“Thin as a Kleenex” was feedback given on the N.W.T. Arts Strategy at a public hearing Thursday morning.
“When you strip away the introduction from the minister and the appendix, it is a very thin five pages,” continued Sarah Swan, director with the Yellowknife Artist Run Community Centre, who spoke in front of a territorial standing committee at the Legislative Assembly Thursday.
The 10-year N.W.T. Arts Strategy was released in the summer of 2021 as a joint initiative between the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment to serve as a guide for the territorial government on how to better support the arts sector.
But it falls short, MLAs heard at the public hearing as local art advocates Swan and Ben Nind shared their critiques of the strategy.
“Overall it reads as a permission slip for the [Government of the N.W.T.] to keep on keeping on not changing much,” Swan said.
Since last fall, Yellowknife’s visitor centre moved to a new location that now has a non-commercial gallery space. The Friends of the Northwest Territories Art Gallery is also working to develop an N.W.T. Arts Centre. But the territorial government wanted to ask if it was doing enough to support artists’ needs to grow and develop.
Northern Arts and Cultural Centre executive director Ben Nind called the strategy “unfocused” and said it needs to be reworked to serve the needs of the creative community in a “real and possible manner.”
“Otherwise it remains too broad, too self-serving for the departments responsible and too weak to implement and measure progress,” Nind wrote in his submission.
Suggestions also offered
While both speakers critiqued the strategy, they also offered suggestions on how to make it better.
Nind suggested the second goal of the strategic plan, “Strengthen education, engagement and leadership,” be expanded on as each three things alone could be its own whole strategic plan.
“I remind the committee that the greatest resource in the North is its people and its greatest renewable resource is the individual’s imagination and drive,” Nind wrote in his submission.
“If you supported the exploration of imagination as you do the exploration of diamonds and gold and lithium then you support possibilities that have unlimited potential.”
Meanwhile Swan shared three diagrams: the first of how the arts world looks in Canada, the second how the N.W.T arts world is at present, and the third how the N.W.T. arts world would “ideally” look.
A diagram presented to MLAs to illustrate what the N.W.T. arts world could look like. (Submitted by Sarah Swan)
Swan suggested merging the academic and traditional Indigenous arts knowledge together in an N.W.T. Arts Centre that hosts galleries, creation space, artists residencies and mentorships.
Creating such a space would professionalize territorial artists while attracting artists to the North and developing relationships with other arts centres in Canada, Swan shared in her presentation.
At the end, the MLAs thanked the presenters for sharing their thoughts.
Feedback to be taken into consideration
But what now after the hour-and-a-half-long feedback meeting?
The MLAs who attended, a combination of members from the social development committee and the economic development committee, are taking the feedback into consideration and will make decisions on any next steps they wish to take, a spokesperson with the Legislative Assembly explained in an email.
Some examples of actions include bringing forward motions in the house, writing a report with recommendation, bringing forward a private members bill or negotiating for funding changes during budget consideration.
When the strategy was released, the government said it would collect information on the N.W.T. Arts Strategy every year, with plans to publish performance reports in 2026 and 2031.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
