When the eminent collector Bob Rennie was first approached final 12 months about remodeling the Rennie Museum in Vancouver’s Chinatown into a brand new house for the Chinese language Canadian Museum, he initially declined the supply. Reached by phone in New York after an artwork tour of Brazil, the globe-trotting Vancouverite remembers: “I mentioned no. It was my household legacy.”
The museum, comprising greater than 2,000 works in Rennie’s assortment specializing in social justice and id points, opened in 2009 with an exhibition dedicated to the British-Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum. The opening capped a 5 12 months renovation of the historic Wing Sang constructing by native architects Francl Structure and Mcfarlane Inexperienced Biggar, which was constructed by Chinese language immigrant Yip Sang in 1889.
The museum has not solely turn into an iconic Vancouver constructing in its personal proper however may be very a lot Rennie’s “child”. He added, “However typically, you must let your youngster go.”
Rennie is board president of the Tate Americas Basis and was not too long ago named chair of acquisitions for up to date artwork on the Artwork Institute of Chicago. He says he and his household “requested ourselves some powerful questions, specifically how may we personal the oldest constructing in Chinatown and but have the Chinese language-Canadian Museum in a lesser constructing”.
The Chinese language Canadian Museum Society of BC opened the short-term exhibition A Seat on the Desk in August 2020 in an Edwardian constructing down the road from Wing Sang. Within the midst of pandemic period anti-Asian racism, the present performed on the immigrant restaurateur custom to look at the Chinese language expertise in Canada from the times of railway labourers. Guests to the present had been greeted by what appears to be like like a shopfront within the remodeled Hon Hsing Constructing—as soon as an athletics membership used for lion dancing apply—with an enormous dragon masks and a hand painted wok on show.
The month earlier than the opening, the society acquired a $10m grant from the British Columbia authorities, which was a part of a joint effort by the provincial and civic governments to have the town’s Chinatown designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Website.
After conferences between Rennie and the society in addition to Melanie Mark, BC’s minister of tourism, arts, tradition and sport, it was introduced in February that the provincial authorities would offer funding to the society to amass the Wing Sang constructing with a C$7.8m present from the Rennie Basis.
“The contributions of Chinese language Canadians to this province have been invaluable,” the BC premier John Horgan mentioned. “The Chinese language Canadian Museum responds to the group’s long-standing need for a spot to share tales of accomplishment and shine a lightweight on injustice. The museum will likely be an necessary place for all British Columbians, connecting the previous to the current and future generations.”
Grace Wong, the board chair of the Chinese language Canadian Museum Society, added: “This can be a historic second for Chinese language Canadians throughout the province. That is the primary such museum in Canada and can broadly share the historical past, contributions and heritage of Chinese language Canadians and their lived experiences. Having the house within the Wing Sang Constructing, some of the historic buildings of Vancouver Chinatown, is especially significant.”
As for the way forward for the Rennie Assortment, Rennie says that for now it is going to be housed in a warehouse within the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby and accessible for personal excursions. He’ll transfer his actual property advertising and marketing places of work that adjoin the Wing Sang to a 16,000 sq. ft house previously owned by yoga put on firm Lululemon, just under his own residence in Kitsilano on the town’s West Facet.
In the meantime, Rennie has 92 works on mortgage to galleries worldwide and is wanting intently at learn how to proceed collaborations with college galleries, such because the Morris and Helen Belkin Artwork Gallery in Vancouver, the place Rennie was on the board for over a decade. Training will stay a spotlight, says Rennie, as will growth of a brand new sculpture park to show the various sculptures in his assortment. However now that he has ensured a everlasting house for the Chinese language Canadian Museum, he’s presently looking out for a brand new house for his assortment.
A closing present in September will function beforehand unseen works by round 45 artists. The Chinese language Canadian museum will take up residence in early 2023, marking the one hundredth anniversary of the “head tax”, a laws that imposed a $50 price for Chinese language residents emigrating to Canada. From 1923 to 1947, solely 50 Chinese language residents emigrated to Canada.
“Canada has been so good at hiding our personal racism,” notes Rennie, “As we level the finger at our neighbours to the South.”
Now the Chinese language Canadian museum is not going to solely have a good time the historical past and achievements of a those who have survived that racism and thrived despite it, however an necessary Canadian heritage constructing will likely be preserved in perpetuity.
