Dr. Lourdes Ramos-Rivas, the first Latina president and CEO of Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), has ambitious plans to grow the museum into a first-class institution with international clout. Citing MOLAA as a “house of culture for Latinos”, Ramos-Rivas is spearheading a new strategic plan that will re-conceptualize the museum. “For MOLAA’s future, I want a robust institution that can support Latino/Latin American art in a very open way, in a very progressive way . . . with the right facilities to support art in residence and to produce the most marvelous exhibitions of Latino/Latin American art, and with a strong board.” Ramos-Rivas said. “Everything you can envision in a first-class institution, that’s what I want for MOLAA.”

After 2 years of study, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has released a report on the State of Canadian Museums. The report makes 15 recommendations on a range of topics, including the modernizing of storage and collections, the respect and treatment of Indigenous objects, and support for small museums. Gail Dexter Lord, co-founder and president of Lord Cultural Resources, says: "I was honoured to make a presentation to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and to be quoted extensively in this report. I congratulate the government committee on taking this first step toward a much-needed museum policy."

On September 18th,  2018, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) celebrated their grand opening. MOCA serves to exhibit, research, collect and nurture innovative contemporary art and cultural practices. Their inaugural exhibition, Believe, fills two floors and features 16 Canadian and international artists who explore the beliefs and systems that inform our societal values and behaviours.

Lord Cultural Resources would like to extend a congratulations to MOCA, director and CEO Heidi Reitmaier, and curator David Liss on this exciting opening. Lord conducted a study for the transition from city agency to private non-profit in 2013.

The 2018 Federation of International Human Rights Museums and ICOM COMCOL Conference was held from September 25th-28th in Winnipeg, Canada. The conference explored the increasingly dynamic role museums play by leveraging their “soft power” to promote human rights and democracy. Gail Dexter Lord, co-founder and president of Lord Cultural Resources, gave the keynote address: "Having worked with founders the late Dr. Israel Asper and Gail Asper CM for 14 years to bring the worlds's first national museum for human rights into existence, it is so very meaningful to welcome the world's human rights museums to City of Winnipeg-- the Human Rights Education City."

Following five years of development and construction, the new Idaho State Museum will be opening its doors on October 12th, 2018. The new museum is an interactive exhibition experience that will serve people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. While developing the exhibits, the curatorial team consulted with the five Indigenous groups in Idaho to receive their permission and their perspective on what the exhibits should include. Executive director Janet L. Gallimore says, ”We all have a story. All of our stories are important.”

The Luminato Festival, an annual celebration of the arts in Toronto, has announced their new artistic director: former Luminato producer, Naomi Campbell. Campbell has noted an interest in supporting political work, Indigenous performance, and the festival’s partnership with the Theatre Centre in the upcoming seasons. Campbell says that, “thirty years ago, I was a Canadian theatre nationalist…that’s where I come from. The need to nurture and develop our voices was essential at that time. Now, it’s really important that we see work from other places as artists and audiences…Toronto deserves a festival that includes international work."

A new exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights looks at the effects the Indian Act has had on Indigenous Peoples in Canada. "In terms of identity, the Indian Act was the first piece of legislation in Canada that defined who Aboriginal people were," said Sharon McLeod, a CMHR advisor. "In modern times, it seems to be an archaic legislation based on race." The exhibit features replica amendments from 1880, a wampum belt, and a modern cradleboard.

For the first time in 16 years, the city of Dallas has a new cultural plan. The plan asserts the right for all residents to have access to arts and culture, and residents are excited about the change. At an outreach meeting about the plan, David Lozano, executive artistic director of Cara Mia Theatre, said: "As we know, Dallas is now 43 percent Latino. [part of the mission of my company is to address] the cultural needs of the Latino community. We don't often think of culture as being a need, but it truly is. Culture helps us understand who we are."

This thoughtful piece by Joyce Wayne celebrates the agelessness of creativity and is a touching tribute to the late Barry Lord, co-founder and president (1939-2017) of Lord Cultural Resources:

In just under a week, the University of California Irvine received two donations of artwork, totalling 4,600 pieces. “It’s just overwhelming. It’s a dream,” UCI Dean Stephen Barker said. “But the question was, ‘What do we do with this?’” The school has elected to put the works on display; their first exhibition “First Glimpse: Introducing the Buck Collection” will feature 55 pieces from the collection.

The “Capital of Inuit Art”, Cape Dorset, is an enormous cultural asset to Nunavut, the Inuit people, Canada, and the world. It has the potential to be a major cultural destination of interest nationally and internationally, now more than ever. The Kenojuak Cultural Centre and Print Shop has officially opened its doors on September 5th 2018, after the community raised more than the $3 million it needed to get the project to the finish line.

A new initiative took place in Long Beach; the Ranchos Walk saw participants walk 9.5 miles (with shorter options available) following the crest of Signal Hill. The path, which took four hours to complete, connected history with nature and included notable locations such as Reservoir Hill, which offered new views of the city at 170 feet above sea level. 

The new Chicago Architecture Center opened on August 31st 2018, and guests were delighted by the new space. The “latest jewel in Chicago’s architectural crown,” the two-level center now includes: a 38 foot tall model skyscraper and a model high-rise gallery; a mini model of Chicago that includes over 4,200 buildings and an impressive light show; and a temporary exhibition gallery, currently featuring an ecology show.

From October 2nd to 6th, the fourth annual Fall for Dance North dance festival is presenting dancers from around the world. The performances, which will take place at Ryerson Theatre in Toronto, will be highlighting the work of female artists. “This year...audiences will be treated to a host of milestone firsts for the festival: a spectacular contribution from New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck; a world premiere commissioned by FFDN from Anne Plamondon and Emma Portner; and an endless array of evocative, engaging and exquisite artistic surprises,” artistic director Ilter Ibrahimof said. The official kickoff will feature a special edition number from Red Sky Performance, which includes Indigenous vocals and dance.

When the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) reopened this summer, it showcased a new state-of-the-art facility. Because of the space restrictions in the gallery’s former Arts Court location, only a few pieces of the Firestone Collection – 1,600 works by Canadian artists, including a significant number from the Group of Seven – were able to be displayed. Now, the collection has its own dedicated room outside of the main exhibit space. The new facility’s exhibition spaces, multi-purpose room, coffee shop, and lounge will help the OAG become a community arts hub. The OAG’s director and CEO, Alexandra Badzak has said, “[Lord Cultural Resources] must certainly be credit for helping to shape [the facility] and its functional design.”  

After two years of work, the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada has been released; it is comprised of a four-volume set of books that include information on Indigenous communities, languages, education, treaties, and lands. It also addresses critical topics such as residential schools, colonization, racism, and cultural appropriation. “It is a beautiful and proud thing to be Indigenous,” added Julian Brave NoiseCat, member of the Canim Lake Band in BC and a contributing editor to the Atlas. “This atlas brings together voices from First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, representing the diversity of intellect and profundity of tragedy, comedy and triumph in Indigenous communities from Tkaronto to Tuktoyaktuk and Victoria to Val d’Or.”

Just two weeks after the fire, staff from the National Museum of Brazil have set up tents in front of the museum and arranged a small exhibition displaying some items from the partially destroyed collection. Museum director Alexander Kellner says that, “[the museum] is alive and, with the circumstances we are living in, we are adapting.” The tents will soon be joined by a permanent kiosk in front of the building that will serve to update the public on its reconstruction.

The devastating fire at the National Museum of Brazil is understood to have consumed 90% of the collection, easily hundred of thousands, maybe millions, of objects - each one helping to build the heritage and narrative of the community. In an effort to preserve some of what was lost, a group of students have issued a call for any photographs, videos, or even selfies that were taken with the collection and in the exhibition spaces to create a digital archive.

Just weeks after the National Museum of Brazil fire, other cultural institutions are questioning how to keep their own collections safe. Lives were spared because of the timing of the fire, but the building and an estimated 90% of the contents were ravaged by smoke, flames, and water. While the cause of the fire is still unknown, many factors contributed to the disaster including safety concerns and budgets. In a Washington Post article, Hugh Eakin wrote, “As we witness the Brazil tragedy, it may be all too easy to conclude that this is a poor-country problem. It’s not. It is a warning for all of us.” Data from the American Alliance of Museums indicates that budgets for cultural institutions have dropped from 38% to 24% since 1989, raising the question of whether enough efforts are being made to protect valuable collections.

After the devastating fire at the National Museum of Brazil, expert Robert Janes is suggesting that museums need to re-evaluate where they are spending their budgets. While there is a steady decline in public funding, Janes recommends assessing current collections to determine what pieces actually deserve proper care and devoted resources, and what pieces should be sold.

“One thing is for certain: When our heritage is lost, it is lost forever,” writes Mark O’Neill, president and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. Photographs of the Brazil fire show throngs of people gathered at the gates of the museum; and most of those people were young students. In a world where sharing information is at the tip of our fingers, tangible history is becoming even more valuable.  

While communities across Canada are grappling with how to deal with controversial historic figures and monuments, the city of Kingston Ontario is addressing the changing legacy of Sir John A. MacDonald by inviting residents to submit their feedback for consultation. The feedback will be brought into the next step of the process; formal working groups will be developed to determine the next steps for the city. After the consultation period, a final report will be drafted and presented to the city council by the end of 2019.

In 2020 the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) will be vacating the Brutalist Breuer building, and the Frick Collection will be taking its place. The move will allow the Frick to continue exhibiting artwork while renovations are being made to their primary building. “This is like the collection going on vacation once in 100 years,” the Frick’s director Ian Wardropper says. “It can let its hair down a bit and present itself a little differently.” Wardropper expects audiences to be curious to see how the new location affects the presentation of the artwork in their collection. Meanwhile, the Met is preparing to expand the contemporary art wing at their Fifth Avenue building, with the help of architect David Chipperfield.

As augmented reality technology becomes cheaper and more feasible, museums are able to tell their stories in new, innovative ways. Some museums are experimenting with repurposing damaged artifacts, while others are looking at ways to layer information on top of existing exhibits. Patrons can now have the opportunity to be surrounded by the galaxy, or “meet” a notable figure for decades to come.

A new artist-run gallery has opened in Vienna, established on the ideology that, “if you want to be fulfilled professionally you have to create the opportunities yourself”. The gallery, founded in January 2018 by artist Oleg Komarov and musician Natalia Zatiseva, represents contemporary Russian art; specifically young local artists. Zwo Gallery says: “In our work we strive to establish an open and trusting relationship based on cooperation and support, a relationship that can only appear via communication between the two people.”

A fine art major – especially art teachers, music contractors, craft artists, and illustrators –  is statistically the least valuable major in the USA, according to a new survey. The survey showed that the unemployment rate for graduates is 9.1%, while those who do get jobs face a lower annual income of $40,855 on average. Students who enrol in fine art majors are encouraged to look to unconventional career paths that can integrate their educational knowledge.