Ottawa, August 11, 2010 - The Canada Council for the Arts is deeply saddened by the death of Shirley Thomson.
Shirley Thomson, Director of the Council from 1998-2002, was an indefatigable, passionate and formidable advocate for the arts. She made a significant contribution to the arts in Canada throughout her career, and provided stimulating leadership to the organizations she directed, including the McCord Museum in Montreal, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board. She offered an inspiring vision of the important role that the arts play in the lives of all Canadians – a vision she brought to life throughout her impressive and influential career.
Shirley was driven by a boundless intellectual curiosity. She was deeply interested in the work of contemporary artists and youth in general. Despite a redoubtable presence, she could and did connect with people of all ages, rank and professions. Well known and respected internationally and in Canada, she was also a fervent supporter of the arts scene in Ottawa.
In the Canada Council Art Bank publication Art at Work, Shirley wrote: “The power of culture is like the power of the sea: it is vast, turbulent, and unpredictable in its effects. Its currents set the air moving and shape lives lived half a continent away.”
Shirley will long be remembered with affection and respect by her colleagues at the Council and all those inspired by her extraordinary leadership.
On behalf of the Canada Council, I extend my deepest sympathies to Shirley’s family and friends.
Robert Sirman
Director and CEO
Canada Council for the Arts
Shirley Thomson’s career has been both distinguished and adventurous. Born and raised in St. Mary’s, Ontario, she left a teaching job for Montreal and, ultimately, Paris, where she worked as an editor for NATO. She returned to Canada to become assistant secretary-general of World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and later assistant secretary-general of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, working in the UN agency’s fields of education, science and culture. A decade later she was back in Montreal, enrolled at McGill as a Ph.D. student in art history, exploring the hunt theme in 18th-century palace decoration in France. Her McGill experience launched her career as a cultural administrator. As director of the McCord Museum (1982-1985), she turned a small university museum into a public research and teaching museum dedicated to the preservation, study and appreciation of Canadian history. After serving as secretary-general of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, she was appointed director of the National Gallery of Canada in 1987. Dr. Thomson and her professional team developed, over the decade of her tenure, a strong program that helped raise the Gallery’s profile. She served as director of the Canada Council for the Arts from 1998 to 2002, and as chair of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board from 2003 to 2007. Recently, she was Adjunct Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa.
