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![]() Mayo Graham fonds:Finding Aid
Biographical SketchBorn in Montreal, Mayo Graham née Powell studied art history at the University of Toronto, graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967, followed by a one-year program in museology at the National Gallery of Canada (1967-1968). Beginning in 1968, Graham was employed in various positions at the National Gallery, including Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art (1973-1978), before working briefly for the Saskatchewan Arts Board (1979) and for the City of Ottawa (1985-1988). She served as Director and Curaor of the Ottawa Art Gallery from January 1989 to August 1993, and was Chief Curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) from September 1993 until September 1998, working closely with Pierre Théberge (1942-2018), with whom she became close friends with in the mid-1970s. During her time at the MMFA Graham curated several exhibitions of contemporary art, including Joe Fafard: The Bronze Years (1996), Kiki Smith (1996), and Jacques Hurtubise: Four Decades, Image After Image (1998). In September 1998, she was hired as Director, National Outreach and International Relations at the National Gallery of Canada, her duties including devising effective outreach initiatives in collaboration with public art museums across Canada. She remained in that position until retiring in 2009. Mayo Graham is married to the artist Russell Yuristy and currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentThe fonds consists of twenty-eight letters and cards from Pierre Théberge to Mayo Graham; nine letters from Greg Curnoe (1936-1992), Gathie Falk (1928-), Liz Magor (1948-), and Peter Smith to Mayo Graham; transcripts of Mayo Graham interviews with Théberge (January-April 2009); and three audio cassettes of additional interviews with Théberge (April 2009). The letters from Théberge to Graham refer a to broad range of subjects, including his association with various artists, his friends and colleagues, exhibition projects, and travels in Europe. The transcripts of interviews conducted in the months following Théberge's retirement as Director of the National Gallery of Canada in December 2008, refer to his early years at the National Gallery; his time at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; exhibitions such as The Heart of London (1968) and Pablo Picasso: Meeting in Montreal (1985); and artists including Greg Curnoe, Ron Martin (1943-), and Guido Molinari (1933-2004). On the audio cassettes, Théberge speaks about his family history; growing up in Saint-Éleuthère, Québec; his career as Curator (1977-1978), Chief Curator (1979-1985), and Director at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1986-1997), and Director at the National Gallery of Canada (1998-2008); artists including Greg Curnoe and Jeff Wall (1946-); and various exhibitions, including The Heart of London, held at the National Gallery of Canada and other Canadian venues in 1968-1969, and William Bouguereau, 1825-1905, held at the Musée du Petit-Palais, Paris, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, in 1984-1985 Source of title: Supplied title based on contents of the fonds. Immediate source of acquisition: Donated to the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives by Mayo Graham in 2022. Terms governing use and reproduction: Permission to reproduce or publish material from the Mayo Graham fonds must be obtained from the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives. Finding aids: Fonds level description available. Accruals: No further accurals are expected. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationProcessing InformationCollection processed and finding aid prepared by Philip Dombowsky in 2021. Preferred Citation[Title of item], Mayo Graham fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives. Return to the Table of Contents Contact InformationReference Services
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