A Message from UAAC President about the Portrait Gallery of Canada

In response to the recent announcement by James Moore, minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, the members of the Universities Art Association of Canada / Association d’art des universités du Canada, would like to make clear our disagreement with the government’s decision to suspend the process of creating a building for the Portrait Gallery of Canada. We look forward to a new initiative to make the Portrait Gallery a tangible reality that would allow for permanent and temporary exhibitions and utilize the precious resources held by the Gallery to maximum effect for the public.

We represent a national association of scholars, curators, artists and other art professionals. It is our professional judgement that creating a permanent building for the Portrait Gallery of Canada, where original works of art can be viewed and researched by Canadians and others, offers an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate our unique and diverse cultural identities in Canada, and further develop our understanding of this essential facet of the Canadian experience.

Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding our concern.

Yours sincerely,
Catherine Harding, Dr.
President, Universities Art Association of Canada / Association d’art des universités du Canada