P.E.I. vet college admits mistake for asking artist to remove painting based on U.S. politics
Social Sharing
The Atlantic Veterinary College has apologized to its former artist-in-residence who quit after being asked to take down a painting he says was censored by the Charlottetown institution due to its political message.
In a statement, the college acknowledged that asking Christopher Griffin to choose between removing his painting, The Crossing, or leaving his residency "was a mistake."
"The decision did not reflect our institutional values, and we regret the hurt and frustration it caused. Art plays an essential role in education and public life — it challenges us, encourages dialogue, and fosters understanding," the statement reads.
"We fell short of our responsibility to protect that role."
Painting received 3 complaints
Griffin, who moved to Prince Edward Island from Ottawa in 2023, became the regional college's first-ever artist-in-residence last November.
The unpaid position gave him the opportunity to brighten up some of the UPEI-based college's community spaces.
While animals are a recurring theme in his work, Griffin said his focus shifted starting in January when Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president for the second time and launched a trade war with many countries, including Canada.
'Expressions of concern' lead Charlottetown college officials to tell artist his painting must go
1 day ago
Duration 2:58
Christopher Griffin had been enjoying his stint as artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown. Then a painting he created in reaction to Donald Trump's recent statements and actions about Canada caused a stir. Administration officials asked him to remove 'The Crossing' (detail shown) from the walls of the college, where about a third of faculty and students are American, because of three 'expressions of concern.' CBC's Wayne Thibodeau reports.
One of his recent works, The Crossing, shows a boat full of lemmings carrying a crumpled and discoloured U.S. flag across an icy northern Canadian waterway.
The college said it received three complaints about the painting, including two from American faculty members.
The AVC's dean, Dominique Griffon, told CBC News on Wednesday that Griffin had recently started creating more "politically charged" art, which did not align with the original vision for the artist-in-residence program.
So Griffin was asked to remove The Crossing immediately, according to a statement he posted on Facebook. He refused. Griffon said it was the artist's decision to instead leave the residency.
Many students, faculty and Islanders turned to social media to express disappointment with the administration asking Griffin to remove the artwork. A thank-you card at the college signed by students and staff includes messages of support for the artist.
Artist accepted apologies
The college said it has offered a direct apology to Griffin and offered to reinstall the painting in a prominent campus location. The university has also invited Griffin to come and speak about his work.
"We are also reviewing our internal processes to ensure future decisions uphold our commitments to free expression and inclusive discourse," the statement reads.
"We remain committed to creating space for meaningful conversations — even, and especially, when they are uncomfortable."
In an Instagram post, Griffin said he has accepted apologies from both AVC and UPEI, and agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion at the university where he will speak about his work.
"A huge silver lining is that this event has revealed the deep passion Canadians feel for our country and the values we hold sacred, including the freedom of expression," Griffin wrote.
"Canada finds herself in troubled times, but my faith in our people has never been greater. We are strong together."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
Few Canadians know about Canada's deadliest terrorist attack: poll
While most Canadians still know very little about the 1985 Air India bombing, two-thirds say they support efforts to increase awareness about the country's deadliest act of terrorism. New polling from the non-profit Angus Reid institute says fewer than one in five Canadians is able to identify the Air India bombing as Canada's worst mass murder. Forty years ago today, a B.C.-made suitcase bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 , killing all 329 aboard. Another B.C. bomb blew up at Japan's Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers. A judicial inquiry and a B.C. Supreme Court judge concluded the pro-Khalistan Babbar Khalsa separatist group and its founder Talwinder Parmar were behind the murder conspiracy. Parmar was killed by Indian police in 1992 before he could be charged. Two of his associates were acquitted in 2005. A third, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted of manslaughter. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Angus Reid found nine per cent of Canadians say they know a lot about the bombings, but a third had never heard of it. 'For the victims' families, grief and the agony of loss are at this time of year especially, as raw as it was 40 years ago,' Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl said. 'What can they possibly take from the lack of awareness of their fellow citizens?' Half of the respondents said the bombings were never treated as a national tragedy. Kurl said that 'when even 50 per cent of the general population themselves say the attacks were never treated a Canadian tragedy, it can be nothing short of an indictment of our leaders, our educators and ourselves.' But 66 per cent of respondents say they support Canada implementing information about the tragedy into school curriculums, while even more — 71 per cent — would create an exhibit in the Canadian Museum of History. Angus Reid conducted the online survey from June 13 to 17 of 1,607 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults countrywide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. About three in ten Canadians correctly answered that no one involved in the terrorist attack was convicted of murder. Beyond the third who had never heard of the terrorist attack, 29 per cent were unsure if anyone was or wasn't held responsible. The survey also asked respondents about whether they felt supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement should attend Air India memorials. Three in five said it was inappropriate for them to attend. kbolan@
Ottawa Citizen
an hour ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Few Canadians know about Canada's deadliest terrorist attack: poll
Article content While most Canadians still know very little about the 1985 Air India bombing, two-thirds say they support efforts to increase awareness about the country's deadliest act of terrorism. Article content New polling from the non-profit Angus Reid institute says fewer than one in five Canadians is able to identify the Air India bombing as Canada's worst mass murder. Article content Article content Forty years ago today, a B.C.-made suitcase bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182, killing all 329 aboard. Another B.C. bomb blew up at Japan's Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers. Article content Article content A judicial inquiry and a B.C. Supreme Court judge concluded the pro-Khalistan Babbar Khalsa separatist group and its founder Talwinder Parmar were behind the murder conspiracy. Parmar was killed by Indian police in 1992 before he could be charged. Two of his associates were acquitted in 2005. A third, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted of manslaughter. Article content Article content Angus Reid found nine per cent of Canadians say they know a lot about the bombings, but a third had never heard of it. Article content 'For the victims' families, grief and the agony of loss are at this time of year especially, as raw as it was 40 years ago,' Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl said. 'What can they possibly take from the lack of awareness of their fellow citizens?' Article content Half of the respondents said the bombings were never treated as a national tragedy. Article content Kurl said that 'when even 50 per cent of the general population themselves say the attacks were never treated a Canadian tragedy, it can be nothing short of an indictment of our leaders, our educators and ourselves.' Article content Article content But 66 per cent of respondents say they support Canada implementing information about the tragedy into school curriculums, while even more — 71 per cent — would create an exhibit in the Canadian Museum of History. Article content Article content Angus Reid conducted the online survey from June 13 to 17 of 1,607 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. Article content The sample was weighted to be representative of adults countrywide according to region, gender, age, household income, and education, based on the Canadian census. Article content Beyond the third who had never heard of the terrorist attack, 29 per cent were unsure if anyone was or wasn't held responsible. Article content
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Delay, delay and yet more city delays
Opinion I was waiting patiently on June 9 for the city to post the agenda for a Community Services Committee meeting scheduled for the 13th of the month. When it appeared I was delighted that the Report on City Tree Bylaws I expected to see was listed. But when I hit the link — ta da! — there was no report for me to read. Only a couple of lines saying it had been delayed for yet another 60 days. Now, I know that report was completed well in advance of the meeting, so why has it been delayed? After all, the establishment of a public and private tree bylaw isn't rocket science, given that at least seven other Canadian cities have it on their books. Russell Wangersky/Free Press The city's Report on City Tree Bylaws is still in limbo — like many other council reports. And why have those cities passed those bylaws? Well, it's because they know that protecting not just their public trees but trees on private land, while also expanding their overall canopy cover, is one of the best ways to improve their climate resiliency. Which, at the risk of repeating myself, yet again, is essential. In fact, I've written numerous times about the services our mature trees provide from mitigating heatwaves and superstorms to fighting pollution and even increasing the price of your home. So why the seeming reluctance to get the job done? Is city council afraid of initiating bylaws that would protect the trees that protect and benefit all of us? Are they afraid the general public will storm the doors of council yelling about their individual property rights and freedoms? Including the freedom to cut down their perfectly healthy mature yard trees just because they don't like raking leaves? Or is council more concerned about developers who believe they have the unfettered right to clear cut thousands of trees on their 'private land,' simply because it's more convenient for any future construction they might undertake? I'll let you answer that question, although the fact that there's a civic election looming on the horizon may have some play in what is rapidly becoming a pattern of delay at City Hall. Take, for example, the Property and Development Committee's deferral of a motion to study how the city might assist its citizens in switching to clean energy. Or the recent delay of a report on how and when the city might apply to the federal Nature Smart Climate Change fund for money to purchase land for parks and greenspaces or restore the ones they have. An utterly baffling delay considering the ongoing demand for a 'new fiscal deal' from other levels of government! Add to that the outcomes of Winnipeg's Reduced Speed Neighbourhood Pilot project that was due in the fall of 2024 and is still nowhere in sight. Plus a 30 day delay on a report for plans to improve bike and pedestrian safety on Wellington Crescent, which was expected to appear at the Public Works Committee meeting earlier this month. Chair of the committee, Councillor Janice Lukes asked for the public's patience, noting that such studies typically take three years to complete. Really? Deciding to create a safe bike path on a residential feeder road leading to the city's biggest park, as well as a few dozen residential streets, takes three years? Give me a break. Then there's Winnipeg's own unanimously adopted Climate Action Plan, which includes, among other things, a set of goals to facilitate and encourage active modes of transportation. That plan was approved seven years ago, and we're still waiting for council to fix a city full of dangerous roads that prevent people from actually using active transportation. So, if low-hanging fruit like the above takes years and years to bring over the finish line, there is no doubt that we will not reach our climate action targets by 2030. And yes, of course, some delays may be legitimate. After decades of austerity, most city departments are operating — and I use that word loosely — with little more than a skeleton staff in a large bureaucracy that appears to be deeply siloed. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. But our province is literally on fire. Climate change is here, and it threatens every aspect our lives. So these delays aren't just frustrating. They're dangerous. I don't know the conversations and machinations happening behind closed doors at city hall. Maybe it's true that some of the delays are due to the complex nature of the initiatives. Perhaps they're the result of a public service that lacks capacity and resources. Or maybe our elected officials are just worried about public backlash in the leadup to a civic election. Only the mayor and council know for sure. What is for certain? With every delay, we're losing time we don't have. Erna Buffie is a writer and environmental activist. Read more @
