Admission by donation coming to Remai Modern

Access to Saskatoon’s Remai Modern art gallery is about to get much easier for visitors.

The Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation has pledged $10 million to provide admission to the gallery by donation for the next 20 years, leaving the standard rates for admission behind. The change will come into effect Oct. 22, and there is no minimum or maximum limit on how much patrons can choose to donate. Children under 18 will still be admitted for free.

Johan Lundh and Alieen Burns, who share the roles of executive directors and CEO for the gallery, made the announcement Thursday.

With the new model, Lundh said the gallery is expecting to see a surge of people coming through its doors.

(Steve Seto/650 CKOM)

“I think it’s safe to say that we’re looking at a 30 per cent increase to visitation because of this. In other parts of the world, you see as much 50 per cent increase of visitation,” Lundh said.

According to Lundh, the move will allow more groups of people to visit by knocking down the cost barrier standing in their way.

The change comes as the Remai Modern is set to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

“We have a gem in our city. We should all wear that with a lot of pride. I know that I am extremely proud,” Ellen Remai said in a statement.

“My gift — by-donation admission to the museum — reaffirms my relationship and my long-term commitment to Remai Modern.”

This isn’t an entirely new concept for the Remai Modern, Burns said.

“For about the past six months we have been operating an admission by donation day on Wednesdays. And on those days we’ve already seen a doubling of attendance, and we have seen an average donation of $6 per visitor,” Burns said, adding that the model will still help bring in finances for the gallery.

“Our great history of the Ralwco Radio free days has shown us that when we drop the financial barrier to access, we see more and larger family groups, lots of newcomers to the city exploring us for the first time. So we do see this change as something that will help us reach a broader family demographic,” Burns added.

But with more people expected to walk through the doors, there could be a greater need for interactive opportunities, Lundh said.

“We also need to make sure we have programs. So, if more children or young people are coming through we need to look at what we’re offering children, young people and families,” Lundh said.

The timing of the announcement comes as many civic facilities are still looking to recover from the pandemic and see growth.

Burns said the gallery has is aiming for 70 per cent recovery based on pre-pandemic numbers, and is well on track to hit that mark. Over the summer, the Remai Modern saw attendance rebound to pre-pandemic levels.

The move to the new admission model is similar to what other museums and galleries are doing around the country. The Shaw family recently donated $30 million to Calgary’s Glenbow Museum to make admission free forever.