Media Coverage

The Conservative Party confirmed in its manifesto, published earlier this week, that it plans to move forward with the cultural Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland if it wins the UK general election on 12 December.

The 2022 festival will be backed by a £120m government investment, says a statement from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. But arts professionals have raised concerns about this proposed showcase of Great Britain’s talents, once dubbed “the festival of Brexit” by the Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Gail Dexter Lord, the co-president of the Lord Cultural Resources consultancy, says that the project raises a number of issues. “I’m astonished if this could all come together in two years. With the cutbacks museums have suffered in the last decade, how could they afford not to be involved?” It is not clear also if Scotland will be part of the UK in 2022, she adds, referring to a possible second independence referendum.

Moncton and Dieppe are examining the creation of a contemporary art museum that could focus on Acadian and Indigenous works. The cities, together with non-profit Atlantic(que) Image-Art Inc., or AIA, have been quietly studying the concept.

Joanne Duguay, Moncton's cultural development officer, says the study is 'favourable' toward creating a contemporary art museum with a possible focus on Acadian and Indigenous art. (Submitted/Joanne Duguay). She said Moncton's 2011 cultural plan had a museum as a priority item. A group was formed several years ago to pursue studying the idea. Dieppe council voted in January 2018 to lend financial support for a study of a contemporary art museum in southeastern New Brunswick.

A tender was issued in February this year for a multi-phase study. It sought a consultant to carry out a feasibility study to evaluate the potential for a museum in either Dieppe or Moncton.

Lord Cultural Resources Inc. of Toronto was selected. The firm describes itself as the world's largest firm offering planning services for museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions.

An exhibition in Toronto’s Gardiner Museum was created with the hope of bringing visitors face to face with the issue.

“Anybody can have access to it,” said Gail Dexter Lord, president and co-founder of Lord Cultural Resources, a Toronto-based museum and gallery consultancy. “That’s important.” Ms. Lord visited the Gardiner to see the work after its installation in late August. She was impressed with what she called the work’s “transformative, spiritual quality.” She said, “Every piece of it is reverential.”

"Digital Reach is cultural organizations working together to use technology to connect with more people" said Mr. Hughson (Executive Director of The National Ballet of Canada). "It expands upon the work we are doing with Canadian Opera Company and SIRT and the Digital Stage project. Through Digital Stage we are exploring the possibilities of new technology and with Digital Reach we are learning how to effectively implement and distribute it. These exciting new initiatives will help the National Ballet, and our peers, forge pathways towards a digital future, ensuring that we are effectively leveraging new technology to reach new audiences and to promote our art forms while creating sustainable practices that will change the way we do business."

Led by the National Ballet and generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund and the City of Toronto, Digital Reach is a collaborative project with three consulting partners: Nordicity, Lord Cultural Resources and OCAD University. There are 12 partner Toronto arts organizations: The National Ballet of Canada, Canadian Opera Company, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, Esprit Orchestra, Gardiner Museum, Luminato, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Royal Ontario Museum, Tapestry Opera, TOLive, Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and Toronto Caribbean Carnival.

Middle East’s construction industry witnessed some of the biggest contract wins in July 2019, and contractors from across the globe — including US’ McDermott; UAE’s ASGC and China State Construction and Engineering Corporation Middle East (CSCEC ME); Italy’s Saipem; South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction (E&C); and India’s Nuberg EPC — bagged work on the region’s megaprojects at the beginning of H2 2019.

Ellisdon Construction won a contract to design, build, and operate the Canada Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, and the Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification, Hon Jim Carr, announced that Ellisdon would work with a consortium of companies on the project. The consortium’s members included Moriyama & Teshima Architects, Lord Cultural Resources, Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX, and Cisco.

An African-American cultural center is coming to Long Beach — but it’s unclear when.

An advisory committee, which kicked off in January, was set to have its final meeting on Tuesday, July 30. But in one of its first actions at the meeting, the panel voted to extend its meetings through the end of the year.

Kathleen Brown, chief operating officer of Lord Cultural Resources, who has served as a consultant on the project, provided an overview on what the cultural center could include, based on months of community input. Among other details, Brown said the center likely would comprise 40,000 gross square feet and cater to at least 60,000 visitors annually. It would operate with a $2.2 million yearly budget with 17 full-time staff members. General admission would likely cost $10, with the option of $6 discounted tickets and $40 annual memberships.

In addition to historical and cultural exhibits, the committee showed an interest in programming such as dance classes, health and wellness classes, professional training and more.

EllisDon Construction Ltd. has won the contract to design, build and operate the Canada Pavilion and Public Presentation at Expo 2020 Dubai. Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, presented the award to the construction service company.

EllisDon will work with consortium members Moriyama & Teshima Architects, Lord Cultural Resources, Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX and Cisco, to deliver the pavilion and public presentation space.

“As part of our long-term commitment to our operations in the Middle East, EllisDon is honoured to have been named the successful proponent for the delivery of the design, construction and operation of the Canada Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai. Together with our team of expert Canadian and Emirati partners, we look forward to delivering a pavilion that will represent all Canadians and of which we can all be proud,” said Jody K. Becker, Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice-President, Services, EllisDon.

According to Global Affairs Canada, the World Expo will bring people together from around the globe in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to encourage international collaboration.

Anne of Green Gables is an example of one of  Canada’s best cultural exports. More than 100 years after it was published, the book by Lucy Maud Montgomery continues to have a substantial economic impact on Prince Edward Island, the setting of the classic children’s tale. It’s created a brand for PEI as a picturesque province with friendly people—a little piece of paradise by the ocean in Canada. It’s also arguably helped “Brand Canada” give foreigners positive feelings about the whole country.

Gail Lord says there’s no reason that same cultural success can’t be replicated across the country. As a culture exporter, she runs a global cultural consulting firm based in Toronto with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Mumbai and Beijing.

“The more culture is exchanged, the more there’s human understanding,” Lord says, owner of Lord Cultural Resources. “Culture helps attract investment, industry, human understanding and tourism.”

Ellisdon Construction has won a contract to design, build, and operate the Canada Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, with the Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification, Hon Jim Carr, announcing that Ellisdon would work with a consortium comprising business giants such as Cisco on the project.

The consortium’s members include Moriyama & Teshima Architects, Lord Cultural Resources, Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX, and Cisco.

EllisDon Construction, a leading construction and building services company, has been awarded the contract for the design, build and operation of the Canada Pavilion and Public Presentation at the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai event. Together with consortium members Moriyama & Teshima Architects, and Lord Cultural Resources, EllisDon and team will deliver the pavilion and its public presentation space. They will also be joined by Hatch, Kubik, Thornton Tomasetti, NGX and Cisco, according to Canada's Ministry of International Trade Diversification.

Complementary programming, which will include business, investment attraction and cultural components, will unfold in the Canada Pavilion during the 172 days of Expo 2020 Dubai, which will run from October 20 next year to April 10, 2021, it added.