Museums and galleries across Canada say they’re running out of space

Museums and galleries say their collections are growing, but they don’t have the space to show them. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte has more.

Staff at museums and galleries across the country say they are running out of space.

At the Homer Watson House & Gallery in Kitchener, Ont., which highlights the work of the accomplished Canadian artist, the collection of paintings continues to grow.

“We receive about five to 10 pieces a year. They’re not all Homer paintings,” said Cathy Masterson, director and curator at the gallery. “In Canada, most museums will say they’ve got about three per cent of their collection on exhibit. And I would say we’re in that ballpark.”

Here’s where things get tricky, as the population ages and families no longer have a need for certain artwork, they look to donate it. But the amount of space to store everything is shrinking.

“We’re probably at 80 per cent capacity. It is something that we’re talking about with our partners to see if there are places like shared storage, or is there something else we can do?” said Masterson.

The answer is – only to a certain extent. Galleries and museums want to be able to monitor the majority of their pieces on-site to ensure everything is stored in a safe climate, protected from dust and out of direct sunlight.

At the Fashion History Museum in Cambridge, Ont., storage is even more limited.

“We are at 99 per cent capacity right now in terms of collection storage,” said Jonathan Walford, co-founder and curator at the museum.

Fashion pieces can’t just be squished together either. They need to breathe.

The museum has seen a surge since the pandemic of people wanting to purge and donate items.

Now, Walford is having to turn down offers.

“Unless it’s designed by Chanel or worn by Princess Diana, I really don’t have room for more wedding dresses at this point,” he said.

With most storage space now accounted for, museums and galleries are being forced to narrow their mandates as they rotate exhibits.

Still, it doesn’t provide a solution for what they already have in their possession.

“Museums are kind of like icebergs,” said Walford. “The galleries are only one-tenth of what you see, and it’s all that under-the-water stuff you need to be able to keep the museum running properly.”