Glenbow is celebrating its 60th anniversary!
Over the past six decades, Glenbow has grown into one of Western Canada’s most beloved and impactful cultural institutions, connecting generations of visitors with art, culture, history, and the many voices that shape this place.
Throughout the month, we’re marking the anniversary with a special series on our blog exploring Glenbow’s origins, evolution, collections, and what’s next. Previously, we explored Glenbow’s founding and the life and legacy of founder Eric Lafferty Harvie and Glenbow’s history in spaces.
In our latest post, we’ll explore a few highlights from Glenbow’s art collection and look ahead to how visitors will experience the collection when the museum reopens.
Highlights from the Collection
Ten years ago, Glenbow celebrated its 50th anniversary with Glenbow at 50: A Pop-Up Exhibition of 50 Extraordinary Works of Art. This exhibition showcased a range of artworks selected to represent the scope, diversity, and evolution of Glenbow’s collection since its founding in 1966. Rather than feature some of the museum’s most well-known artworks, the exhibition emphasized artworks that had been exhibited less often. Here, we’re revisiting a small selection from that exhibition.
Looking Ahead
Glenbow’s diverse and expansive collections of more than 250,000 artworks, objects, and belongings set it apart from other museums and public art galleries in Canada. When Glenbow reopens in its revitalized home, the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture, more of the museum’s extensive collections will be available to view more often.
New collections storage spaces with expansive windows will allow visitors to view art and object storage on floors five, six, and seven, which were not previously open to the public.
Additionally, Glenbow’s new Conservation Lab on the eighth floor will give visitors an opportunity to see how conservators maintain and preserve art, belongings, and objects.
We can’t wait for visitors to experience Glenbow’s collections in new and engaging ways.
