page_title: Art Gallery of Guelph
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Art Gallery of Guelph / History
context_page_description: The Art Gallery of Guelph, formerly the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, is a public gallery and adjoining sculpture park in Guelph, on the corner of Gordon Street and College Avenue. The AGG has a permanent collection of over 9000 works which is a focus of research, publishing, educational programs, and touring exhibitions.
  The AGG is a non-profit charitable organization with three sponsors: the University of Guelph, the City of Guelph, and the Upper Grand District School Board. As the principal public art gallery serving Guelph and the surrounding region, the Art Gallery of Guelph was founded as a new cultural institution to benefit the broad community. MSAC was established in 1978 through a provincial act as a non-profit charitable organization. When the gallery formally opened as a public art gallery on November 7, 1980, the University of Guelph curator, Judith Nasby, was appointed director and curator of the MSAC. Architect Raymond Moriyama renovated the historic 1904 school building to create a public art gallery meeting international standards. In 1983, the Donald Forster Sculpture Park was established on the 2.5 acre site adjacent to the building.
context_section_description: Macdonald Consolidated School was built in 1904; the school's vision was to amalgamate small rural schools into one larger school with qualified teachers, an initiative known as the "Macdonald Movement". Funding was provided by Sir William Macdonald however, during construction, the trustees made design changes without informing him and upon seeing the building on opening day, Macdonald was so enraged that he refused to leave his carriage, boarded a train instead and never returned to Guelph.
  The school closed in 1972 and reopened as The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre.
caption: Tom Thomson, The Drive, c. 1916. This painting was purchased in 1926 by the Ontario Agricultural College with funds raised by students, faculty and staff. Today it is the art gallery's most famous piece.
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