The OAG's Dr. Shirley Thomson Memorial Fund

Please join us in making a lasting legacy for Canada's and Ottawa's premier lady of the arts, Dr. Shirley Thomson.

The OAG's Dr. Shirley Thomson Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the memory of one of Canada's most distinguished arts administrators and advocates, Dr. Shirley Thomson, by naming a gallery space in the new Ottawa Art Gallery in her honour.

Dr. Shirley Thomson was a great supporter of Ottawa's artists and an important member of the Ottawa Art Gallery's Board of Directors. She was deeply passionate about securing a new building for the Gallery. The Ottawa Art Gallery and the City of Ottawa are moving forward on the design and development of a purpose-built gallery at Lansdowne, slated to open in 2014. This exceptional new cultural facility will feature numerous permanent and changing exhibition spaces, and in light of Dr. Thomson's commitment to the OAG, a gallery space will be proudly named in her honour.

Dr. Thomson earned a doctorate degree in art history at McGill University in 1981. She launched her career as a cultural administrator as director of the McCord Museum (1982-1985) and was appointed director of the National Gallery of Canada in 1987. She served as Director of the Canada Council for the Arts from 1998 to 2002, and as Chair of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board from 2003 to 2007.