James Burant
Adjunct Research Professor
I am an independent curator, writer, researcher, and consultant in the areas of Canadian art history, history of photography, and archives. I also deal with the monetary evaluation of works of art and archival collections as chair of the National Archival Appraisal Board, Eastern Ontario region. I have worked with publishers, filmmakers, and web content providers in carrying out picture research.
I have curated major exhibitions for Library and Archives Canada, the National Gallery of Canada, and other organizations, and am currently co-curating an exhibition for the Ottawa Art Gallery (2017). I have lectured widely, including talks held under the auspices of the British Museum; Yale University; Vancouver Art Gallery; National Gallery of Canada; Carleton University; University of Dundee; and elsewhere. I have published more than 80 articles, as well as three major exhibition catalogues, and one book. I am currently working on a publication with the National Gallery of Canada.
I worked for Library and Archives Canada for 38 years. I managed the art collection for 22 years, tripling it in size to more than 500,000 objects; and the photo collection for 13 years, increasing it by more than 9,000,000 items to 30 million photographs total. I received a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for my work in archives.
I belong to the Association of Canadian Archivists, the Archives Association of Ontario, and the International Council of Museums. I have lectured on archival issues in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, and have published many articles in this area as well. I received the Alexander Fraser Award from the AAO in 2011 for my contributions to archives.
I am an Algonquin of Pikwakanagan (Golden Lake) First Nation.
Specialties:
- Canadian art history
- Canadian photography
- British military artists and photographers
- art evaluation
- professional management
- public presentations
- curatorial work