By Tera Swanson, Marketing and Communications Manager
After 12 transformative years and an extensive portfolio of art and heritage exhibitions at The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Anne Ewen, Director and Chief Curator of Art and Heritage, is concluding her time at the museum. She is looking forward to starting the next life chapter, clarifying, "This is not a retirement, it's on to new adventures."
And we'd expect nothing less - Anne doesn't sit around waiting for the paint to dry. Having curated over 200 exhibitions (and counting) at a myriad of institutions - including the Glenbow Museum, the Art Gallery of Calgary, the Military Museums of Calgary, the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation, the Triangle Art Gallery, Calgary, Fort Calgary Historic Park, and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies - it's safe to say she has no intention of kicking back and relaxing any time soon.
Anne's personal history at The Whyte runs deep and rich, having first worked at the museum from 1976 to 1980 as Curator, first working with Director Maryalice Harvey Stewart and later on Director E.J. (Ted) Hart, while museum co-founder Catharine Robb Whyte was Chair of the Board. During this time, Anne had the privilege of accompanying Catharine as her only guest to the Order of Canada ceremony in Ottawa.
"In the image of Catharine at her Order of Canada ceremony, the Governor General is Jules Léger with his wife Gabrielle. She was a dynamic woman who really supported her husband while in office. Six months after his appointment, he had a stroke paralyzing his left arm and making it difficult to speak. Gabrielle carried the weight of the role and stood in for him on numerous occasions during his five-year term as Governor General." Anne Ewen
Anne reflects on both her first years at the museum and her recent time as Director and Chief Curator fondly. As a young Curator, she recalls having supportive conversations with Catharine and other Whyte family members and friends like Roy Andersen, discussing new ideas in the community, art and history, and new exhibitions to bring to the museum.
"It was an open and congenial atmosphere that supported new ideas and creativity," she said. "This provided an immeasurable component to my success as a new Curator."
This period at the museum was an integral timeframe in securing many donations that are now the bedrock of the institution, such as the Byron Harmon photograph collection in 1976, the Alpine Club of Canada collections in 1979, and the relocation of Windy Cabin - the oldest existing warden cabin in Banff National Park - to the Whyte Museum Grounds in 1977.
Since then, Anne has paid tribute to Peter and Catharine's vision for the museum - to be a place where people could gather and appreciate the culture and beauty of the area - through every exhibition she has curated, every new colleague and student she has mentored, and every artist whose career she helped elevate.
On the invitation of the Board, Anne returned to the museum in November 2012, bringing a wealth of Canadian Rockies art and culture to life, drawing national and international visitors, and maintaining integral support, connections, and interest from local Bow Valley communities. She promptly initiated key exhibitions of importance to the museum, including Indigenous Ingenuity in 2014, which highlighted the immense depth and diversity of contemporary Indigenous art. Historic artifacts from the Whyte Museum collections were displayed alongside this art, as a way to highlight materials, techniques, and motifs used by Indigenous peoples. Well known artists featured in the exhibition were members of the Indigenous Group of Seven, including Daphne Odjig, (1919-2016), Norval Morrisseau CM (1932-2007), Jackson Beardy (1944-1984), Eddy Cabiness (1933-1996), Carl Ray (1943-1978), Joseph Sanchez (1948-) and Alex Janvier (1935-2024).
Reflecting on her time at The Whyte, Anne mentioned several exhibitions that she considered highlights of her career. One such exhibition was Artistry Revealed in 2018, commemorating 50 years of the artistic contribution and legacy of Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte. It featured many of the Whytes' artistic academic accomplishments, including paintings and drawings by Peter and Catharine, and paintings by other artists who touched their lives and influenced their careers. All of the selected works in Artistry Revealed were from the Whyte Museum collection, the majority of which were gifted by Peter and Catharine. Complementing the many images and painting in this exhibition were multimedia interpretive materials, numerous community engagement and public outreach programs, educational resources, didactic texts, extended labels and a virtual tour of the Whytes' beloved log home.
Another highlight was the exhibition On the Fringe of the Bow in 2017/18, which celebrate local artists whose art form, once considered subversive, is now on the fringe of mainstream society – such as skateboard design, tattoo art, chain mail, and other mediums. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the museum faced the challenge of adapting to limitations with in-person visits for exhibitions, events, and programs. In response, through a collaborative staff effort, offerings were brought entirely online. Exhibitions, such as those by Michael Corner and Julya Hajnoczky, were reimagined in multimedia formats, featuring virtual openings, artist talks, online exhibitions, and more. This transition not only provided much-needed arts and culture to our audiences during a challenging time but also greatly improved accessibility to The Whyte for years to come.
This summer 2024 exhibition J.E.H. MacDonald: The O'Hara Era is a wrap up of her career at The Whyte, where loans were secured from public and private collections highlighting the work of Group of Seven artist J.E.H. MacDonald during his trips to Lake O’Hara. Anne and the curatorial team worked alongside Patricia Cucman, implementing her and her late husband Stanley Munn’s 20-years of research on MacDonald and the O’Hara area into a comprehensive and detailed exhibition.
Whyte Museum Board Member Rod Green speaks fondly of Anne, saying, “Anne is leaving the museum ‘at the top of her game.’ The just completed J.E.H. MacDonald exhibition curated by Anne set records in attendance, shop sales, sponsorships and marketing opportunities. It also provided the Whyte with new enthusiasm to do it again.”
The Whyte thanks Anne for securing several integral donations to the collection, most recently a painting from John Arthur Fraser, R.C.A. (BRITISH, 1838-1898), gifted from Grit and Scott McCreath in gratitude of both her and former CEO Donna Livingstone's contributions to the museum. Over the years, there have been numerous generous contributions to the Whyte through individuals and estates, in part thanks to Anne’s ability to nurture integral relationships to the museum.
Her time at the museum is just one chapter of a well-rounded career in the arts. As a Consultant, Anne worked with nationwide clients from art galleries, museums, historic properties, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, municipalities, and private industries, teaching and providing Board and operational manuals, long-range plans and collections management. She is the author of numerous publications, including Artistry Revealed: Peter Whyte, Catharine Robb Whyte and Their Contemporaries, From Morse to Whyte: A Dynastic Bequest of Japanese Treasures, and several others.
Though not one to seek accolades, Anne is also the recipient of several prestigious awards and honours, including Honourary Member of the Alberta Society of Artists, the Government of Alberta Centennial Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, and the Award of Merit and Outstanding Service Award from the Alberta Museums Association. Along with her responsibilities as Director and Chief Curator at the Whyte Museum, she is currently chair of the Town of Banff Heritage Corporation and a recently retired member of the boards of Easter Seals Canada and Easter Seals Alberta, as well as past Chair of the Banff Art Committee.
Anne has been an integral pillar in the success of The Whyte over the years. We will miss her wealth of knowledge and candid perspective, and wish her all the best with her future endeavours. Former CEO of the Whyte Museum Donna Livingstone paints her picture perfectly:
Anne is a cultural force. When she leaves a room, pictures hang straighter, the lighting is better, and everyone is talking about the Modernist influence of colour in mid-century bathroom towels. Fortunately, Anne Ewen’s character and force don’t end with a job title. She’s a force for life and we can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
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