Musée d’art de Joliette

How does a museum collection come into being? Why are some works collected and others not? To mark its 50th anniversary, the Musée d’art de Joliette (MAJ) invites the public to discover the hidden facets of its collection and learn about the parameters that guide the acquisition of an artwork. Building a Collection. The Stories Behind the History brings together roughly thirty works from the MAJ collection, representing different periods and styles, to uncover some of the milestones that have shaped the MAJ’s identity.

While neither chronological nor exhaustive, this exhibition offers a journey through a selection of works that reveal the many ways in which a collection comes together—bequests, donations, purchases, or targeted acquisitions. From the first donation of works by the Clerics of Saint-Viateur of Joliette (c.s.v.) in 1975, to the adoption of its the first Acquisition Policy in 1984, until today, the MAJ collection has grown through the decades, and now encompasses more than 8,300 works. The objects it contains bear witness to the various directors and conservation teams who have guided the institution over the years, each of whom has left their own unique mark.

Through the stories behind each work, the curators hope to shed light on the acquisition process—one that is usually unfamiliar to the general public yet integral to all museum institutions. As part of the exhibition, a reading area has been set up to provide information on the orientations and contexts that have guided the collection’s development.

As the Musée d’art de Joliette enters a new phase in its history, this exhibition offers a reflective look at the past, an assessment of its current the situation present, and an invitation to envision its future as an agent of history and community. Far from being static, the collection is in constant evolution as we continue to renew and to reflect on what it can be.

Curators: Collections and Exhibitions Department

Artists

Liliana Berezowsky, Jean-Baptiste Côté, Dayna Danger, Charles Daudelin, Jérôme Fortin, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Karilee Fuglem, Stéphane Gilot, Cynthia G. Renard, Cornelius Krieghoff, John Lyman, Pierrette Mondou, François Morelli, Ed Pien, Louise Robert, Danielle Sauvé, Michael Snow, Victor Vasarely, Horatio Walker and Janet Werner