Fonds MG 141 - Don McNamee fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Don McNamee fonds

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Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

MG 141

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Statement of scale (cartographic)

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Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1954-1993 (inclusive) ; 1968-1993 (predominant) (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

1.4 m of textual records
Photographs
Sketches
Video tape
Oversize

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1938-1994)

Biographical history

Donald Keith McNamee was born in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, in 1938. He earned a BA from the University of Saskatchewan, and both an MA and MFA from the University of Ohio. He returned to the University of Saskatchewan, where he taught Art and Art History for twenty years. In 1985 he left the University to establish his own business, doing independent architectural design. In addition to his career as an artist, McNamee was a fixture in Saskatoon's gay and lesbian community. Meetings at his house were used to help start the first gay organization in Saskatoon, the Zodiac Friendship Society (later, the Gay/Lesbian Community Centre of Saskatoon). In the early 1980s McNamee was one of the founding members of the Coalition for Human Equality (CHE), formed to respond to perceptions of homophobia in the provincial Conservative government of the time. McNamee was instrumental in the Coalition, and was particularly effective in the 1992 campaign to urge the NDP government to amend the human rights legislation to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. He died of cancer in Saskatoon on 2 July 1994.

Custodial history

Donated by the McNamee estate

Scope and content

This fonds contains personal correspondence relating both to McNamee's art, and his work in human rights. In addition, there is considerable reference material documenting both his work, and the work of others, within the art community and for the Coalition for Human Equality. The material on CHE not only provides extensive documentation of that organizations work in Saskatoon and particularly, in the first fight to have the province's human rights legislation amended; but also contains documentation from similar organizations across Canada.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

This fonds has been organized into the following series and sub-series:
A. ACADEMIC/ARTISTIC series
I. Correspondence
II. Research, Lectures, Exhibitions, Art
III. Subject/Nominal
IV. Reference Material

B. COALITION FOR HUMAN EQUALITY series
Organized in an alphabetical subject/nominal run.

C. ADDENDUM series

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Script of material

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Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Personal telephone numbers and addresses will be closed, in accordance with the Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. There are no other restrictions.

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