The McMaster Museum of Art is thrilled to share that it has been awarded a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to support the upcoming exhibition, Immune Nations.

The funding program, titled “Encouraging vaccine confidence in Canada” is jointly administered by the NSERC, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and aims to “support organizations with strong track records of science and/or health promotion to deliver evidence-based, vaccine-promoting information to key communities and groups and/or to build capacity in the community to promote confidence in vaccines.”

The grant was awarded to a near 50 institutions including universities, hospitals, public health associations and foundations across Canada, in an amount of up to $50,000 each, to be used over the course of a year. Prizes have been awarded for activities that are expected to “mobilize knowledge to improve public understanding of vaccines and help Canadians to make evidence-based decisions, especially among populations that are hesitant about vaccines”.

For the M(M)A, funding from the grant will be used to cover operational and program costs for the presentation of Immune Nations, an evidence-based exhibition about the constructive role that art can play in public discourse around life-saving vaccines. In addition, grant funds will be used for the publication of a comprehensive catalogue/book, which will document each iteration of the exhibition, and present important related research.

According to Carol Podedworny, M(M)A’s Director and Chief Curator, “This support from the NSERC is a first for the M(M)A, and further solidifies the importance and timeliness of the exhibition as it debuts in Canada for the first time. We are grateful to the NSERC for this important recognition and are excited to have this complex and thought-provoking show welcome our visitors back into the museum!”