News and Press Releases

Print Raffle Winner for 2004
Posted Friday, September 24, 2004 by phyllis
Congratulations to our latest raffle winner, Rick Albert of Brightsand Lake (his seasonal home). Mr. Albert and his wife live in Edmonton. Mr. Albert is shown here with his wife on the 29th of August, the day he came to the Imhoff Gallery to pick up his prize. Mr. Albert bought the winning ticket at the Blueberry Festival.

Thank-you to all who visited - 2003 Season
Posted Thursday, November 20, 2003 by phyllis
The tourism season for this facility ended on Sept.2nd following the Labour Day Long Weekend. We continued to have a few more visitors who phoned for an appointment so that someone would be available to open the doors and give a tour of the art gallery and museum home.

VISITOR STATS
A total of 1606 visitors signed the guest register in the Art Studio this summer. 1069 visitors came from Saskatchewan, 328 from Alberta,78 from B.C. 45 from Ontario and 12 from the remainder of the country. There were 54 visitors from outside of Canada, 28 of these came from the United States. The remainder came from Euope,Australia, and Asia.

A big "Thank-you" to everyone who stopped in for a visit this season and also to the tour bus operators who brought tours over the summer. The encouragement we received to keep up the work in preserving the Imhoff Story and memorabilia for all to enjoy is much appreciated. Thanks also to everyone who keeps in touch with e-mails or letters now and again.

We received several personal donations to Imhoff Heritage Society which is also greatly appreciated. The tax receipts on behalf of the Society have been mailed out.

A raffle on a Limited Edition Print was held over the summer and the draw made in conjunction with the Blueberry Festival on August 23rd. The winner of this draw was Liz Breker from North Battleford.

Restoration of Studio- Phase II
Posted Monday, June 2, 2003 by phyllis
The restoration to the foundation of the studio was completed on Nov. 22, 2002. This summer we will continue with Phase II of the restoration process. There remains to be completed the repair of the base of the stucco exterior to blend into the original, reinforcement and straightening of the roof, underpinnning of the stone arch entrance to the west of the studio and complete regrading of the exterior around the structure to ensure positive slope away from the studio. The work is presently well underway.

The studio is open for visitors 7 days a week from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Larger tours are asked to book ahead by phoning (306)248-3812 or by email.

Imhoff Studio Restoration Update
Posted Thursday, October 10, 2002 by phyllis
The work on the foundation of the studio began on July 8,2002. It was estimated that would take two months to complete, however, there is considerably more deterioration than was previously anticipated. This has slowed things down considerably as temporary supports were needed to replace much of the totally deteriorated original wooden foundation supports. Part of the sub floor also required replacement while the top floor was in good condition. The work crew have carefully removed the top floor and replaced that portion of sub floor, which was very rotten. The top floorboards will be reused so that the building, being a heritage building, will be restored to the original state. The engineering firm doing the work is very cognizant of the importance of history and heritage. They are very skilled at restoring heritage buildings so that the building is restored and at the same time preserved in its originality.

To date the work is more than half completed and the most time consuming and labour intensive work is done.

Studio Restoration Update
Posted Wednesday, June 26, 2002 by phyllis
A massive renovation process begins this July at one of the province’s most popular museum and heritage sites.

The Imhoff Art Gallery, located near St. Walburg, SK, will be undergoing foundation and other structural restoration commencing approximately July 4, and continuing throughout the summer.

The original studio—built for Count Berthold von Imhoff as a place to begin the large paintings that would later adorn the walls of several Canadian and U.S. churches and cathedrals—continues to house a large portion of his religious artwork, viewed by hundreds of visitors each summer.

According to a government assessment completed in 1994, the aging Bavarian-style studio is suffering structural damage as a result of significant foundation settlement. The building, originally constructed in 1920, with an addition completed in 1925, has shown further decline during the last eight years.

The foundation restoration that will be completed, known as underpinning, will result in the installation of a deep foundation to permanently support the structure. As well, other work will be completed to enhance the existing floor support and also to straighten and reinforce sections of the roof, which have shown significant deterioration as a result of the differential movement of the foundation over the years. The project is being completed by W&R Foundation Specialists Ltd., which has offices in Regina and Edmonton. W&R specializes in the restoration of structures with foundation and other structural problems in western Canada and has completed a considerable amount of work over the years regarding the preservation of heritage structures.

Preliminary soil testing began last fall. The project is estimated to take two months to complete at approximately Eighty Thousand dollars ($80,000.00)

Provisions are being made to accommodate the public during the restoration process and tours will continue with little interruption.

For more information on the foundation and structural restoration project please contact the following:


Phyllis Imhoff
Administrator
Imhoff Heritage Society
(306) 248-3812

Norman Linkert
Director
Imhoff Heritage Society
(306) 248-3701



Hours of Operation
The Imhoff Art Gallery is now open from 10 am to 5 pm:
7 days a week until September 8.
For large group tours, please call to book ahead of time.

Check Website for hours of operation after Sept.8
or phone (306) 248-3812

Historic Art Gallery Gets A Lift
Posted Thursday, May 30, 2002 by phyllis
The passage of time has taken its toll on a gallery that for years has welcomed visitors from across North America through its doors.

Widely known as the Imhoff Art Gallery, located five miles south of St. Walburg in Northwest Saskatchewan, the spacious 1,000 square-foot studio is where German-born Count Berthold von Imhoff completed a vast collection of oil paintings ranging from life-sized religious art to still life pieces.

According to a government assessment completed in 1994, the Imhoff studio has suffered structural damage as a direct result of foundation problems. The building, originally constructed in 1920, with an addition completed in 1925, has shown further decline during the last seven years. According to engineers assessing the site, damage would continue at an accelerated rate unless a process known as underpinning was completed shortly.

W&R Foundation Specialist, an engineering firm specializing in the preservation of heritage buildings, completed preliminary soil testing last fall, and work required to restore the Imhoff studio is scheduled to begin in June 2002.

Although the project is taking place during the busy tourist season, gallery representative Phyllis Imhoff maintains visitors will still enjoy a quality tour of both the gallery, and a portion of the home in which the artist lived.

“By all means visitors are welcome and encouraged to drop by. This is a huge project and it will be interesting to see the underpinning process take place,” said Imhoff, who adds “The foundation engineers are adjusting their work to accommodate for the busy tourist season.”

The cost to complete a permanent restoration of the foundation is estimated to reach upwards of $80,000. Recognizing the historical and cultural importance to the province as well as to this area of Saskatchewan's midwest, the Saskatchewan Heritage Branch has provided a grant of $20,000. There is support as well from the Rural Municipality of Frenchman Butte, Village of Paradise Hill, Town of St. Walburg, St. Walburg Tourism Committee, Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women League and The St. Walburg Allied Arts Council.

Fundraising by the Imhoff Heritage Society, a public board dedicated to promoting the artist and his collection, started last year with a film premiere for the video series A Scattering of Seeds, in which an episode featuring Berthold von Imhoff was shown. The film, developed for History Television, is currently being sold at the Imhoff Art Gallery with all proceeds to the underpinning project. Official tax receipts are provided for all donations.

Since his death in 1939, visitors to the Imhoff Art Gallery have had the opportunity to view the 'larger-than-life' Renaissance-style paintings that were originally destined for cathedrals and monasteries in the United States and Canada before the onset of the Great Depression. Because of his work for the Roman Catholic Church, Imhoff was bestowed a Knighthood by Pope Pius XI in 1937.

New Hours of Operation
The Imhoff Art Gallery will be open from 10 am to 5 pm Weekends Only
Victoria Day Weekend until June 15.
Open by appointment only during the week prior to June 15.

Daily
June 15 until Labour Day Weekend
For large group tours, please call to book ahead of time.