bout de papier, Vol. 29, No. 3 (2016), pp. 29–31
well as art installments reflecting the stories of Canada’s Indigenous People; commemorative elements recognizing this area as unceded Algonquin Territory; monuments to past leaders and nation-builders; wayfinding markers; an illumination program; entrance arches; and seating areas, all of which will bring the physical space to life and will create lasting symbols. The emphasis will be forward-looking
and inclusive.
\ Programming & Events: We will
leverage the existing critical mass of international, national and local civil society organizations based in this area to establish Laurier Avenue East as a vibrant centre for political discourse in the heart of that Nation’s Capital. Through a curated series of programs and events, as well as conferences, debates, and speaker series, we will engage Canadians from across the country and from all walks of life in contemporary issues, building on the networks, expertise and interest of civil society partners. Multimedia Platform & Educational Content: In addition to being available in hard copy, material will be accessible via digital content, outreach materials, mobile apps, virtual tours, online forums and social media networks. In partnership with educators, we will develop a spectrum of age-appropriate content to educate and engage intergenerational learners. This will allow for Prime Ministers’ Row-related content to be accessible to Canadians
across the country.
In just over a year, Prime Ministers’ Row has become a federally-incorporated non-profit governed by a board of eminent, influential Canadians from across the country; we are supported by a team of special advisors with extensive experience and expertise in relevant disciplines (from architecture to urban planning to museum interpretation to partnerships/fundraising); we have been publically endorsed by the National Capital Commission as one of the Big Ideas for the National Capital for 2017 and beyond; we enjoy the support of major institutions such as the University of Ottawa and the City of Ottawa; we have been championed at all levels of government across party lines (including through the stalwart support of former Foreign Affairs colleague and now city councillor Tobi Nussbaum); and we have benefitted from enthusiastic media and social media coverage from all corners of the country.
And the church that started it all? This past Christmas, the property was sold to a group of investors made up in part from the Save the Saints group itself. Now, not only will Sandy Hillers have a say in the future of All Saints Church, but Prime Ministers’ Strathcona Park
Row will have its very own interpretive centre within it — nestled in the same space where Sir Robert Borden’s State Funeral was held almost 80 years before.
With the transformation of Laurier Avenue East into Prime Ministers’ Row for Canada’s 2017 sesquicentennial celebrations, this historic streetscape will offer the literal and figurative meeting place between those who shaped Canada’s first 150 years and those who will shape the next 150.
I hope you will consider becoming part of it! Visit our website to get a better sense of the project and click on the ‘Join Us!’ link to become a member; $20.00 will get you a five-year membership and access to an exciting series of events and programs in the lead up to 2017 and beyond. www.pmr-apm.ca 2
Suneeta Millington is Chair of The Prime Ministers’ Row Initiative. After postings to PRMNY and GENEY, she is currently in the third year of an exchange with the Canadian Armed Forces, within the Office of the Judge Advocate General at the Department of National Defence.
New York Times journalist Frank Bruni advises: “If you want to feel much, much older, teach a college course.” My version is that if you want to feel much, much younger, take a university course! Going back to university after a Foreign Service career posed challenges, but provided a long-awaited opportunity to learn more about art history.
I surely stood out in a large lecture hall with hundreds of first-year students in 2007 at the University of Ottawa. However, from the very start when we learned about cave art and then the Romans and Greeks, I found the readings and lectures fascinating. Although I had been visiting galleries in Europe, Africa, and Latin America while on postings, museum visits soon became more meaningful. On a part-time basis for the next eight years, I registered for additional courses, moving to Carleton for my M.A., which was awarded in 2014.
Several changes in university culture struck me. The study habits of many of my first-year classmates were appalling. Some played card games on their computers during lectures; many never asked a question or responded to the professor’s invitation to join the conversation. Others attended sporadically. Things improved after the first year, although the professors continued to take attendance and have their TAs check on students playing computer games. A noticeable improvement occurred with graduate school where articulate, intelligent students appeared poised to begin successful professional careers.
Almost all courses are now taught on a semester basis, usually once a week for three hours. Given the length of each session, snacking is tolerated and even expected. One professor regularly brought cookies, cheese and crackers for all. Of course, the pipe-smoking professors and smoky seminar rooms have disappeared. Also on the positive side: no more frustration typing essays on a manual typewriter and correcting errors by hand. How did we ever manage before word processing?
What else had changed? There were almost no text books to purchase. Professors now use “course packs”, loosely bound compendia of articles and book chapters. Or they can place texts on university-run websites, which only registered students can access. Other electronic data-bases, managed by the library, reproduce scholarly articles online.
Memorization, e.g. of specific art historical dates, was no longer deemed necessary. By second year all the final exams were of the “take-home” variety or final marks were based on the overall course assignments. Internships, research papers, and additional courses offer options for students who do not want to do the M.A. thesis. In practice, most avoid it.
The study habits of many of
my first-year classmates were
appalling. Some played card games
on their computers during lectures;
many never asked a question or
responded to the professor’s
invitation to join the conversation.
Others attended sporadically.
This may, sadly, reflect a generational decline in writing skills which universities have been forced to acknowledge. Many student colleagues struggled with their essays. They are now encouraged to get help with editing before submitting them. Universities offer tutorials and special classes. Another way of responding has been for professors to put more emphasis on oral presentations. PowerPoint has, of course, replaced the old side show and overhead projectors.
I found more emphasis on academic integrity given the temptations of cut-and-paste on the internet. That had not been a major issue during my initial years at university in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Professors are now less formal, but [ have the impression that they devote less time to individual students. Most have limited weekly office hours, often a half-day per week, and appear to work mostly from home. There also seemed to be less campus social life, less informal discussions in the library and coffee shop. Libraries, however, open late to accommodate students. Professors and their courses are now evaluated during class by the university administration.
What about study for credit versus auditing a course? When you enroll for credit, you complete the assignments and receive grades. As a result you tend to take everything more seriously. Much of what I learned came from doing the assignments and getting the professor’s feedback. I enjoyed researching artists such as Gauguin and Matisse, and exploring histories of martyrdom in art, primitivism, curatorial practices, tribal and modern African art, Pop Art and Minimalism. You won’t get that kind of intellectual satisfaction from auditing. If I had studied art history on my first time in university, it would not have included the “turns” in the discipline over recent decades including feminist critiques, post-structuralist theory, performance art, and post-modernism.
In my last year, 2013-14, I undertook an M.A. thesis. While the research and my subject matter were highly rewarding, the formatting and editing requirements for an academic work could be tedious. Every word and citation had to be carefully weighed. Professional reputations could be affected. Other scholars would be able to build on your work, if well done. My 120-page thesis represented a full year’s work, with continuous registration required. Certainly, I had never worked so hard or long on any Cabinet memo.
My subject was “Contemporary American Art at the National Gallery of Canada: The Surprising Legacy of Brydon E. Smith (1967-79).” Smith was the Gallery’s first curator of contemporary art and built up the modern, international works in the Gallery’s permanent collection. I focused on three of Smith’s early solo exhibitions of American artists James Rosenquist, Dan Flavin and Donald Judd, and an important Jackson Pollock acquisition. The research involved primary material in the Gallery’s archives, as well as questionnaires and interviews with former colleagues and associates of Smith. I discovered that the Gallery possesses real treasures of postwar American art, highly regarded and sought for loan from prestigious international institutions. I learned about the procedures and criteria for acquisitioning a new work, the role of trustees, and how curators perceive their mandate to build a collection as a form of collective visual memory for Canadians.
Since receiving my degree in 2014, I have presented lectures on my research to volunteer groups at the Gallery, and spun off a couple of articles based on the research. I also continue to volunteer at the Gallery as a docent for school tours and public talks.
Would I recommend a return to university for others? Absolutely, provided that you have a real affinity for your subject and are willing to make the time sacrifices required, for example, avoiding lengthy trips during the academic year. A certain level of stress is inevitable: worrying about that term paper or class presentation, or what mark you will receive. In the process, you will be encouraged by the stimulation of discourse, the discovery of learning, the chance to share your newly acquired insights, the contact with a younger generation and its insights, the skills to evaluate art with discernment and explore new forms of artistic production.
Ian Ferguson is former Foreign Service Officer who served as High Commissioner to Nigeria (1999-2001), Deputy Permanent Representative at the Canadian Mission to the UN in Geneva (2001-05), and Director General of the Africa Bureau (2005—07).
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 29, No. 3 (2016), pp. 29–31. Read the rest of this issue →
