A view of the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. Photo: 
Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal suspends its Jon Rafman show after misconduct allegations emerge. Allegations were shared July 13 on the Instagram account of artist and writer Anne-Marie Trépanier and were expanded a few days later on @surviving_the_artworld, although the museum is not commenting on why it ended the show on July 15 (it was to run until September 6). An extended report from the Montreal Gazette on July 22 also indicated that Montreal gallery Bradley Ertaskiran “has made the decision to stop representing the artist Jon Rafman.”
Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area (CAFKA) commits to anti-racism action plan. The plan includes annual public audits on anti-racism and having “30 per cent of the artists in its exhibitions from racialized and other minority groups,” the Record reports.
Canada Council puts “Concerned Status” on Montreal Museum of Fine Arts following Nathalie Bondil’s dismissal, according to a report in the Art Newspaper. In an emailed statement sent to Canadian Art, the Council said, “The term Concerned Status is assigned to an organization experiencing organizational instability, enabling the Canada Council to follow their situation more closely under different reporting conditions.” Bondil remains vice-chair of Canada Council board. The New York Times also reported on Bondil’s dismissal this week, while in Le Devoir gallerist René Blouin opined that the museum would emerge stronger from this crisis.
The University of British Columbia has created a new Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art. The position is being created by a $3-million donation from Michael Audain, matched by the university to create a $6-million endowment, says a release. Recruitment is to begin shortly.
Emelie Chhangur has resigned as senior curator of the Art Gallery of York University and will become director and curator of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Chhangur “worked for the AGYU in various positions since 2003, including leading the organization as interim director/curator from 2018 to 2019,” says an AGYU release. “She will remain with the AGYU until September 30.” A Queen’s University release says Chhangur will begin at the AEAC on October 1.
News in awards and grants: There’s a new $20,000 award for Yukon artists, Galleries West reports. The Society of Canadian Artists has received a donation from the Ptarmigan Foundation to support the Mary Pratt Crystal Award, says an emailed release. In prizes from the Canada Council, Isabelle Hayeur won the Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography, Carmen Papalia won the Joseph S. Stauffer Prize for visual art and Lee-Ann Martin won the Joan Lowndes Award. And the Koffler Centre of the Arts has received a three-year $526,200 Grow Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to expand its Koffler Studio Offsite education program, a free after-school visual arts program piloted in 2019 at Thorncliffe Park Public School in Toronto.
