In galleries across Canada, too much art is being hidden away
The Globe and Mail
Overall Assessment
The article is a personal opinion piece disguised as journalism, arguing that Canadian public galleries over-prioritize Indigenous and contemporary art at the expense of traditional European-influenced painting. It relies solely on the author's viewpoint, omits curatorial context, and generalizes from a single visit. The framing reflects aesthetic preference rather than balanced inquiry.
"too much art is being hidden away"
Loaded Verbs
Headline & Lead 40/100
The article presents a personal critique of art display practices at the MacKenzie Art Gallery and extrapolates it to all Canadian galleries, framing the issue as cultural neglect. The author, an artist himself, expresses a preference for traditional painting while questioning the dominance of contemporary and Indigenous art in exhibitions. The piece lacks neutral sourcing, contextual balance, and fair engagement with curatorial reasoning, leaning into opinion rather than investigative journalism.
✕ Headline / Body Mismatch: The headline frames the issue as a broad systemic problem in Canadian galleries, but the article is based entirely on the author's personal experience at one gallery (the MacKenzie) and generalizations from that. This overgeneralization misrepresents the scope of the reporting.
"In galleries across Canada, too much art is being hidden away"
✕ Editorializing: The lead introduces the author as a novelist, publisher, and painter—establishing expertise in art but not as a journalist or neutral observer. This blurs the line between opinion and reporting, weakening the journalistic framing.
"Don LePan is a novelist, book publisher and painter. A collection of his artwork, The Skyscraper and the City, was published in 2025."
Language & Tone 40/100
The article presents a personal critique of art display practices at the MacKenzie Art Gallery and extrapolates it to all Canadian galleries, framing the issue as cultural neglect. The author, an artist himself, expresses a preference for traditional painting while questioning the dominance of contemporary and Indigenous art in exhibitions. The piece lacks neutral sourcing, contextual balance, and fair engagement with curatorial reasoning, leaning into opinion rather than investigative journalism.
✕ Loaded Language: The article uses emotionally charged language to describe the absence of traditional art, such as 'extraordinary imbalance' and 'hidden away,' implying neglect or censorship.
"It’s an extraordinary imbalance."
✕ Loaded Verbs: The phrase 'too much art is being hidden away' frames storage as concealment, implying intentional suppression rather than standard museum practice.
"too much art is being hidden away"
✕ Outrage Appeal: Describing Indigenous and contemporary art as dominating 'much of the art scene' carries a negative connotation of excess, appealing to reader resentment.
"Photographic art and video art, together with installations and other forms of conceptual art, now dominate much of the art scene."
✕ Scare Quotes: Referring to traditional art being found 'in the same part of the gallery in which they are to be found in every gallery across Canada: reproduced on postcards and teacups' uses sarcasm to diminish the value of merchandising, undermining a common museum revenue and outreach strategy.
"reproduced on postcards and teacups in the gallery shop"
Balance 25/100
The article presents a personal critique of art display practices at the MacKenzie Art Gallery and extrapolates it to all Canadian galleries, framing the issue as cultural neglect. The author, an artist himself, expresses a preference for traditional painting while questioning the dominance of contemporary and Indigenous art in exhibitions. The piece lacks neutral sourcing, contextual balance, and fair engagement with curatorial reasoning, leaning into opinion rather than investigative journalism.
✕ Single-Source Reporting: The article relies solely on the author’s personal observation and perspective. No curators, art historians, museum directors, or Indigenous artists are quoted or consulted, creating a one-sided narrative.
✕ Vague Attribution: The author attributes views to unnamed 'some in the art world' without specifying who they are or what they represent, creating a vague opposition to justify his stance.
"There are some in the art world who might suggest that there is a hint of the philistine, or even of the reactionary in anyone who still wants to see work by the Impressionists..."
✓ Methodology Disclosure: The author presents his own aesthetic preferences as objective standards for public heritage value, without engaging with alternative artistic or cultural frameworks.
"But so, too, is our heritage of European art and of art influenced by the traditions the European settlers brought with them."
Story Angle 35/100
The article presents a personal critique of art display practices at the MacKenzie Art Gallery and extrapolates it to all Canadian galleries, framing the issue as cultural neglect. The author, an artist himself, expresses a preference for traditional painting while questioning the dominance of contemporary and Indigenous art in exhibitions. The piece lacks neutral sourcing, contextual balance, and fair engagement with curatorial reasoning, leaning into opinion rather than investigative journalism.
✕ Moral Framing: The article frames the issue as a cultural imbalance rooted in the devaluation of European artistic traditions, implying a moral judgment against current curatorial practices without exploring their rationale.
"Implicitly, the MacKenzie suggests that the only heritage of great value in Canada is that of Canada’s Indigenous peoples."
✕ Framing by Emphasis: The narrative is built around a false dichotomy between traditional and contemporary/Indigenous art, suggesting they must compete for space rather than coexist.
"But so, too, is our heritage of European art and of art influenced by the traditions the European settlers brought with them."
✕ Strategy Framing: The author dismisses potential counterarguments by characterizing defenders of current practices as dismissive of traditional art, setting up a strawman.
"There are some in the art world who might suggest that there is a hint of the philistine, or even of the reactionary in anyone who still wants to see work by the Impressionists..."
Completeness 30/100
The article presents a personal critique of art display practices at the MacKenzie Art Gallery and extrapolates it to all Canadian galleries, framing the issue as cultural neglect. The author, an artist himself, expresses a preference for traditional painting while questioning the dominance of contemporary and Indigenous art in exhibitions. The piece lacks neutral sourcing, contextual balance, and fair engagement with curatorial reasoning, leaning into opinion rather than investigative journalism.
✕ Omission: The article omits any explanation or justification from gallery curators for why certain works are displayed and others are not. This includes common factors like conservation needs, loan agreements, thematic programming, or community partnerships—critical context for understanding curatorial decisions.
✕ Missing Historical Context: No historical context is provided on how public art galleries have evolved in their mandates, particularly regarding reconciliation with Indigenous communities or shifts in artistic value systems over time.
✕ Missing Historical Context: The article fails to acknowledge that many traditional Canadian artists (e.g., Group of Seven) were themselves supported by state institutions that excluded Indigenous and other marginalized voices—a systemic imbalance now being corrected.
Public galleries are portrayed as failing in their duty to represent the full range of Canada's artistic heritage
The article criticizes galleries for not displaying permanent collections, using loaded verbs like 'hidden away' and ignoring standard curatorial practices, suggesting institutional failure.
"too much art is being hidden away"
The current direction of art curation is portrayed as harmful to Canada's broader artistic heritage
The author uses loaded language like 'extraordinary imbalance' and 'hidden away' to suggest damage to cultural legacy, implying neglect or suppression of traditional art forms.
"It’s an extraordinary imbalance."
Indigenous peoples are implicitly portrayed as being granted exclusive cultural legitimacy in public institutions
The article frames the focus on Indigenous art as creating an imbalance, suggesting that recognition of one group’s heritage comes at the expense of others, thus positioning Indigenous inclusion as exclusionary.
"Implicitly, the MacKenzie suggests that the only heritage of great value in Canada is that of Canada’s Indigenous peoples."
Indigenous art is portrayed as being unfairly prioritized over other traditions, implying exclusion of non-Indigenous heritage
The article frames the display of Indigenous art as displacing other forms of art, using moral framing and omission of curatorial context to suggest it is being privileged at the expense of broader heritage.
"Implicitly, the MacKenzie suggests that the only heritage of great value in Canada is that of Canada’s Indigenous peoples."
Contemporary and Indigenous art curation is framed as adversarial to traditional artistic values
The article constructs a binary between traditional and contemporary/Indigenous art, portraying the latter as dominating and crowding out others, using loaded language and framing by emphasis.
"Photographic art and video art, together with installations and other forms of conceptual art, now dominate much of the art scene."
The article is a personal opinion piece disguised as journalism, arguing that Canadian public galleries over-prioritize Indigenous and contemporary art at the expense of traditional European-influenced painting. It relies solely on the author's viewpoint, omits curatorial context, and generalizes from a single visit. The framing reflects aesthetic preference rather than balanced inquiry.
A visitor to the MacKenzie Art Gallery in March observed that none of the permanent collection works by Canadian or European artists were on display, with gallery space instead dedicated to three special exhibitions featuring Indigenous and contemporary art. While the visitor praised the exhibited works, they expressed concern that traditional paintings and sculptures remain in storage. The gallery's curatorial rationale was not included in the article.
The Globe and Mail — Culture - Art & Design
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