Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography

The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) (French: Le Musée canadien de la photographie contemporaine (MCPC)) was a gallery of Canadian contemporary art and documentary photography. Founded in 1985 and affiliated to the National Gallery of Canada (NGC),[1] it was housed at the National Gallery of Canada, located at 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa.

Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
Established1985 (1985)
Dissolved2009 (2009)
Locationwithin National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Typegallery
Websitewww.gallery.ca

The CMCP did not have a permanent home until it moved to its purpose-built site at 1 Rideau Canal in 1992. The Pavilion entrance building, which was opened on May 7, 1992, was originally proposed by architect Michael Lundhom, who adapted an old railway tunnel running alongside the Chateau Laurier. The museum ultimately was designed and executed by architects Rysavy Rysavy. The glass and concrete entrance from the street, reminiscent of the colonnade leading into the National Gallery, lead patrons down to the main part of the museum which was located below street level.

Its founding director and chief curator was Martha Langford, who held those positions from 1985 until 1994.[2]

In 2009 it was announced that the CMCP, which had been closed temporarily in 2006, would be permanently closed. Its collections and program of exhibitions were absorbed by the National Gallery of Canada. In 2016, the CMCP's photographic collection was folded into the newly created Canadian Photography Institute (CPI).

Collection

The foundation of the CMCP's collection were a selection of photographs from the Still Photography Division of the National Film Board of Canada.[3] By 2005, it held about 160,000 photographic works including works by Canadian artists such as Kelly Wood.[1]

Closure

On March 29, 2009 it was announced that the CMCP, which had been closed temporarily in 2006 due to a leak, would be permanently closed for conversion to committee rooms.[4][5][6] Its collections and program of exhibitions have since been absorbed by the National Gallery of Canada.[7][8] A campaign to maintain the CMCP at its purpose-built site was unsuccessful.[9] The exhibitions are now showcased at the National Gallery of Canada. As of 2016, the CMCP's photographic collection has been folded into the newly created Canadian Photography Institute (CPI).[10]

Affiliations

The Museum was affiliated with: National Gallery of Canada, CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.

Notes
  1. Warren 2006, p. 1115.
  2. Lerner 2011.
  3. National Film Board of Canada, Still Photography Division, p 15-16.
  4. "National Gallery of Canada Annual Report 2007-2008. (PDF)" (PDF). National Gallery of Canada. 2008. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  5. "Save the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography building from the bureaucrats!". Postcards from the Mothership. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  6. "Save the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography - CMCP Open Letter - CARFAC". CARFAC. May 14, 2009. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  7. "The National Gallery of Canada will consult with the photographic artists community on the future of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography", April 8, 2009. http://seopanel.escybermuse.beaux-arts.ca/en/about/623.php Archived 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Canadian Photography Institute aims to be a centre of photographic study, display". Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  9. Online petition https://archive.today/www.savecmcp.com. See also community discussion at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/pgns-members/r3H2dmY69Ic and http://neditpasmoncoeur.blogspot.ca/2009/03/rumour-canadian-museum-of-contemporary.html
  10. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/canadian-photography-institute-1.3339738 and "Not only does the institute, financed in part by Scotiabank, include more than 50,000 prints and 145,000 negatives from the NGC's existing holdings and those of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (which upon its closing in 2009 was amalgamated with the NGC)" quoted from 'Canadian Photography Institute aims to be a centre of photographic study, display', August 26, 2016 Globe and Mail https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/canadian-photography-institute-a-great-coming-together-of-resources/article31513827/

References

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