that in general no one really cares about contem-
that’s just the tip of the iceberg), the Indigenous art
porary art outside of the little circle of contem-
world is highly politicised. There’s an urgency and a
porary artists. Does it really matter then what
dynamism that is disrupting the established order
subjects artists deal with?
in the Canadian art world and you can feel major changes coming.
This is a question that many, if not all, art institutions are wrestling with these days. Outreach
Are there many artist–run centres in Canada? How
and educational initiatives are taking on a more
are they unified and do they communicate and
important dimension in Canadian art institutions,
collaborate often?
in part because of the Canada Council for the Arts’ push on organisations to reach new audiences. The
Across Canada there are approximately one hun-
latest statistics point to an increase in attendance
dred artist–run centres and some are more than
at art galleries across Canada, but it would be too
50 years old! The Artist–Run Centres and Collec-
speculative to make a direct link with these recent
tives Conference is the national association to
efforts. I think there’s a general acknowledgement
which most of us belong. Every few years it holds a
that in order to diversify audiences you need to
national conference which is the only opportunity
diversify the artists you exhibit. Some institutions
for us all to come together. However there seems to
do this better than others, especially the ones that
be few instances of collaborations between centres
are diversifying their staff, which is the last piece of
in Canada. It is much more common for centres
the puzzle.
to seek their collaborators internationally. Maybe that’s just a reflection of Canada’s internationalist
Is there anything particularly cool about Canadian
style. Or maybe it’s due to the fact that St. John’s,
art that is a must–know for anyone interested in
Newfoundland is a lot closer to London, England
contemporary art?
than Vancouver. In any case I would like to see more collaboration and exchange between centres in
I think outsiders would be surprised to learn that
Canada.
Nunavut, the northernmost territory in Canada, has one of the highest levels of artists per capita on
Last but not least – why are there so many squir-
earth. What is maybe more surprising to some is
rels here in Ottawa? I read that they were initially
that the Inuit art community has thrived without
introduced as a decorative animal in local parks
any formal art school. Peer–to–peer and intergen-
but then things got wild …?
43
erational learning has sustained this community of artists for generations. University art programmes
As far as I know the squirrels you see in Ottawa are
can be great but we should always remember that
native to the region, but the cute little rabbits that
there are other models out there that are just as
bounce around in city parks were likely abandoned
effective.
by their owners and they are so adorable. My favourite animal I like to see in the city is the majestic
Is there a common language of Canadian contem-
moose – they sometimes venture downtown, halting
porary art by which you would say it is easy to dis-
traffic and inducing all kinds of panic. ■
tinguish it from other art scenes? Canada is a vast country: does art look different on the east coast compared with the west coast or in the north? You’re right that Canada is a vast and diverse country. I would be hard–pressed to find a defining feature or a common language. What is happening in the Indigenous art world is a notable story. There is a tendency to shun distinctions between tradition, craft and art. For many practitioners they feel that their work is part of a continuum. Some people make the mistake of seeing contemporary works by Indigenous artists as a remixing of traditions, but this is a western way of seeing. Because of Canada’s problematic treatment of Indigenous peoples (many communities have no access to drinking water and
Tour of the SAW construction site, 2019, photo: Alex Noreau