Media Coverage

EAST HARLEM, NY — An exhibit detailing the history of an African burial site that dates back to the 17th century Dutch settlement "Nieuw Haarlem" is currently on display in an East Harlem public market.

The free exhibit "Reclaiming History, Reinvesting in East Harlem" launched last week at La Marqueta, located underneath the Park Avenue viaduct at East 115th Street, city officials said. The exhibit was curated by the city Economic Development Corporation in partnership with local City Council Member Diana Ayala and the Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force.

More institutions are offering free admission, late-night parties to get the next generation through the door.
Gail Lord, president of museum consultancy Lord Cultural Resources, says making admission free to museums and galleries like the AGO needs to be tried out for more than a year since 'you don't change human behaviour in one year.' (Nigel Hunt/CBC)

Museums around the world face a growing challenge getting people through the doors. In a radical move, the Art Gallery of Ontario is offering free admission to those under 25. But can low prices today lead to prosperity in the future?

Niagara-on-the-Lake culture buffs can explore historical connections between Bermuda and NOTL on a fundraising trip organized by the Niagara Historical Society and Museum this November. The trip will cost $4,100 per person based on double occupancy and $5,200 per person for single occupancy. Applications for the historical society’s excursion are being accepted until May 30. Gail Lord, president and co-founder of Lord Cultural Resources, said it’s more than just a tour. “It’s really about people with similar or related histories getting together. I think that’s what people ultimately like about travel. It’s not just about going to see a place. It’s about creating relationships with people,” she said.

Most Torontonians aren't going to museums. To attract new visitors, the Art Gallery of Ontario is making admission free all year for some and cheaper for others. 

“Toronto attendance at museums is average,” says Toronto-based museum planner and consultant Gail Lord. “I don’t think average is good enough for Canada’s largest and most diverse city with some of the country’s largest museums. Average is a problem.

Le projet de musée d'art contemporain dans le Grand Moncton est loin d'être mort. Une étude de faisabilité menée par la firme internationale Lord Cultural Resources, assortie d'une série de consultations, est en cours.

Last June, the province announced that Halifax's Architecture49 had been given a $250,000 contract to prepare a facility plan for a "cultural hub" on the waterfront that would include the art gallery as well as NSCAD University, the provincial art and design school. "It is an opportunity to transform a parking lot on the waterfront of Halifax into a dynamic destination for creative innovation and contribute to the profound transformational changes remaking the city," the study, by Lord Cultural Resources, said

Parmi les 83 finalistes sélectionnés aux 10es prix Numix, ce sont Dpt. URBANIA, Productions Version 10, lg2, Télé-Québec, Radio-Canada et l'ONF qui dominent le palmarès. Le Musée Perlan est parmi les finalistes dans la catégorie de Production culturelle – production muséale.

Poised at the threshold between the historic central campus and the modern science and medical campuses to the north, the BSB creates a dramatic gateway and defines a new life sciences district. Taking cues from both campus neighborhoods in color, texture and scale, the building’s fenestration presents the BSB with a singular and unique identity that softly transitions between the two. Adjacent to U-M’s Life Sciences Institute, designed by SmithGroup, and the A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building, designed by Ennead Architects, the Biological Sciences Building completes development of the university’s life science precinct – an effort which began more than two decades ago. The Detroit office of SmithGroup (Architect of Record) and New York, New York-based Ennead Architects (Design Architect) worked in partnership to bring the project to fruition. Southfield-based Barton Malow served as the contractor. Museum exhibits were designed by Great Plains Exhibit Development Joint Venture led by Lord Cultural Resources, Xibitz and Taylor Studios.

If you visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, you can gaze at many treasures, works painted by the likes of Rembrandt, Monet and Dégas. Or you can try making your own masterpiece in a studio equipped with free art supplies where nobody is going to tell you that you aren’t the next Picasso.

Welcome to Nathalie Bondil’s museum. As public art galleries struggle to attract new visitors to institutions sometimes perceived as remote or elitist, Bondil is the dynamic French immigrant who has overseen a popular revolution at the MMFA. In the space of a decade as the museum’s director, she has thrown its doors open to the community, doubled its floor space and tripled its attendance.

“It’s remarkable,” museum consultant Gail Lord said. “Montreal is not the largest city in Canada and it’s not a particularly museum-going city; it’s a festival city. … She’s doing a brilliant job; she’s one of the leading art gallery directors in the world.”