“Amidst a thriving tapestry of flora and fauna, the Audain Art Museum can be discovered deep in the woodlands of Whistler, British Columbia. To capture the artistic diversity of Canada’s westernmost province, the permanent collection writes a comprehensive history with carvings, paintings, and photography; canvases of Emily Carr’s signature plein air impressionism fill its expansive walls.”

“Yesterday, the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) unveiled the results of six months of research into the realm of public artwork to help understand the quantifiable data behind what we already know to be a culturally important touchstone in the city. And while it might sound like it’s stating the obvious to say that public art is important, the study represents just the beginning of an ongoing process.”

Lord Cultural Resources is working with the Greater Columbus Arts Council and local cultural producers Marshall Shorts and Jonna Twigg to create a comprehensive plan for Public Art in Columbus and Franklin County. The plan will outline a vision and goals to enhance the cultural and artistic vibrancy of the region and will launch in June 2024.

“’I’m thrilled to announce the relaunch of our transformation project,’ stated John Zeppetelli, Director and Chief Curator of the MAC. ‘In coming months, we will take important steps toward welcoming the public to a building that has been transformed into a true showcase for creativity and a destination on its own terms in the heart of Place des Arts. I would like to underline the tireless commitment of all our partners, who have supported us during this period of uncertainty.’”

The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art engaged Lord Cultural Resources to develop a business plan and projections associated with a modest expansion and substantial transformation.

“Human Capital, a travelling multi-artist exhibit focused on Canada’s immigration policies and history, opened at Regina’s MacKenzie Art Gallery at the end of 2020. ‘Human Capital’ is actually from the official language of our current immigration policies,’ said curator Tak Pham. ‘They look at ‘human capital’ to describe incoming immigrants — the ideal immigrants, who are expected to bring their knowledge and their labour to the country to help boost the Canadian economy.’”

The Mackenzie Art Gallery retained Lord Cultural Resources to provide Visioning, Facility Programming, Business and Operational Planning, Concept Design and Promotional Sell Document services.

“When I tell people I do diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work, I'm usually met with an instant smile or a confused frown. The responses range from ‘that's actually a job?’ to ‘the work you do is so important.’ Rarely is there a middle ground. The challenge with the term DEI is in its perceived divisiveness; it’s often seen as something that divides us rather than bridges us.”

“Created in 2002, but officially recognized in 2004, this virtual museum has made it its mission to highlight the contribution of Black people in the history of the province.”

“The finished quilt features a tree-like figure of a grandmother with outstretched arms that form a canopy of leaves. Tiny saplings are nurtured under the branches — like a grandmother caring for children — while roots embedded in the soil represent the growth of a community. 

“Art Galleries at Black Studies (AGBS) is excited to announce the second symposium in its multi-year program Why Black Museums, an annual series that honors and examines the cultural contributions of Black and ethnically specific museums. Taking place on Thursday, March 7, 2024, ‘Why Black Museums: Exhibitions and Relations’ explores the connections among past and present exhibitions of Black art and historical objects.”

“This month, a more focused, national moment of recognition for Indigenous creativity is taking place. Several exhibitions and events in the UK are bringing to the fore work by leading contemporary artists—Ashoona among them—along with a figure who paved the way for future generations. They make up part of a continued, promising international shift.”

“As access to information gets politicized through book bans, overreaching legislation under the guise of child safety, and stripped funding for libraries across the nation, where is one supposed to turn when even the encyclopedia has been deemed 'inappropriate' in certain spaces?”

“’We’re committed to reconstructing a new national identity that advances conservation planning, training, and storytelling for historic Modern Movement sites across America by Black architects and designers,’ says Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and senior vice president of the National Trust.”

“Greece’s culture minister Lina Mendoni has expressed outrage at the British Museum’s decision to allow a fashion show in front of the Parthenon Marbles. The British fashion label Erdem debuted its Autumn/Winter collection at London Fashion Week with a fleet of models strutting past the iconic and contested Greek sculptures, a display that Mendoni said showed ‘zero respect for the masterpieces of Pheidias’”

“Nearly three weeks after a bronze statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from a youth league baseball facility in Wichita, Kansas, and later found destroyed, an arrest was announced in the case Tuesday.”

“In the weeks after the former president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, was sworn in as Poland’s prime minister, his new centrist coalition government wasted little time in unpicking the legacy of almost a decade of right-wing rule. Alongside the headline-grabbing reforms the Tusk government has made to state media, and heated legal and constitutional battles, arts institutions are also feeling the winds of change.”

“CBC/Radio-Canada has unveiled the public broadcaster’s first-ever National Indigenous Strategy. Strengthening Relations, Walking Together is a three-year plan committing to better reflect and serve First Nations, Inuit and Métis Canadians, and follows coast-to-coast consultations with the public and content producers, among other stakeholders.”

“Explore a new venue you’ve never visited before, or enjoy the work of an artist whose name is unfamiliar to you. The beauty of New York that is there are too many museums, galleries, and nonprofit art spaces for any one person to see — but you can certainly try.”

“WNDR Museum, an immersive art experience with locations in Chicago and San Diego, has opened its third venue in Boston. WNDR’s latest destination, its largest to date, combines art and technology to offer a unique experience. It features more than 20 exhibits, from immersive artworks to multi-sensory installations. Some of these are versions of popular exhibits found at WNDR’s flagship Chicago location, others are pieces by acclaimed artists, such as Yayoi Kusama’s Let’s Survive Forever.”

“Iraq has received a replica of the famous Assyrian ‘Bull of Nimrud’ statue that stood in the Roman Colosseum and at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, according to the Art Newspaper. A gift from the Italian government, the statue now permanently resides outside the Basrah Museum. The original monument, destroyed by ISIS militants in 2015, was made in the 9th century BC and stood over 16 feet. The replica was constructed with 3D printing technology.”

“The University of Arizona Center for Digital Humanities partners with clients such as the Tucson Center for Black Life to both preserve historical artifacts and make them widely available as digital exhibits.”

“As museums and galleries across the United States shutter exhibits featuring Indigenous remains and cultural objects, some Canadian museums are still working on updating their repatriation policies. Earlier this year, new regulations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) came into effect, which require institutions to obtain permission from tribes to display remains and cultural objects.”

“Naming the wrongs of the past is hard, especially when the wrongs have not yet been entirely righted. Still, it is crucial. If we close ourselves off to the pain of the past, we will be numb to the joy of the future.”

“The UK has altered a restitution law while still keeping intact a requirement that museums seek government approval for international returns of artifacts. The law, which was first rolled out in September 2022, gave more power to trustees of major national museums to return objects, granting them the ability to seek approvals for repatriations on ‘moral’ grounds—even in cases where the museum’s own policies had previously barred them from doing so. In other cases involving less valuable objects, the law stipulated, trustees wouldn’t have to seek the UK’s charity commission’s approval at all.”