There are many reasons why people collect art. It could be for investment purposes, prestige, or to decorate their spaces. For Dr. Kenneth Montague collecting art is a labour of love and a way to connect with his identity. His collection is one of Canada’s largest, privately owned contemporary art collections focusing on exploring African diasporic culture and contemporary Black life. Find out more about The Wedge Collection and Wedge Curatorial Projects here. On November 15, 2019 he gave a talk about his collection and collecting practices at the McMaster Museum of Art in Hamilton against the backdrop of the exhibition it is from here that the world unfolds.
Here are some highlights from the talk.
Montague grew up in Windsor, Ontario a border town to Detroit MI. He grew up with a cultural richness around him and at home and engaged with art early on, visiting museums and galleries as a child. At 10 years old he realized that he didn’t see himself reflected in art and that realization started a personal journey. In the late 1990’s he started The Wedge Gallery in his home, so called because the room was wedge shaped. He started holding Sunday salons mostly for himself but then quickly realized that the salons resonated with people. He went on to host landmark shows, bringing artwork to Toronto that had never been shown in Canada before.
Montague says that he has no formal art education, but he has a lot of passion and did a lot of research. The collection started out with him only collecting photographs, but in the last 10 years he started collecting paintings. He kept a piece from each show, and this became a self-directed collecting practice and along the way he learned more and more about Black culture. His collecting process is organic and he rarely seeks out the artists. In 2003 he held the first show outside his home.
He was commended by Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City for bringing global art to local audiences and suggested that he should make the local art global. At first, he thought that there wouldn’t be enough interest, but then he realized that he had a lot of great stories locally and he then started collecting and showing art by Black Canadians.
He noted that when he first started collecting it was more accessible. He could call the artist directly at their studio. If you want to start collecting, he noted that student art shows like the OCAD U (Ontario College of Art and Design University) Grad Ex shows are affordable ways to begin. Black contemporary art is now very covetable, and prices are inflated. It’s a funny moment in the art world now. Galleries in the UK that he had petitioned 10 years previously to do a show and they said no are now asking him to do shows. The art world is late in catching up to Black contemporary art. He is happy that we are finally getting to a point where all stories are getting a chance to be heard. He hopes that this moment lasts and isn’t just an art world moment. For Montague this is a long game and he’s not planning on moving on quickly to the next thing. His long-term goal is to have institutional space. He wants success for everyone and thinks that collection processes need to be bigger, broader, more inclusive. He suggests that institutions spread it out. For example, instead of buying a high-priced piece by a millionaire Black artist, buy several pieces from emerging Black artists. There are many stories and more than just 10 or so Black contemporary artists.
He shared that he lives with his art and hates putting things in storage even though due to the size of the collection storage is necessary.
The collection lends works to international traveling exhibitions. Currently The Wedge Collection has partnered with The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and A4 Art Foundation for the exhibition Crossing Night: Regional Identities x Global Context. The exhibition presents work that addresses the concerns, thoughts, and desires of contemporary artists from the Southern African region as they grapple with the legacy of post-colonial structures. It closes February 2, 2020. Perhaps a road trip is in order?
Story by Glodeane Brown
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