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| Too much war machines; too little war art? |
I had not been aware of this controversy at the Canadian War Museum, over the dismissal of film and photography curator Joanne Stober, to whom an arbitrator has now granted reinstatement. There seems to be a troubling number of sudden departures in senior ranks at the national museums.
Stober left a job as a senior archivist at Library and Archives Canada in 2016 to take on a mission that included showcasing the war museum's existing art holdings while bringing the collection into the digital age. [emphasis added]
For all my admiration of the War Museum, I've long thought it has undervalued its remarkable collection of art. The museum has a vast trove of magnificent works by many of Canada's leading artists, and only shows a few in out of the way corridors and special exhibits. I hope Stober's departure/return will not impede the part of her mandate that concerns art holdings.
