The Bob Boyer Legacy Educational Project and Exhibition

September 23, 2006 to January 14, 2007

Organized by the MacKenzie Art Gallery with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Saskatchewan Arts Board and City of Regina Arts Commission

I remember the day that I received the phone call from Susan Bear informing me that Bob Boyer had passed away. Susan was a friend and work colleague, who resided at that time in Rouleau, also home to Ann and Bob Boyer. The news of Bob Boyer’s untimely death came as a shock to many personally, but also collectively to the arts, educational and First Nations communities to which he had become so integrally connected.

As the Gallery Educator for School and Youth Programs I’d had the good fortune to be able to introduce Mr. Boyer and his art to many audiences of students and teachers. The MacKenzie is proud of its educational programming and has striven to be an important resource for the educational community. We have a diverse program including school tours, programs for teachers and specific
programs for inner-city and Aboriginal schools. We are always considering how we can further provide materials and programs that allow teachers greater access to the many resources of the Gallery. The passing of Mr. Bob Boyer clearly delineated a critical next direction for the School and Youth Programming of the MacKenzie Art Gallery. We began to envision a Legacy Project that would ensure that current and future generations would not forget or dismiss the important contributions of Mr. Boyer.

The first pilot project involved three workshops in three schools culminating in a display at the Regina Police Department Annual Community Art Show. It was a lovely project, and everyone involved was enriched by the experience. Now we are moving forward with plans on a grander scale. Through July and August Susan Bear, who is currently the art teacher at Scott Collegiate, returned to the MacKenzie to help us develop the Teacher Resource Package for the Bob Boyer Legacy Project. She developed a fairly comprehensive draft of what will eventually become a resource available to all educators in the province of Saskatchewan. This package will be piloted and evaluated through MacKenzie Programming over the next two years with the intention of having the finished package ready for a major retrospective exhibition now in development. To allow public engagement during the evolution of this project we are installing a unique gallery exhibit from September through January that will include artworks by Bob Boyer from the MacKenzie Art Gallery permanent collection and a rotating display of student work created in response to the developed resource materials. There will also be a study area with access to the Educational Package and other contextual materials. We invite everyone to peruse the materials, enjoy the artwork, and participate through evaluation and recommendations.

The first student response component was created by participants in the MacKenzie’s summer Kaleidoscope Art Program and the Urban Outreach Summer Day Camp.

The Bob Boyer Legacy Educational Project will be the feature exhibition for the School Tour Program and the Urban Outreach Program for Inner-City and Aboriginal Schools throughout the fall. The Bob Boyer Legacy Exhibition will be at the MacKenzie Art Gallery from September 23 to January 14, 2006.

Image Credit:

Bob Boyer
Scene/Seen at St. Victor's, 1993
oil over acrylic on burlap
243.8 x 243.8 cm
Collection of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, gift of James Kurtz.

The Bob Boyer Legacy Educational Project and Exhibition

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