Heritage Minister Writes to National Gallery Board
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has written to Françoise Lyon, the chair of the board of trustees that oversees the National Gallery of Canada, to express his "deep concern" over recent staff departures at the Ottawa gallery, Radio-Canada, the CBC's French service, reported Wednesday.
"It's a corporation that is independent, we know that," Rodriguez said in French. "But I wrote a letter this morning to the chair of the board, expressing my concern, my deep concern, asking her for a quick response on the solutions that the board will put forward."
Rodriguez says he is worried by "the climate" within the institution following last month's dismissal of four senior managers – including Kitty Scott, chief curator and deputy director, and senior Indigenous curator Greg Hill.
"So what I want is a response from the board to my letter, to know exactly how they explain what's going on and what the solutions are for moving forward."
A statement from Lyon, dated Dec. 7 and posted on the National Gallery's website, expresses support for interim director Angela Cassie, who has said she is working to implement the gallery's strategic plan with the board's approval.
"In implementing this strategic plan, a sometimes difficult but needed journey of transformation, Ms. Cassie has the support of the board as she does in her resolve to communicate the importance of current changes within the gallery to staff, partners and to Canadians," the statement says.
"The board and management recognize that, for some, the decisions taken recently were difficult to accept. They were not easy decisions to make. But they were important to take if the NGC is committed to its evolution as a forward-looking and internationally recognized institution."
Seven former senior employees of the gallery have written to Rodriguez, expressing "dismay" at the recent staff dismissals, saying it will "impact the security of the artworks, the development of knowledge of the collections and future acquisitions, and the delivery of a world-class exhibition programme."
Lyon's statement says: "There has been a disturbing suggestion by previous employees that the NGC is more focused on social policy than on art. Nothing could be further from the truth. In presenting art responsibly, we must also recognize the social factors that shape the expectations of our supporters, visitors and artistic communities."
Lyon also said: "It is disappointing that several media outlets carried a disturbing tone of intolerance and a distinct lack of understanding about the need to advance initiatives around racism, diversity and decolonization."
Lyon's statement supports an earlier statement by Cassie posted on the gallery's website on Dec. 2, in which Cassie says she was given a mandate by the gallery's board to implement the strategic plan.
"We’ve needed to look at how we can do things differently and move away from traditional ways of working that are no longer reflective of the kind of institution we need and want to be," Cassie said in that statement.
Meanwhile, Marc Mayer, a former director of the National Gallery, has been posting bitter and emotional complaints on his Instagram feed that attack Cassie and defend his efforts to diversify the gallery's collection and exhibitions.
"What really stung, it was meant to, was when she suggested that my tenure was a dark time of misogyny and white supremacy," Mayer wrote three days ago in response to Cassie's recent round of media interviews, accompanied by an upside-down image of his former office plaque at the gallery.
"Strategic plan, strategic plan, strategic plan," Mayer posted two days ago alongside a pointedly blank image. "Aside from this mantra, you have scant to say. Nothing about abolishing positions central to the functioning of an art museum. Nothing about your lack of experience, credentials or even interest in art before 2019. Why do you get to remake the NGC?"
UPDATED: Dec. 7, 2022 at 9:58 p.m. MDT to include comments from Françoise Lyon, chair of the board of trustees of the National Gallery of Canada.
