A Remarkable Gift

'Flower' - bronze sculpture - Joe Fafard 

What is Saskatchewan’s best art gallery doing in Assiniboia? As is often the case in this province, a deep-seated loyalty to place, along with intelligence, hard work and the ability to strike while the iron’s hot has culminated in a lasting achievement. Bill Shurniak's world-class art collection is one man’s tribute to his parents and home.

In 1949 Bill Shurniak graduated from high school in Limerick, Saskatchewan and took a job as a junior clerk with the Imperial Bank of Commerce.  In a plot lifted from Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, the young Shurniak was a bright spark who rose through the ranks until he was posted in Hong Kong to manage CIBC’s Asia-Pacific arm.

“As office boy, I made such a mark 

That they gave me the post of a junior clerk.

I wrote my letters in a hand so free 

That now I am the ruler of the Queen’s Navy.”

In 1984 he left the bank to become the right hand advisor to one of the richest and most influential financiers in the world, Li Ka Shing. As the Vice-President of Finance at Hutchinson Afhampoa in Hong Kong, Bill Shurniak was running the centrepiece of the Li Ka Shing empire. Mr. Li also owns Husky Oil, with Mr. Shurniak on the Board as Deputy Chair, but that came later.

Although he retired on December 31, 1997, Bill Shurniak found ways to keep busy. In July 2000, he was offered the position of director and chairman of ETSA Utilities that took him to Adelaide, South Australia. This opportunity introduced him to exciting forms in aboriginal art which he supported through his intelligent acquisitions.  Mr. Shurniak still maintains a home in Australia, and splits his year between Australia and Canada.

As he approached his mid-seventies, Mr. Shurniak began work to realize a heartfelt and ambitious goal.  Saskatchewan’s centennial was in 2005 and he wanted to create a legacy that would honour his parents and the other pioneers who homesteaded on the prairies, and who had endured unthinkable hardship during the Great Depression.  He donated a million dollars to build the Shurniak Art Gallery in Assiniboia to house his collection of artefacts, paintings and sculptures amassed during a lifetime of world travel. In his words:

“I want the gallery to be a place that people will feel free to visit frequently; a place that they will be able to linger, relax and enjoy the paintings. Art is to be appreciated by people of all walks of life.”

It didn’t take long for Assiniboia, with a population of just over 2,400, to become a significant presence in the world of Canadian art.  As an analogy, let’s call it Marfa North. The Shurniak Gallery is a rich repository of Canadian artists: A.J. Casson, A.Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, Shirley Cheechoo, Dorothy Knowles, Jim Hart, Franklin Arbuckle, Joe Fafard and Allen Sapp were featured during our recent visit. As well, there is a prominently displayed collection of carvings, paintings and other pieces by south Saskatchewan artists.  Our bold landscape is alive on the walls of this beautiful, functional space.

Equally impressive are the international art and precious artefacts from Australia, Jamaica and the Far East, including rare Chinese jade carvings, antique furniture and a Burmese prayer book in gold leaf.

The touring exhibits, all vetted personally by Mr. Shurniak, are top-notch. During our visit, a vibrant collection of portraits of immigrant women by Madhu Kumar was featured in the central display area. We were sorry to have missed the fiddle concert in January featuring Cathy Sproule, Daniel Koulack, Gordon Stobbe, and JJ Guy. Talk about a well-used space – the Shurniak is a multi-media cultural and educational distillery.

It’s possible to bump into Mr. Shurniak during a gallery visit.  He’s frequently on site and deeply involved in all aspects of the operation.  Dozens of his art books are scattered through the gallery and there are comfortable, well-lit reading areas and tables that encourage further exploration of the various artistic traditions that form the collection. The seven excellent exhibit rooms have been named after rural municipalities in the local region, some lost and others still going strong. 

The Shurniak Gallery will ensure those names won’t be forgotten even as the stores and schools fold up and the little homesteads are absorbed into the bigger agribusinesses. Bill Shurniak is now in his late 80s and over the span of his life Saskatchewan changed in many ways. But thanks to his gift, we won’t forget what this province was and is.  And our kids will know more about where they came from.

LINKS:

http://www.shurniakartgallery.com