Public Art and Ethno-cultural Communities in Canada

Analays Alvarez
Postdoctoral fellow, History of Art department of the University of Toronto

In Canada’s constantly shifting multicultural context, public commemoration sometimes becomes a source of conflict, disharmony, or dissension.

Traditionally controlled by Anglophone and Francophone elites, commemorative public art in Canada is increasingly sparking debates in different cultural communities, including citizens with immigrant backgrounds. Recent case studies demonstrate how and why Canada’s growing and rapidly diversifying immigrant population is affecting commemorative public art management and policies. The current situation invites us to reflect on ways of better remembering together in democratic, multicultural, and diasporic societies.