$25 Million Gift to MacKenzie Art Gallery

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The MacKenzie Art Gallery has received two major gifts, including $25 million from an anonymous donor. It is the largest endowment in the gallery’s history.

The gift, made through the South Saskatchewan Community Foundation, is expected to disburse 25 per cent of the Regina gallery’s operating budget each year. 

The MacKenzie also received an unidentified six-figure gift from local collector and philanthropist Lyn Goldman. It will be split between acquisitions and ongoing programming and organizational needs.

“These gifts are truly transformational for the MacKenzie Art Gallery, strengthening our investment in the gallery’s many new initiatives,” says Anthony Kiendl, the gallery's executive director.

Goldman credits her mother with instilling a responsibility to champion art institutions. Her gift is made in memory of her brother, Tony Thorn. Born in Regina in 1927, Thorn graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1947 and began to paint the following year. His work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally.

The MacKenzie, located in Wascana Park, is Saskatchewan’s first public art museum. Founded in 1953 as part of the University of Regina, the gallery became independent in 1990.

Source: MacKenzie Art Gallery