The McCord Museum has a contractual agreement to manage McGill’s Canadian History Collections. The contract began in 1986, and extends for 99 years, however, the McCord does not receive any operational funding from McGill. The relationship is a negotiated one, and the Museum’s governing authority is its independent Board of Trustees, on which McGill is represented by two appointed members. The Principal is an ex-officio member of the Board.
Heritage
In 1878, David Ross McCord began adding to the already considerable collection assembled by his family since their arrival in Canada. Sparing neither time nor money, he combed the length and breadth of the country in search of the finest and most historically significant objects, with the plan of founding a national history museum in Montreal. In 1921, the McCord National Museum opened its doors, housed in a building provided by McGill University. Both its collection and its reputation grew rapidly.
McGill administered the McCord for over sixty years, until it became a private museum. McGill owns the majority of the collection and the McCord has a contractual agreement to manage McGill’s Canadian History Collections. The Museum’s governing authority is its independent Board of Trustees, on which McGill is represented by two appointed members. The Principal is an ex-officio member of the Board. The McCord is now supported by the governments of Canada, Quebec and Montreal, and by a large network of members, donors and sponsors.
The McCord collections reflect the social history and material culture of Montreal, Quebec and Canada, and include textual archives, ethnographic and archaeological objects, decorative arts, photographic images, paintings, prints and drawings, as well as costumes and textiles.
Location
690 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E9
Access
Web site: McCord Museum
The museum offers exhibitions, cultural activities, guided tours, school tours and publications.
Curator
Suzanne Sauvage, Executive Director, McCord Museum
514-398-7100