All but three members on the board of the Canadian Art Foundation – the charitable body that oversees Canadian Art magazine – have resigned, according to a statement published earlier this month on the magazine's website.
The news comes after Canadian Art announced in April it was laying off 12 staff members, pausing online publishing, and postponing its summer issue amid financial problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Throughout the pause, we endeavoured to engage in a reimagining process to examine the future of online publishing, how Canadian Art can stay relevant and persuasive in a changing landscape, and to assess new business models and organizational structures that would be both financially viable and reflective of our commitments to the principles of decolonization, diversity, equity and inclusion," says the statement, signed by the three board members, who are remaining for a transitional period.
"Canadian Art recognizes that in order for the charity to continue to fulfill its charitable purposes, it must directly confront, and effectively address, those principles."
The three transitional members – Dori Tunstall, dean of the design faculty at OCAD University, Lee Matheson, an investment manager, and journalist Gabe Gonda – acknowledged staff had transformed "the content and voice" of Canadian Art. But they said the charity "has failed in its attempts to address these principles in a meaningful way in its operations."
"The path forward that is in the best interests of Canadian Art is to allow space for a new board of directors to be appointed to lead the charity going forward, in a spirit of staff self-determination and sovereignty," the statement said.
The remaining board members have asked staff members to provide a list of people who can serve on the board.
"We do believe that this reflects the best way forward to preserve Canadian Art for future generations of artists, writers, curators and creative communities," the statement said.
An earlier statement, in May, asked for donations. Then the magazine partnered with students and recent graduates from OCAD University to collect feedback from the community. Soon after, Canadian Art announced an end to the partnership "due to staff and public criticism."
Source: Canadian Art