By Jeff Davis
The federal government has cut further funding to the long-awaited Portrait Gallery of Canada, disappointing history and art buffs alike.
A “senior Conservative” told the Ottawa Citizen last week that neither Heritage Canada nor Public Works have included the gallery in their spending estimates after this year.
Gallery director Dr. Lilly Koltun was “unavailable for interviews regarding the future home of the Portrait Gallery of Canada,” according to a third-party strategic communications consultant. Media requests were redirected to Heritage Canada. A Heritage spokesperson maintained that no final decision about the gallery’s future has been made.
The gallery was to showcase the vast collections of photo and visual material owned by Library and Archives Canada.
Paul Dewar, NDP MP for Ottawa Centre, says he saw the project cancellation coming since the summer and is “certain now that it’s dead.”
Dewar, who says he liked the idea of the Portrait Gallery, dislikes the idea of using 100 Wellington Street – location of the former American embassy – as office space for MPs or government.
He says the building should remain a public venue. “In other world capitals,” Dewar says, “the areas around congress or parliament are spaces for the public to gather.”
Ottawa Tourism says the gallery would have been a “nice addition to the cultural scene in Ottawa,” and a boost to the local tourism industry.
“Any time a new cultural institution is opened there is an interest to check it out,” spokesperson Jantine Van Kregten says. She cites the example of the new war museum, which drew “huge numbers” of people since it opened in May 2005.
“A new attraction, especially in the downtown core, right across from Parliament Hill, would have been a huge draw,” she says.
Members of Ottawa’s art community are also disappointed by the apparent cancellation.
“The National Portrait Gallery promised to be a real feather in the federal government’s hat,” says Carol Payne, photography historian and assistant director of art history at Carleton University. “It’s a very sad loss for us all.”
The Portrait Gallery, Payne says, would have displayed a “brilliant collection of artwork and other visual material that could be seen widely by the public.” Such an institution, she says, would have been a place to reflect on Canada, our past leaders, and what it is to be Canadian.
Furthermore, Payne says, the gallery would have increased Ottawa’s importance as a cultural centre. “It’s a huge loss,” she says. “A real pity.”