Mac Jac Art

In September 2005, AL Jackson met with Melony Stagg, the Specialty Retail Manager at Ivanhoe Cambridge's Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket, Ontario to pitch her on an exciting new art concept. The founder of a 21-store chain of Specialty Ethnic Stores that sold handmade crafts and quality unusual Art in the United Kingdom, AL Jackson had sold the Company and moved to Canada a year earlier. He laid out his idea for a unique Contemporay Ethnic Art Store that Stagg found appealing, but all of the mall's in-line space was booked for the holiday season. Stagg suggested a common area space, but AL Jackson had reservations about being able to display his product on a cart or kiosk. Instead, he designed and built an eye-catching modular display unit he calls "The Pavilion" (shown here). The first MacJac art exhibition, called "The Gift of Art," opened in mid-November in the Upper Canada mall. The concept was an overwhelming success with both consumers and the Ivanhoe Cambridge group itself.

Today the MacJac exhibition travels from mall to mall across Canada and the USA, offering shoppers "a fine-quality gallery without conventional walls." Exhibitions typically last from one to 10 weeks. 

When customers see a MacJac exhibit, "they stop dead in their tracks, ponder the vivid colors of the artwork and begin circling the pavilion. The Art is extremely sensual and provokes an overwhelming emotional response. Many customers enjoy our ˜voyage of discovery' experience. All are encouraged to take their time in order to enjoy the vibrancy, the majesty and thrill of the instant romance associated with each piece. Many literally fall in love at first sight.