Bruce Kuwabara and Alfred Waugh to deliver Mendel International Lecture
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April 15, 2026
KPMB founding partner Bruce Kuwabara and Formline Architecture + Urbanism founder Alfred Waugh will deliver the 2026 Mendel International Lecture at the Remai Modern’s SaskTel Theatre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on April 16.
The Mendel International Lecture recognizes the legacy of the Mendel Art Gallery — the predecessor to the Remai Modern — and the Mendel family. The annual lecture series brings thought leaders to Saskatoon for conversations about art and culture.
Kuwabara and Waugh will reflect on their respective practices, with both architects exploring the design of their own contributions to Saskatoon. Kuwabara will discuss the Remai Modern, while Waugh will survey Formline’s New Central Library.
In September 2025, the team of Formline and KPMB was selected to design the new home of the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) following a rigorous adjudication and review process. The gallery, set to become a new cultural landmark for both Vancouver and British Columbia, is the city’s largest cultural infrastructure project in more than 30 years.
In collaboration with Architecture49, KPMB designed the Remai Modern in 2017. The building — composed of four cantilevered horizontal volumes, responding to the low-lying Prairie landscape and agrarian building traditions of rectilinear sheds and barns — was designed as a public destination for art focused on ongoing dialogue and exploration. It houses flexible galleries designed to international museum standards and significant community spaces.
The Remai Modern was also envisioned as a civic catalyst for Saskatoon. Since completion, it has contributed to the transformation of the city’s southern downtown into a cultural destination and vibrant urban riverfront. The gallery generated more than $100 million in economic output and drew more than 22,000 out-of-province visitors to the city between 2017 and 2023.
Event details
Event: Mendel International Lecture
Date & Time: April 16, 6:00–7:30 PM
Location: SaskTel Theatre, Remai Modern, 102 Spadina Crescent E, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Tickets for the Mendel International Lecture are currently sold out, but interested attendees are encouraged to join the waitlist and will be notified as space becomes available.
(Lead image: Kian Tang)
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