Découvrez cet article de CBC sur la gestion de l'espace et les collections muséales : « Museums are running out of storage. Donations may be making it worse »

Museums are running out of storage. Donations may be making it worse

« A recent explosion of art donations risks overcrowding, improper care of art institutions' collections »

« Museums in Canada face several challenges to housing and preserving their collections, let alone displaying those items. And overcrowding is becoming a bigger issue, experts say, from what might be a surprising source — Canadians donating way more fine art and artifacts than the museums can possibly use.

The Glenbow has been closed to the public for more than three years while undergoing a major renovation at a cost of $205 million. A major part of the project involves converting more of the eight-story building's floors into display space for the public. Even with the reno, Bell estimates the Glenbow will only be able to display a small fraction of its 250,000 pieces.

Just six per cent of works at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts are on display. At the Vancouver Art Gallery, that number is under one per cent, even taking into account three exhibitions touring as of early January.

In 2019, the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators released a survey of nearly 400 Canadian cultural institutions including museums, archives and libraries.

Nearly 50 per cent of respondents said their collection size had doubled or more than doubled in the last 20 years, and about the same percentage said the objects in their care are at risk of damage due to improper storage. »

• Jonathan Ore, CBC Radio (01/02/2025)