Are Canada’s Museums Only Skin Deep?

All across Canada, the arts are experiencing a construction boom unlike any other in modern memory, as museums and galleries scramble to open the biggest, best, and most recognizable buildings they can afford. But for all the focus on architecture, Canada’s art institutions still face an uphill battle in bringing great art into the country, and keeping it there. “There’s still no significant, amply funded international biennial being staged on Canadian soil. Compromised acquisition budgets in the major museums prevent our curators from having real clout abroad… But from what we saw in 2005, at least we can say we are heading in the right direction. 2006 will be a year to keep building, but it should also be a year to think hard about what we are going to look at once all that building is done.”