that would help me look ahead, focus on the positive,…

The title of this 1922 painting by Frank Johnston – Serenity, Lake of the Woods – says so much and offers so much about the…

Raised by family friends in Germany through her formative years, Christiane Pflug and her family later settled in Toronto in the early 1960s. For many…

Fittingly, the main entrance hall of the WAG is named in honour of Dr. Ferdinand Eckhardt (1902-1995), the visionary WAG director that ushered the Gallery…

It’s Friday, and the WAG is planning to reopen next week after a seven-week closure. It’s also Day #44 in my series. I’m not really…

Since it’s my birthday today, I thought I would share a personal story. Museum directors sometimes ask each other – which artwork would you grab…

Same artist two days in a row – but Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald (1890-1956) deserves it this time around. Imagine working on a retrospective exhibition for…

While the WAG is temporarily closed, your collection is still here for you. Stay connected with the art through daily posts from our Director & CEO, Dr….

My LAST Daily Art . . . Art is a Voice – and I’ve heard and seen countless voices over these days of isolation and…

My Daily Art . . . In these challenging days of the pandemic, I often find myself turning to art for inspiration, even escape. With…

I was a curator long before I was a director – and it remains my first love in the museum world. For a curator, there…

The inspiration for “Girl with Red Shirt” (2005) by the Winnipeg-born Janet Werner was a magazine advertisement for children’s clothing. The artist then reduced the…

Winnipeg is a city of many nations and cultures. When it comes to architecture, this diversity is mirrored through a mix of regional, national, and…

Since the 1970s, Tony Scherman has pursued image and figuration over other movements of the day such as Pop Art and Conceptualism. And for his…

The architectural competition for the new WAG attracted 109 entrants from around the world. The jury selected Gustavo da Roza, a young Portuguese-Canadian architect and…

35 daily art posts and I still haven’t talked about the magicians at the WAG. So before I share a few of my favourite exhibitions…

On April 2 we opened the exhibition Into the Light: Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald to an audience of one – the security officer on duty that morning….

After years of planning we were thrilled to break ground on the WAG Inuit Art Centre on May 25, 2018. This would be the home…

For me, the Winnipeg artist Cliff Eyland cannot be defined by one of his paintings, photo-based works or any art object. When I think of…

I included this wool felt embroidery work by the Inuit artist Marion Tuu’luq (1910-2002) in my 100 Masters: Only in Canada exhibition at the WAG…