The McMichael Canadian Art Collection should be a platform for Indigenous Peoples to learn about their ancestral homelands, according to its chief curator.
“The cultures of the past, we are really trying to keep them alive at the McMichael,” Sarah Milroy said in an interview with political journalist Paul Wells.
She believes the past is a culture that deserves to be remembered rather than suppressed or forgotten.
Milroy, who was once the Globe and Mail’s chief art critic, sees the value of using museums — including the McMichael Canadian Art Collection — as a platform to showcase culture and history. She believes it allows Indigenous People to “touch base with their ancestral homelands.”
She went on to say that Canadians cherish the notion of themselves as being “inclusive, tolerant, profoundly democratic.”
Including Indigenous art in the McMichael’s collection will help refine Canada’s history and image, she added.
Milroy believes there is still much room for improvement for herself and the museum’s team. They will be working more intensively on “environmental” and “Indigenous issues” to make the exhibition a better experience for newcomers to Canada.