Re: Conservatives turn their back on Canadian paintings, Nov. 11
There are a number of inaccuracies in the article by Sara Douha .
The Canada Council for the Arts houses Canada’s Art Bank, a collection of over 17,000 artworks that have been selected by a jury process over the last 40 years
The Canadian government has always been the major client and during times of fiscal restraint it is true that every government has considered how best to allocate limited resources, a consideration that sometimes means the value of rental contracts is temporarily lowered.
Historically it has been followed by an upswing as the economy improves.
It is unclear which media reports have suggested that 3,700 contracts have been allowed to expire since 2006.
Contracts expire once they are completed but are often renewed. In fact the Bank has had about 550 contracts in place each year, since 2006.
During that time, the Art Bank has seen revenue losses of less than 10 per cent overall.
This suggests clients value the role that art plays in their lives and in their environments even with the financial difficulties created by the current economic situation.
The reference to the removal of the Pellan artworks from the Department of Foreign Affairs is also misleading as these artworks did not belong to the Canada Council Art Bank.
Several other artworks in the lobby area are on rental from the Art Bank including the Bear Mother pole by Haida artist Jim Hart.
It is unfortunate that the author did not check the facts before publishing this piece.
Victoria Henry,
Director,
Canada Council Art Bank