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Guelph and region's public art gallery. Featuring contemporary and historical exhibitions of Canadian and international art.

General Information
Built in 1904, the school’s vision was to amalgamate small rural schools into one larger school with qualified teachers, an initiative known as the “Macdonald Movement”. Funding was provided by Sir William Macdonald however, during construction, the trustees made design changes without informing him and upon seeing the building on opening day, Macdonald was so enraged that he refused to leave his carriage, boarded a train instead and never returned to Guelph.

The school closed in 1972 and reopened as The Macdonald Stewart Art Centre; a public gallery that annually presents 15 exhibitions of contemporary and historical art drawn from regional, national and international sources. A major thrust of the program is to feature the 4000 piece University of Guelph and Art Centre collections which cover 300 years of Canadian art. Visit the gallery and adjoining outdoor sculpture park.

History
What started as an edifice for the forward-thinking Macdonald Consolidated School Movement in 1904 begins a new life this November as a vibrant international gallery of contemporary and historical art, crafts and design.

Macdonald Consolidated School, which once served as a model for an advanced educational movement at the turn of the century, will soon take on a different role as one of Canada’s newest public galleries, the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre. The transformation of this historic building in Guelph, Ontario – the first consolidated school in the province, will not only preserve a 1904 building but also an ideal that helped lay the groundwork for much of today’s educational practice.

At the turn of the century, the major problems facing Canadian educators was the so-called “rural school problem”. Salaries offered by rural trustees were usually less than in the city, with the result that many of the teachers possessed the lowest caliber teaching certificates, or were merely working under temporary permits. The “little red schoolhouses” themselves often were poorly constructed and plagued by inadequate heating, lighting and ventilation. More importantly, the population in country schools was declining as students were attracted by the opportunities and glamour offered by city life. Curriculum in rural schools did little to encourage the future farmer since subjects were still based on the traditional combination of literature and the classics. At the same time, farmer’s groups throughout North America were calling for equal opportunities for rural and urban children and a curriculum more scaled to the practical needs of farm life.

Various so.lutions were sought to upgrade rural education, such as adding agriculture to the curriculum, and establishing closer ties with colleges like the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph. However, the most successful solution was found in the consolidation of rural school districts. The movement began in the United States with the passing of an act in New York in 1864, quickly spread throughout New England, and found its greatest success in Ohio, Indiana and Iowa. Consolidation involved the concentration of a number of small, scattered country schools into one large school consisting of three to five rooms; the provision of a well-qualified teaching staff; and the transporting of students to and from the school in horse-drawn vans.

In Canada, the earliest attempt at solving the rural school problem occurred shortly after the turn of the century. Late in 1902, Sir William Macdonald, the Montreal tobacco manufacturer and philanthropist, made available to Professor James Robertson, at that time Dominion Agricultural and Dairying Commissioner, a sum of money which was to be used for the introduction of practical work into country schools of Eastern Canada. The objectives of the “Macdonald Movement” were twofold – to encourage the consolidation of rural schools, and to promote the development of those subjects most compatible with agrarian life, namely nature study, manual training and domestic science.

The first step by the Macdonald Rural Schools Fund was to establish model school gardens at five rural schools in each of the five eastern provinces. The students were responsible for the care of their own garden plots of approximately 36 square feet each. They learned practical lessons of proper seed selection, rotation of crops, and protection of crops from weeds, insects and disease. Supporters at the time hailed the school garden experiment, and one 1905 report described it as a means to “cultivate the sense of ownership and a social spirit of co-operation and mutual respect for one another’s rights.”

Coinciding with the school garden experiment was the construction of four model consolidated schools at Middleton, Nova Scotia in 1903; at Kingston, New Brunswick and Guelph the following year; and at Hillsborough, Prince Edward Island in 1905. Macdonald agreed to subsidize the schools during the first three years of their existence and it was hoped that after that time, funding would be assumed by either the province or local bodies once the worthiness of the experiment had been demonstrated.

From the beginning, rural school trustees saw the advantages of consolidation. It was clear that regular and increased attendance would be assured, and by conveying pupils in horse-drawn vans children would be less exposed to damp and cold weather. There was also the advantage of a more sophisticated classroom situation and children could now progress through the various grades within their peer group. The Macdonald Fund set an example as well for the teachers who were carefully selected and then sent to special courses at Columbia and Cornell Universities. In general, the costs of education a student were lower than before consolidation, since students stayed at school longer and general attendance increased – in some cases as high as 90 percent from as low as 60 percent before consolidation.

Notwithstanding these advantages, the rural public in eastern Canada did not immediately embrace the ideals of the Macdonald Movement. Although most believed that the results of consolidation were positive, some districts voted to return to the one room schoolhouse, since the expense of transporting children produced an increase in their annual operating costs.

It is interesting to note that consolidation was more successful in the prairies where provincial departments of education in the West provided the initial stimulus and funding required rather than relying on the Macdonald Fund.

The Macdonald Consolidated School at Guelph was typical of the schools established by Sir William in eastern Canada. It was build adjacent to the Ontario Agricultural College on a 2 ½ acre site close to Macdonald Institute, which was been a gift from Sir William in 1903. He established the institute to provide women, especially rural women, with a thorough education in the domestic sciences, and as a training centre for teachers. He also paid for Macdonald Hall, build in 1903 as a residence for students who attended courses at the institute.

Local school trustees received $38,000 for the property and construction of Macdonald Consolidated School. The building was designed by George M. Miller who headed one of the busiest agricultural firms in Toronto at the turn of the century. A native of Port Hope, Ontario, Miller began practicing in Toronto as an architect in 1885. He designed many churches and public buildings throughout Ontario during his long career, his most notable accomplishment being the Lillian Massey Food Sciences Building at the University of Toronto (1908-12). He was also involved in the designs for Massey Hall as part of the numbers projects he worked on for the Massey family. His connection with the University of Guelph campus began in 1901 when his firm was contracted to design the Massey Library, and following this, Macdonald Institute. Both buildings are imposing and noteworthy for their stylistic eclecticism and rich terracotta colouration.

Unfortunately, the amount provided by the fund for the construction of Macdonald Consolidated School was not sufficient to allow the construction of a building of similar stature. In planning the new school, the trustees had underestimated costs and consequently had to cut corners. Design changes made without Sir William’s knowledge resulted in a plain building with a utilitarian façade and simple peak-roofed porch over the front entrance. He was so enraged on opening day in 1904 that he refused to leave his carriage. Two hours later he boarded a train and never again returned to Guelph.

A few years later, the school trustees raised enough money to embellish the façade with a neo-classical wooden porch that boasted Doric columns and the school’s name proudly inscribed across the front. Since then, the exterior of the building has remained the same.

The school was constructed of brick on a dressed stone foundation. The basement contained for large lunch and playrooms and on the first floor there were classrooms, a manual training room and a ladies’ waiting room. Additional classrooms were on the second floor plus a laboratory for chemistry and nature study, domestic science room and principal’s office. An assembly hall to seat 200 with stage and dressing rooms was on the third floor. The grounds contained a large garden, with individual plots for each student, a class plot and plots devoted to experimental work.

At the time of opening in November 1904, four school sections to the north and south of the school had agreed to consolidate. A fifth section was admitted to the consolidation a few months later. The staff consisted of the principal, Mr. Hodson, and three teachers; the enrollment totaled 175. The school was managed by a board of fifteen – three from each section, and trustees’ meetings were held monthly.

Rural pupils attending Macdonald Consolidated were transported to school in six horse-drawn vans, while those in town came by street car. During its early years, the school was noted for its nature garden, the produce of which was canned and bottled in the domestic science classes. Much of the produce helped to provide the hot lunches which were another distinctive feature of the school.

The course of study covered regular public school subjects and some high school work, in addition to manual training, domestic science, agriculture, music, drawing and watercolours.

Classes at Macdonald Consolidated were frequently used for practice teaching throughout the period when a normal school program was offered at the Macdonald Institute. Students would come to the school to teach various forms of domestic science, such as cooking and sewing. A similar liaison was held with the Ontario Agricultural College – while the girls were being trained in home economics, the boys would receive lessons in manual training from male instructors from the college.

Despite its innovative curriculum, however, the venture into consolidation was not too successful. At the end of 1907, costs were one-third above those of the old system and, when put to the vote, consolidation was turned down by four of the six districts. The project in Guelph was then abandoned and the school was absorbed into the Guelph Township School Board. Although the school served its community in good stead over the years, its classrooms gradually became outdated. Extensive renovations were needed for the building to meet modern building codes and safety standards for public use. As a result, in 1972 the Wellington County Board of Education closed the school to the public except for a special education clinic, which was maintained on the first floor.

At the same time that Macdonald Consolidated School was abandoned as a public school, the need for proper cultural facilities in the Guelph area was becoming more and more evident. David Macdonald Stewart, President of the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, recognized this need and encouraged the decision to preserve the old building and develop it as an art gallery. In 1977 the foundation provided a naming grant and since that time contributions toward the $1,750,000 fund-raising goal have been received from the National Museums of Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation, Wintario and from corporations and individual donors across Canada.

The actual creation of the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre took place in November 1978 when the centre was established through a private member’s bill introduced to the provincial legislature. There are found sponsors of the centre: the Willington County Board of Education, the City of Guelph, the County of Wellington and the University of Guelph. The fact that four public bodies have come together to establish a new cultural institution is in itself unique, and likely a precedent in North American.

Architect Raymond Moriyama was selected to transform the out-of-date school into a gallery which would meet international standards. Moriyama’s design enhances the neo-classical character of the building by elongating it with the addition of two wings. The additions contain mechanical spaces and stairs, providing an additional 6,000 square feet for a total area of nearly 31,000 square feet. The façade, with its Greek-revival porches, has been restored and the original roof-line maintained.

A three-storey skylighted gallery is the focal point of the building’s interior. This central “well” is suitable for showing large paintings, sculptures, over-sized tapestries, and banners of all types. Other exhibitions will hand in the five regular galleries which look into the well; approximately 7,000 square feet has been allotted for art exhibitions and events. In addition to gallery spaces, the first and second levels house a gallery shop with art rental service, a large lecture hall, and a multi-purpose studio/meeting room. The lower level provides a fully equipped facility for the proper care and storage of art, as well as exhibition preparation. The third floor contains offices, a meeting room, a resource centre, and a gallery.

The University of Guelph’s 1,000-piece collection representing more than 200 years of Canadian art will be given to the centre on permanent loan. Major works by Tom Thomson, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, David Milne, Michael Snow, John Meredith and others will be highlighted. Previously little-known, because of inadequate display facilities, these artworks will now become easily accessible to the viewing public. The spacious grounds which once attracted thousands to see the experimental garden plots will now display large sculpture exhibitions and provide ample space for the future development of a permanent sculpture garden.

The first 75 years of its history saw Macdonald Stewart Consolidated School play a prominent position in the development of education in the country. The challenge now exists to establish the centre in its next seven decades as a major contributor to the development of the visual arts. Sir William’s stipulation that the property only be used for education purposes will take on a new focus as the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre beings to assume its place amount the community of art museums across Canada.