This text is part of the special booklet The summer of museums
History and portrait of discrimination in North America from yesterday to today, reflection on the place left to traditional agriculture, the effect of small gestures on the protection of the environment… Through their exhibition themes varied, the capital’s museums are offering an overview of the most current major subjects this summer.
National Gallery of Canada
In 1911, Britton B. Cooke published in the columns of the magazine Maclean’s an article titled “The Black Canadian” in which he vigorously opposed the immigration of African Americans to Canada. The new monumental exhibition presented by the National Gallery of Canada recalls the painful memory of this dark era, while evoking the issue of discrimination, which is unfortunately still relevant. In Black Canadians (after Cooke)multidisciplinary artist Deanna Bowen, renowned for creating powerful works from archival documents, explores the migration of black populations through a powerful new installation that echoes her own family history.
Descendant of African-American pioneers who fled the “Jim Crow” laws of Kentucky and Alabama to find refuge in the prairies of Alberta, Bowen paints a panorama of influential white men linked, directly or indirectly, to the tormented journey of his own ancestors. We find, among others, the controversial figure of Egerton Ryerson, at the heart of the residential school system for Aboriginals, or one of the Fathers of Canadian Confederation, John A. Macdonald, whose statue was vandalized by anti-racist activists in Montreal and Toronto at the height of the “Black Lives Matter” movement in 2020. In total, 17 panels give voice to past generations and question the heavy legacy of colonialism and segregationist practices. From mid-July
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
Established in the heart of the city, very close to Parliament Hill, the Ottawa farm-museum broadens its horizon and invites us to travel far beyond the borders of Canada with The life that I love, that I chose. The exhibition of photos by Vlad Dumitrescu transports us through the rural landscapes and picturesque villages of Romania, in the footsteps of peasants cultivating their land by perpetuating the old agricultural traditions of their ancestors. Threatened with extinction, these small family farms are resisting an industrial agriculture that never stops nibbling ground, in Eastern Europe as elsewhere.
Over the course of this captivating series of 41 shots, Vlad Dumitrescu immortalizes this agricultural Romania so dear to his heart. The former banker who swapped his business suit for a second-hand camera nearly fifteen years ago documents another form of land use that is more environmentally conscious. An agriculture that gives pride of place to the circular economy to reduce the amount of waste and optimize the use of land. With his remarkable photos of landscapes and his portraits of farmers close to their animals, the Romanian photographer leads us to question ourselves more broadly about the desertification of the countryside in our societies today and about the place left to traditional agriculture in the face of galloping industrialization and a perpetual quest for profitability. From May 20 to September 4, 2023
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Contrary to an idea that is still too widely held, small daily gestures can really help save the planet from the predicted and dreaded catastrophe. And awareness of environmental issues begins at an early age, transmitting messages of hope that encourage the search for solutions. Developed by Science North, with support from the Government of Canada, the exhibit Our Climate Quest. Small steps to big changes thus invites young and old to consider the actions that can be taken in everyday life to better protect the environment.
True to form, the Canada Science and Technology Museum is offering a whole series of educational and fun activities on the subject in order to develop experiential learning. The game Choose and eat notably offers children, as well as their parents, the opportunity to identify the most sustainable meal by measuring the effect of the decisions we make at the grocery store. An interactive multimedia experience, Act for the climateand an immersive space, The reflection treealso encourage climate action by highlighting initiatives to follow for a more sustainable future.
Until September 4, 2023
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.