Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is on the road! With four travelling exhibitions on display in different venues across Canada, including one in the
National Capital Region, LAC is showcasing the richness and diversity of its collections. This is an excellent example of LAC’s commitment to making the
country’s heritage and history accessible to all Canadians—regardless of where they live.
The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, in British Columbia, is hosting the exhibition Beyond Likeness: Contemporary Works from Library and Archives Canada until January 6, 2013. Through the works of 23 contemporary artists, the exhibition explores the evolving concept of portraiture from more traditional representations of likeness to works that challenge the conventions of the genre.
The New Brunswick Museum in Saint John is presenting the exhibition I Know You by Heart: Portrait Miniatures until December 31, 2012. Showcasing 35 recently restored portraits, the exhibition highlights the intimate, personal nature of portrait miniatures, and the reasons that such images are commissioned, created and carried. In March 2013, the exhibition will make its way to the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon.
Find out more about the conservation of these portraits in LAC’s YouTube video.
The McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario, is showcasing LAC’s most recent exhibition Double Take: Portraits of Intriguing Canadians until January 20, 2013.Double Take presents 50 Canadians who have left—and are leaving—their mark on our country and our culture. Tune in to LAC’s podcast for an overview of the featured works and the stories behind them.
Finally, the exhibition Faces of 1812 is on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa until January 6, 2013. A commemorative exhibition, Faces of 1812 presents some of the men and women who experienced the War of 1812. LAC’s curatorial YouTube video and Faces of 1812 podcast will introduce you to the selected
works that document this significant historical event.
Keep following this blog to find out where these exhibitions will travel next. It could be your hometown!
Questions or comments? We would love to hear from you!
Library and Archives Canada Blog 
I am glad that LAC is committed to making the country’s heritage and history accessible to all Canadians, though I wonder how such actions as eliminating LAC’s participation in the InterLibrary Loan Program further this goal. One of the travelling exhibitions you highlight, one commemorating the War of 1812, is on display at the Canadian War Museum, but apparently at a recent conference held at the War Museum to discuss commemoration of the First World War, LAC, which holds virtually all the official records of the war and many private papers and photographic records of that era as well, did not participate. Why was this? It is unfortunate, too, that the efforts devoted to preparing these travelling exhibitions cannot extend to producing exhibitions for the Library and Archives Canada building in Ottawa. When the Public Archives and National Library building opened in 1967 one of the features of its design was the space devoted to exhibition areas. There have been many exhibitions commemorating various aspects of our heritage and featuring material from the vast resources of the host institution – I remember, for instance “Towards CN” which celebrated the 50th birthday of the CNR in 1972. Now these former exhibition rooms seem only to be used to host an occasional meeting. The ground floor lobby space is equally bereft of exhibitions. Perhaps some of the travelling exhibitions could be seen there or some of the displays where were there in years past could be retrieved from storage.