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By Gregory Burke

A year after opening, Remai Modern bathed in international acclaim, immense community support and outstanding attendance. Many around Canada, and beyond, were in awe of how a small Prairie city captured the global imagination.

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Now, just a few short months later, the gallery’s future is uncertain and it is at risk of losing the local and international credibility it has established. You would be right to ask how did this happen and who is responsible.

Photo by Liam Richards / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

There are still factions that won’t support the bold move to leave the Mendel and build a new gallery five times the size. Let’s face it, the new gallery was never going to be the Mendel, and yet the political and philosophical debate over Mendel versus Remai is central to the current upheaval.

Despite Ellen Remai’s amazing support, in 2013 I found a project alarmingly short on funding for construction, transition and operations once open. The projected budget for staff, programs and services was little more than the Mendel. To put this into perspective, the Mendel earned about $100,000 in non-public funding. In 2019 Remai Modern needs to raise and earn about $5.4M in non-public funding to meet its budget. The gallery simply cannot operate like the Mendel.