OTTAWA – New documents show the CEO of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa warned other national gallery leaders after a climate protester threw paint on one of its exhibits, which says it cost $7,500 to remove.
The incident took place back in February, when an activist with Last Generation Canada sprayed water-based pink paint onto a replica dinosaur skeleton in its fossil gallery.
The group, which defines itself as a “non-violent civil resistance campaign” said in a statement at the time the point was “to highlight the risk of mass extinction as a result of the climate crisis,” and compel the federal government to act.
Police arrested and charged the 19-year-old activist with mischief.
After it happened, the museum’s CEO sent an email to the presidents of other national galleries, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg.
“Just a quick heads up we were just hit by protesters – they spray painted our dinosaurs. One person arrested,” Danika Goosney wrote in an email, released to National Post through the Access to Information Act.
“Fossil gallery is now closed and conservation team on its way to assess damage. Will keep you apprised.”
“So sorry to hear this,” Caroline Dromaguet, the CEO and President of the Canadian War Museum and Canadian Museum of History, wrote back.
“Bon courage.”
This shameful damage to historical artifacts does nothing to highlight the importance of climate action
Marie Chapman, the CEO of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, said she was sending the team good thoughts, remarking “not an easy time.”
“So sorry you’re dealing with this,” added Christina Tessier, president of Ingenium, which runs three federal science and technology museums, including the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
“Thanks for the heads up.”
In a statement, Goosney said she sent the email to ensure colleagues were aware of the vandalism they had just encountered.
She added it took about two days to clean up the exhibit for a cost of around $7,500 to remove the material, which included the time spent by staff, as well as cleaning equipment and paint.
In a separate statement, the museum said it is engaging in the “real discourse on climate change” through its work to preserve and perform research on objects from the natural world, “not by defacing them.”
Gillian Graham, a spokesperson for Last Generation Canada, said in an interview their fight is not with everyday people or the galleries themselves.
“We are tired of seeing hopes and prayers, instead of real news about the climate crisis and we are willing to do whatever it takes and suffer any of the consequences to get our message across,” said Graham, who herself has an upcoming trial for having lit a stroller on fire on Parliament Hill.
“We’re not trying to ostracize museum owners or museum workers or everyday people that are stuck in traffic because of our disruptions. That is not our intention.”
She nonetheless believes the activists have to “dramatize” their issue to gain media attention and hopefully spur the federal government into swifter policy action against the fossil fuel industry, adding they have no intention of stopping.
Graham pointed to the activists who have recently been targeting the Montreal—Trudeau International Airport by gluing their hands to a road connecting its arrivals and departures ramp.
The out-of-control wildfire that destroyed one third of Jasper, Alta., and defied regular firefighting techniques, according to officials, is among reasons Graham said activists must push to see their demands met.
Landon Shepherd, a deputy incident commander with Parks Canada, said during a recent briefing on the blaze that anyone in fire management can attest that “things have become more difficult, especially in the last five years.”
Climate protesters first began targeting famous works of art in galleries across Europe and the Vatican in 2022, throwing soup on a Van Gogh painting as well as at the glass case covering Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris.
Within Canada, Last Generation Canada protesters sprayed paint on the woolly mammoth at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria and threw paint on Group of Seven painter Tom Thomson’s Northern River from 1915 on the walls of the National Gallery of Canada.
The gallery said as it was displayed behind protective glass, it was not damaged.
“The museum community, in Canada and abroad, is small, and it is best practice for museums to share critical information with each other when key issues arise,” it added.
A spokeswoman for the Canadian War Museum and Canadian Museum of History said it put additional plans like bag verification in place to protect its national collections in light of the climate protests seen within Canada and internationally.
“There is regular communication between all the national museums in the (National Capital Region) in support of one another. The heads-up from the Museum of Nature was very much appreciated,” wrote Avra Gibbs Lamey.
While the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg said it has not been targeted by such protest, a spokesperson said it is aware of such activity and has protocols to protect against vandalism of its property and art installations.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s office declined to provide comment.
A spokesperson in Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St. Onge’s office said the Liberal government has taken “historic action” to fight climate change, but rebuked the targeting of museums.
“We should all agree with the urgency of responding constructively on this fight for generations to come to live as good a life — or better — as we have up to this point. Protesters have a legitimate right to protest, but this shameful damage to historical artifacts does nothing to highlight the importance of climate action,” said Charles Thibault-Béland.
— With additional reporting from The Canadian Press
National Post
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