ST. CATHARINES — Friday in St. Catharines one more piece of the story of the battle of Vimy Ridge, where one hundred years ago 3,598 Canadians were killed, is being told.

THUNDER BAY, CANADA — Last night, city councillors in Thunder Bay committed to spending $5 million on a new waterfront art gallery, if the provincial and federal governments also help out.

SASKATOON, CANADA — Rising into the blue sky, the grain elevator seems to keep watch over the sprawling Prairie. The red wooden structure is at home at the Western Development Museum(WDM) in North Battleford, Sask., surrounded by a heritage farm and village that tell the story of settling the province.

TORONTO, CANADA — Nearly-25,000 images, part of the NYT Canadian photo collection, were donated by GTA real estate executive Chris Bratty.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA — Work is underway at Green Gables Heritage Place in P.E.I. National Park as part of a three-year plan to rehabilitate the site. The project is broken into three separate phases which include renovations to existing structures as well as construction on several new buildings.

LOUISVILLE — After nearly 18 months filled with meetings, sending out surveys and poring over data, a group of arts, philanthropic and business leaders has unveiled what they are calling Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 – a long-term plan for the role arts, culture and creativity can play in a strong future.

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — African American culture, in all its upheavals and expressions, is captured with eloquence in a new museum in Washington.

CANADA — Almost 40 per cent of Canadians live in Ontario. The country's largest city and the nation's capital are both located here. Ontario was a critical founding partner of the country in 1867. There's much to be proud of, but how many living in the province think of themselves as Ontarians? Gail Lord joined an expert panel to explore the idea of an Ontarian identity.

ROME, ITALY — Cities, Museums, Visual Arts, Music, Sports, Mega events and Social media represent the new frontier in creating a global reputation for public and private sectors.

NEW YORK, USA — A new report outlining how the arts and culture contribute to a sense of wellbeing for residents of New York was released last month, and it details some surprising insights about the distribution, use, and significance of cultural assets throughout the city.

BERLIN, GERMANY — In the beating heart of German diplomacy, an artist-in-residency program speaks volumes about the country's shift in national identity.

INTERNATIONAL — The many ways in which countries can cooperate in promoting cultural heritage and intercultural dialog were the main topics discussed by the foreign ministers of Greece, Italy, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Peru, Bolivia and Mexico in the “Ancient Civilizations”  conference held in Athens on Monday.

NEW YORK, USA — A few weeks ago, the press swooned over the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s announcement of a historic change in institutional direction. Valerie and Charles Diker promised a gift of 91 Native American artworks to the Met.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA — One hundred years have passed since the Russian Revolution, and several decades since the end of the Cold War. For many people today, however, Russia remains the same, the “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” that Winston Churchill declared it to be in 1939.

NEW YORK, USA — New York’s museums are on a building tear, hiring A-list architects, cajoling zoning boards, pursuing donations and adding dazzling new features.

BARCELONA, SPAIN — It has been confirmed that the museum opening date for the Casa Vicens in Barcelona has been rescheduled for the second half of 2017. Originally scheduled for the second half of 2016, the reopening of Gaudi's first house was not able to be completed due to the complicated and labor intensive renovations. This will be the first time the house, declared World Heritage site, will be open to the public without it being a residential or private space.

CHICAGO, USA — The Chicago Architecture Biennial returns to the city this fall, two years after attracting over half a million visitors to the Windy City. The biennial’s sophomore showing will again attempt to establish Chicago as the North American seat of international architectural discussion.

HOMS, SYRIA — As the world watches the Syrian Civil War drag on, a Syrian architect, Marwa al-Sabouni, has dealt with the ravages of conflict by thinking ahead to the postwar rebuilding process. From her home in Syria, she spoke with AD about her vision for the future.

INTERNATIONAL — Want to explore Zaha Hadid’s unbuilt architecture or visit the world’s first photography exhibition? With virtual reality (VR), you can—sort of. Museums are increasingly using the tool to offer visitors new experiences.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — A 3,500-year-old statue of a refugee from Aleppo that has not left the British Museum (BM) in nearly 80 years because of conservation concerns is now accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

NEW YORK, USA — On April 26, museums across New York City are switching Instagram accounts with one another for the sake of art lovers everywhere. The social media initiative, called #MuseumInstaSwap, hopes to introduce loyal followers of certain institutions to other local spots they have not yet explored. 

OTTAWA, CANADA — Canada’s 150th anniversary is the ideal time to create a legacy that will enrich our country for generations to come. A national portrait gallery is just such a legacy.

ATHENS, GREECE — In 2013, the curator Adam Szymczyk proposed a radical reinvention of Documenta, the prestigious contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany: to split the show for the first time between its cozy German hometown and Athens, the epicenter of Europe’s economic, migration and democratic crises.

Amy Cappellazzo was for thirteen years Christie’s co-head of postwar and contemporary art, and a top dealmaker. In 2014 she left the auction house to become an art adviser. She thought it worthwhile to step back from the pinnacle of the art world for an undefined profession already populated with more people offering consulting services than the market seemed able or willing to support.

TORONTO, CANADA — One evening in the summer of 2013, Richard Florida sat down in the lounge of a SoHo hotel to talk to his New York publisher about writing a new book.

TORONTO, CANADA — John St.’s much-anticipated makeover that will turn the downtown street into a pedestrian-friendly plaza now has $40 million in funding.

INTERNATIONAL — Culture vultures, no longer content with catching public transport to their favorite galleries, concert halls and theaters, are moving into them. Or if not quite into them, at least into high-end, starchitect-designed condos and penthouses that soar on top of, or right next door to, some of the world’s best arts institutions.