1989

Department walls have new look

Dr. Jeanne L'Espérance, National Archives of Canada, and Kathryn Lamb of DGAT discuss an archival photograph displayed on the second floor of the Journal Tower North. It shows a cinema in England during the 1930s decorated with cutout lumberjacks advertising a series of Canadian government films.

A walk through a Department of Communications building will now include a tour of Canadian communications and cultural history. As part of the Department's 20th anniversary celebrations, new art displays have been put up.

The project, initiated early in 1988, was originally intended for the boardrooms of Journal Tower North, but has been expanded to include permanent exhibitions in the boardroom and corridors of Headquarters, regional offices and the Communications Research Centre.

"These exhibitions are designed to illustrate two major themes - the history of culture and communications, and departmental programs," says Jeanne L'Espérance, a Historical Research Officer on secondment to Facilities Management from the National Archives' Documentary Art and Photography Division.

The displays include reproductions of archival photographs, posters and documentary artwork collected from the National Archives, museums and art galleries, as well as contemporary political cartoons chosen from the Canadian Centre for Caricature at the National Archives.

The two themes have been subdivided into four sub-themes, which include the history of transportation and communications in early Canada, the technical history of communications, the development of cultural life in Canada, and the story of the space program.

Guide cards posted at key locations outline the plan of the exhibition an(, make it possible for viewers to follow the themes throughout the building.

The regional offices and the Communications Research Centre display mini­exhibitions on themes such as the development of telegraphy, telephony and electronic media. Themes also include Canadian landscapes and scenery.