Museum of Civilization to get new focus

[waterloowarrior]

Museum of Civilization to get new focus
DANIEL LEBLANC
OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Oct. 12 2012, 10:44 PM EDT
Last updated Friday, Oct. 12 2012, 11:24 PM EDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle4611129/


The Harper government is set to rebrand and refocus the country’s biggest museum into a monument to the history of Canada in the lead-up to celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.

An announcement is scheduled next week that the Canadian Museum of Civilization will be renamed to focus specifically on Canadian history. The renaming signals a broader mission for the museum beyond its current anthropological focus to one that looks more seriously at Canadian social and political history. Currently, the museum highlights international exhibitions such as “Mystery of the Maya” and an upcoming exhibition on Haitian voodoo.

The decision to include displays about the country’s major milestones is part of a continued effort by the Conservative government to reshape the country’s major symbols with a greater emphasis on the monarchy and past military achievements.

“It’s all about our shared Canadian history,” a federal source said of the upcoming announcement.

Self-described as “Canada’s largest and most popular cultural institution,” the Museum of Civilization is in Gatineau, Que., just across the Ottawa River from Parliament. It is expected to be renamed the Canadian Museum of History or the Museum of Canadian History, federal sources said.

The rebranding will be the latest initiative supported by the Harper government to place a greater focus on domestic celebrations. The government this year has marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup will be celebrated later this fall.

Other events leading to Canada’s 150th anniversary will include a celebration of the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913-1918 starting next year, and the 150th anniversary of the Quebec and Charlottetown conferences in 2014, among others.

Sources said Ottawa will be looking to enlist museums across Canada as part of its celebration of the country’s history, with details to be announced on Tuesday by Heritage Minister James Moore and other senior federal officials.

“Our museums are the showcase of many of the treasures that we have to celebrate in our history, they are a central piece,” a federal source said.

The initiative could face resistance, however, as the Harper government has come under fire for its insistence on celebrating the monarchy and the country’s military history.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, for example, has been ridiculed for replacing two works by Quebec painter Alfred Pellan with a portrait of the Queen at the entrance of the Lester B. Pearson building in Ottawa.

The federal government has also been increasing the visibility of former Conservative leaders John Diefenbaker and Sir John A. Macdonald across the country, naming buildings, an icebreaker and an Ottawa parkway in their honour.

In addition, the government announced this week that it is renaming buildings in the honour of veterans of the War of 1812, earning a rebuke from the NDP.

Ottawa is also planning to build a monument to the War of 1812 on Parliament Hill, breaking with a tradition of having only statues of individuals on the legislative assembly grounds.

The Museum of Civilization is one of the main tourist draws in the capital region, located on Confederation Boulevard, which links the most prominent federal locations in Ottawa and Gatineau. While it has an acclaimed collection of aboriginal artifacts from across Canada, it has also been home to exhibitions from countries such as Mexico and China.

The Museum of Civilization moved from Ottawa in 1989 to a new flowing building in Gatineau designed by architect Douglas Cardinal. It was previously called The National Museum of Man.

[J.OT13]

Why is Harper doing this;

a) Renaming a museum is cheap.
b) Rebrand a Liberal legacy to better reflect Conservative values.

Way to narrow the focus and likely reduce international renown.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Why is Harper doing this;

a) Renaming a museum is cheap.
b) Rebrand a Liberal legacy to better reflect Conservative values.

Way to narrow the focus and likely reduce international renown.

The Royal Canadian Museum of the War of 1812?

[Kitchissippi]

Lame, and typical of the Harper government: spend on hype that far outstrips the product. This is probably the most we will ever get for the sesquicentennial, a bunch of museums and crown corporations commandeered to transmit the government's desired message.

Yup, Stephen, give us "Canadian History" after you've crushed Canada's true spirit.

[Chris-R]

I don't see a problem with bringing a little more Canada into the museum. As it stands now, the three permanent displays (Aboriginal hall, Postal Museum, and the theme village through time) are disjointed and are getting a little old.

Not that they should be scrapped, but the museum as a whole could do with a bit more of a grand narrative. Since we do lack a broad national museum and I believe that we should have one, the Museum of Civilization could very well serve more of that purpose. None of this means avoiding the special exhibitions. Those have always been reliably excellent and will serve as the broadening of understanding of the place and sources of Canadian civilization.

-------

Hopefully the celebration of militarism will be a little more professional and subdued in tone than the 1812 efforts have been given. Additionally, we already have a museum dedicated to the presentation of Canada's war experiences.

Though there is no doubt that they will be looking to highlight what they believe are the accomplishments of the Conservative party and the monarchy (neither of which should be ignored anyway), any over-the-top liberties taken in this direction may be corrected later (especially because the outcome of the 2015 election is anyone's guess).

I'd prefer if we didn't allow the perfect to be the enemy of doing anything at all.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by Chris-R

I don't see a problem with bringing a little more Canada into the museum. As it stands now, the three permanent displays (Aboriginal hall, Postal Museum, and the theme village through time) are disjointed and are getting a little old.

Not that they should be scrapped, but the museum as a whole could do with a bit more of a grand narrative. Since we do lack a broad national museum and I believe that we should have one, the Museum of Civilization could very well serve more of that purpose. None of this means avoiding the special exhibitions. Those have always been reliably excellent and will serve as the broadening of understanding of the place and sources of Canadian civilization.

I don't think it's healthy for a museum to have too much of a grand narrative, it makes the exhibits overly contrived and one-sided. We've got the Canada and Capital theme coming out of the yin yang in everything in this city — meanwhile, the majority of the audience for the museums is actually local, and they are tired of it. That's why a lot of popular blockbuster shows and special exhibits are actually ones that bring the world to Ottawa — Picasso, the Maya or Terracotta warriors. But unlike the Smithsonian or the American Museum of Natural History, which are not handcuffed by the US government, it is really hard for a place like the Museum of Nature to present a show on African elephants or lions because it does not fit in with its Canadian mandate.

Our luck the Harper government will continue to cut funding to the museums and culture and just increase the advertising, just like they spent $8 million to sell Canadians on cuts to old age security.

[S-Man]

Just to add my two cents (or nickel, minus three-fifths of its value) to the hand-wringing going on here.

Most young Canadians know jack shit about anything happening in Canada before the Trudeau years. It's like Canada began existing once they held Expo in '67 (or, once the country became progressive). Personally, I don't see why Canadian history is taboo, even with all of its many injustices.

And yes, the Globe and Mail would definitely not refrain from inserting as much mention of "military" and "monarchy" into the body of text because the Globe is a predominantly Liberal newspaper, and would thus want to stir hatred towards Harper, the military, and the Queen. They didn't mention any examples of upcoming exhibits on the Monarchy or the military, the reporter just implied it, and, like the Sun newspapers, he has an agenda to push.

The upcoming 200th of the war of 1812 exists because it exists in history. It tells the story of why were are not Americans right now. But I guess it also mentions the british and all that goes with it (the Queen, Monty Python, Spice Girls), and we don't want to associate ourselves with that, either?

How a modern day Canadian (Ken Grey among them) feels oppressed by the presence of a monarchy is beyond me. I'm sure everyone who despises the monarchy so much would fall to their feet for a president in Canada, ironic given how so many people who hate the monarchy also profess to hate anything remotely American (but are actually obsessed with them, hence so many Ottawans 'aTwitter' over the Obama-Romney debate last week).

All I'm trying to say in my long-winded way is that maybe some inward focus as a country wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (as opposed to believing we sprung into modern existence overnight as a progressive, multi-cultural nation rah-rah). It's good to know the history of your own country.

But I don't see this debate going my way.

[S-Man]

Just to add - and this has been the federal government's undoing for decades - there needs to be an honest look taken at any cultural or historical Canadian event/demographic.

All too often you get a one-sided view of any person, place or thing. Not unlike last week's dumb plaque announcement for medical pioneer/feminist Helen Macmurchy, who also was the country's biggest advocate for sterilization. Whoops, guess no one consulted Google! The world doesn't exist in black or white, and neither does history. The less desirable elements of history are part of what shapes its evolution.

Take Ottawa for example. Parks Canada and the NCC have done a great job of making all the bad elements of Ottawa's past disappear behind a cloud of progressive, feel-good whitewash. No mention that from the 1820's to the 1850's the city was one of the scariest places in Canada, with religious strife amongst immigrants boiling over into all-out riots, which partly influenced the decision to open up the interior of the province (mostly to the immigrants who were deemed to be causing the most problems).

Talk to some Westboro-type people who have swallowed the NCC Kool-Aid, and they'll tell you Ottawa has essentially always been the place it is now. Oppressed by big government, staid, and endlessly politically-correct. People who are shocked and appalled that the Market still has pubs and drinking in it - after all, it's a HERITAGE SITE! (yeah, of pubs and drinking!).

PM's come and go, and the focus of museums will change a bit. I see no problem with showing Canadians the history of Canada, but please be realistic about it. No more phoney-baloney pc whitewash. Adults can handle facts and make with them what they can.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by S-Man

Talk to some Westboro-type people who have swallowed the NCC Kool-Aid, and they'll tell you Ottawa has essentially always been the place it is now. Oppressed by big government, staid, and endlessly politically-correct. People who are shocked and appalled that the Market still has pubs and drinking in it - after all, it's a HERITAGE SITE! (yeah, of pubs and drinking!).

Hmm, "Westboro-type" must be the Ottawa version of "Gangnam-style", because I have yet to bump into endlessly politically-correct neighbours. I'll check one of the new pubs that just opened on Richmond road if they are hiding out in there or maybe I'll flush out one of my 9 museum-employed friends in the area by asking them to go drinking in the market.

[J.OT13]

The problem with Harper's proposal is not that he wants to promote Canadian history, good or bad, with or without Great-Britain’s involvement, it's that he is essentially slapping Ottawa in the face with yet another renaming and trying still to erase the Liberals legacy (i.e. Trudeau's Museum of Civilization in this case. Royal Canadian Forces being an attack on part of Pearson’s boundless legacy, gun registry, killing Laurier House’s guided tours, old age pension cuts, re-structuring E. I., etc.). If he could, I’m sure Harper would kill health care and raise the Red Ensign up on the Peace Tower. Take that Pearson!!!

Renaming existing buildings is cheap, but yet he will point to this as being one of his great achievements as a sesquicentennial legacy project. If he really wants a Museum of Canadian History, I suggest he opens one in the old American Embassy instead of transforming it into yet another Government Conference Centre. Now that would be a proper sesquicentennial legacy project without costing a billion dollars like the Museum of Science and Tech would (although badly needed, I would not mind it being postponed if the Conservative Government wasn’t filled with a bunch of hypocrites; 60+ million on self-promoting advertisement, come on!)).

[lrt's friend]

When was the last time a Conservative government ever left a legacy in Ottawa? This is the problem. It has almost always been Liberals that have built this city starting from the days of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and the Conservatives have done nothing when they have had power. It is terrible that for such an important event as the 150th anniversary of this country that we can do no more than rename and refocus an existing museum. Heaven forbid if this country had the same attitude in the mid 1960s and we had forgone Expo 67. For those who are too young, it was the best World's Fair ever and it put Montreal and Canada on the map around the world. For a country of only 20 million at the time, Expo had over 50 million visitors during its 5 or 6 month run. It sounds like we might as well snooze through our 150th anniversary. Of course transit will almost be crippled downtown anyways during 2017.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

When was the last time a Conservative government ever left a legacy in Ottawa? This is the problem. It has almost always been Liberals that have built this city starting from the days of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and the Conservatives have done nothing when they have had power. It is terrible that for such an important event as the 150th anniversary of this country that we can do no more than rename and refocus an existing museum. Heaven forbid if this country had the same attitude in the mid 1960s and we had forgone Expo 67. For those who are too young, it was the best World's Fair ever and it put Montreal and Canada on the map around the world. For a country of only 20 million at the time, Expo had over 50 million visitors during its 5 or 6 month run. It sounds like we might as well snooze through our 150th anniversary. Of course transit will almost be crippled downtown anyways during 2017.

Apparently MacDonald had something to do with Ottawa being chosen as the Capital, according to CBC’s John A. movie. There was also Robert Borden’s Holt-Bennett Report, but the First World War and Parliament burning down sort of halted those plans. Otherwise, the biggest Conservative legacy would probably be Diefenbaker’s bunker in Carp, which he built to protect his own behind in the event where we we’d be nuked.

[rocketphish]

If it ends up being renamed to "The Canadian Museum of History" as has been reported by the CBC, that's ok with me. That's what it's scope should be, and largely is, even though the "The Canadian Museum of Civilization" is far too broad a name. But I would be quite irate if it becomes "The Museum of Canadian History" which is far too insular and focused. We would be missing out a lot if the scope were narrowed that much. National museums should look at a nation's place in the world, not just at the nation itself. We would be laughed at internationally if that were to happen.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

If it ends up being renamed to "The Canadian Museum of History" as has been reported by the CBC, that's ok with me. That's what it's scope should be, and largely is, even though the "The Canadian Museum of Civilization" is far too broad a name. But I would be quite irate if it becomes "The Museum of Canadian History" which is far too insular and focused. We would be missing out a lot if the scope were narrowed that much. National museums should look at a nation's place in the world, not just at the nation itself. We would be laughed at internationally if that were to happen.

My thoughts exactly, the placement of "Canadian" in the name will determine its focus and success, especially on an international point of view.

[S-Man]

Hey, I'm fine with leaving it the way it is, or with ADDING sme more focus on the less explored-to-death elements of Canadian history. It doesn't require a name change, IMHO.
If a Liberal builds and names something (wasn't this museum built under Mulroney though?), the next guy can re-name it, and the guy after that can re-name it again, unless it's too prominent an institution. And so on.

And I somehow think the name of the Museum of Civilization doesn't resonate beyond some people living in Ottawa.



Kitchissippi: My comment stems from an actual comment from someone I knew to be living in that area. It was a real comment about the Market's heritage being destroyed by "people drinking, and lewd entertainment." I was referring to the type of person who would make such a coment while ignoring real history, and real heritage. This guy. From real life.

[Aylmer]

I find that the museum has aged very well and I have great pride in bringing all of my out-of-town friends there because it's just such a joy. Sometimes I even go again myself! I don't see myself making my way to see exhibits I'd already seen at any other museum, but the Museum of Civilization is different. Sure, if you wanted to update some of the elements, but don't shake it up - it's great as it is.

If it ain't broke...

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by S-Man

Hey, I'm fine with leaving it the way it is, or with ADDING sme more focus on the less explored-to-death elements of Canadian history. It doesn't require a name change, IMHO.
If a Liberal builds and names something (wasn't this museum built under Mulroney though?), the next guy can re-name it, and the guy after that can re-name it again, unless it's too prominent an institution. And so on.

And I somehow think the name of the Museum of Civilization doesn't resonate beyond some people living in Ottawa.



Kitchissippi: My comment stems from an actual comment from someone I knew to be living in that area. It was a real comment about the Market's heritage being destroyed by "people drinking, and lewd entertainment." I was referring to the type of person who would make such a coment while ignoring real history, and real heritage. This guy. From real life.

The Museum of Civilization and the National Art Gallery were both initiatives spearheaded by Trudeau, and Trudeau launched construction of both projects (for the Museum of Civilization, he dressed up as a coureur des bois and rowed a bark canoe from Parliament to the site of the Museum to launch its construction), but they were completed in the Mulroney years. But note that Mulroney had NOTHING to do with these projects; he simply came into power when they were both under construction.

Here, from the museums websites are links to their history. For the Civilization, go down to the 80s

http://www.civilization.ca/about-us/...f-civilization


It's the direct link to the 80s for the National Gallery

http://www.gallery.ca/en/about/1980s.php

[rocketphish]

Moore makes it official: Museum of Civilization becoming Canadian Museum of History

OTTAWA — Heritage Minister James Moore officially unveiled a new name and mandate for the Museum of Civilization Tuesday.

In advance of Canada’s 150th birthday, the government will introduce amendments to the Museum Act to rename it the Canadian Museum of History, Moore announced. The institution’s focus will shift toward Canadian achievements and away from the globally-themed exhibitions on human history that currently make up a large part of its programming.

“This year marks the start of the five-year countdown to Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017. It offers us an unprecedented opportunity to celebrate our history and those achievements that define who we are as Canadians,” Moore said in a release accompanying the announcement.

“Canadians deserve a national museum of history that tells our stories and presents our country’s treasures to the world.”

Among the Canadian accomplishments to be highlighted under the museum’s new mandate, according to the release, are the “Last Spike” — donated to the Museum of Civilization in June — and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Montreal Canadiens great Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s hockey jersey, and items from Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.

The release said that more than 50,000 square feet of public space will be renovated “through existing resources and new partnerships with museums across Canada,” to be completed before Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.

Though its roots date back to 1856, the Museum of Civilization has been housed in its current Douglas Cardinal-designed building in Gatineau since 1989.

A one-time investment of $25 million from Canadian Heritage’s existing budget will be required to fund the transformation, the release said, to be accompanied by fundraising efforts in the private sector.

The announcement was attended by members of the museum’s staff and board of trustees, and prominent Canadian historians including Michael Bliss and Charlotte Gray.

More to come.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Moore+m...#ixzz29TyAFTzY

[Kitchissippi]

Every museum is a museum of history, be it natural history, or of airplanes, war or technology. "Civilization" is about the cultural achievements of human societies, which is why it was an appropriate name for this museum. "Museum of History" is way too generic and does not say much, and every museum in this city is Canadian. This renaming is a complete waste of money.

[J.OT13]

Yup, I think the figure was 25 million dollars, or so they say.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ottawa-...story-1.997909

But hey, plenty of public service cuts to go around!!!