Andrew Hunter (Information Studies)
Published: 26 February 2018
Monday 19 March 2018
The Precarious Future(s) of Settler/Colonial Museums in Canada
at 5pm in the Kelvin Hall Lecture Theatre
Andrew Hunter, Art Gallery of Guelph
In the Belly of the Whale: Reflections on the Precarious Future(s) of Settler/Colonial Museums in Canada
'It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me.' - Ismael in Herman Melville's Moby Dick, 1851
In this free public talk Andrew Hunter, Senior Curator at the Art Gallery of Guelph, one of Canada's leading public art institutions, will consider the state of museums and galleries in Canada. All are welcome.
Drawing on a combination of his own curatorial and artistic projects, historical narratives, the work of contemporary artists, and personal stories, Hunter will discuss what he sees as the problematic pasts and precarious futures of cultural heritage organisations in Canada. Hunter will offer a critique of what he sees as an inability of institutions to engage with histories, knowledge systems and objects that do not fit traditional museum definitions and categories. His reflections are offered against the backdrop of on the one hand increasing support among Canadians for (re)conciliation and decolonisation, and on the other the continued reality that Indigenous people and people of colour remain under-represented in museum exhibitions, collections and workforces across the country. Given their colonial roots, how can cultural heritage institutions respond to growing demands from many communities in Canada for significant foundational change?
Dr Rosie Spooner, Lecturer in Museum Studies at the University of Glasgow, will offer a brief response to Hunter's talk before the conversation is opened up to audience questions and discussion. An informal drinks reception will follow.
This free public event is part of the University of Glasgow's School of Humanities Lecture Series and is hosted by the Information Studies subject area.
The main entrance to the Kelvinhall on Argyle Street is via a ramp from pavement level to the ground floor. The Kelvinhall Lecture Theatre is on the ground floor, on the right at the end of the main avenue, which is level.
Andrew Hunter is an accomplished curator, artist, writer, educator, community researcher and advocate. He is currently Senior Curator at the Art Gallery of Guelph, and was previously the Fredrik S. Eaton Curator of Canadian Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto. His final project at the AGO was the acclaimed exhibition Every. Now.Then: Reframing Nationhood, co-curated with Anique Jordan, which critically reflected on Canada 150 (1867-2017). As an artist and curator, Hunter has produced exhibitions and publications in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Croatia. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, he is known for his narrative-based museum interventions and his ongoing creative research performance Professor William Starling’s Perambulations of Inquiry.
First published: 26 February 2018