Museums and Monuments

Speaking with War Art Historian Dr. Laura Brandon of the Canadian War History Museum, it was apparent just how aware of these roles museums are. Through the advocacy of those working at the museum, a new exhibit will be launched in April which reflects how Canadians remember war: personally. The exhibit entitled Witness – Canadian Art of the First World War is based on the public-private commemoration dynamic.

“We have this art that is both public and private expression of remembrance. In the past, artists tended to be used as illustrations of history, but with this discovery of such an immense amount of war time art, there’s been a shift,” explains Brandon. “Remembrance begins at the time of the event and is shared, through such artworks, and by putting them on display we’re enabling people in the twenty first century to connect with what mattered to people a hundred years ago at the time of the conflict. We’re sharing what they thought their families and friends should know about their experience visually. We’re giving access, that’s what museums do.”

For many, museums and monuments are our first interaction with the negotiation of remembrance. What museums choose to show, what they exclude, and who they focus on will often drive the knowledge of those who attend a specific exhibition. And, as many of us do not attend museums on even a yearly basis, our knowledge is limited to what we are exposed to through their selection.

Monuments are much of the same; what war they choose to commemorate, the names they select for cenotaph and other key decisions uniquely shape the communities in which they are erected, providing a place for reflection which is often considered the most important aspect of commemoration.