Art Donations Overflow Limited Museum Storage Across Canada
The Glenbow Museum in Calgary has expanded display space during a $205 million renovation—yet it can still exhibit only a small fraction of its vast collection.
Canadian museums are scrambling for space to house an explosion of donated art and artifacts, with storage facilities overflowing and valuable pieces left at risk of improper care. Institutions such as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum—currently undergoing a $205 million renovation—admit they can display only a tiny fraction of their collections, even after expansions.
Experts say a surge in boomer downsizing has led to an influx of donations that significantly outpaces storage capacity. Contributing to this crisis are generous tax incentives for certified “cultural property” donations—originally designed to keep Canadiana within the country, but now risking overcrowded archives and ballooning insurance and maintenance costs.
Some museums, including the McMaster Museum of Art, have paused donations altogether. Others grapple with the dilemma of deaccessioning (selling or removing items), which often sparks public backlash. Meanwhile, sector professionals caution that financial gifts for infrastructure and conservation might help more than donated artwork itself.
Unless Canadian museums receive funding or refocus their acquisition policies, they risk damaging irreplaceable heritage pieces—and disappointing the very public whose generosity helped build these colossal collections.
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