Both the museum's board and management team recognize that recent decisions were difficult to accept, but it was necessary to reflect changes in society, said board chair Françoise Lyon
The interim director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada had decided to dismiss four senior staff members before approaching the board of trustees with her decision, according to its chairperson.
It was within interim museum head Angela Cassie’s rights in that role to make those decisions, said Françoise Lyon, who’s chaired the board since 2017, in an interview on Thursday.
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“She didn’t have to come to us, but she did. And her reflex was the right one. It was a touchy and difficult decision,” said Lyon. “We can’t intervene, but we can have a robust discussion about it. We still support her.”
Cassie has been under fire in recent weeks following the dismissals of chief curator Kitty Scott; senior curator of Indigenous art Greg A. Hill; director of conservation and technical research Stephen Grit; and Denise Siele, senior manager of communications.
Cassie approached the board about a week before the dismissals were made public on Nov. 18, and shared what she was planning to do, said Lyon.
All of the rules of governance were followed, including proper documentation, preparation and explanation, she said. Both hiring and firing remain the responsibility of the museum head and the management team. In this case, as interim CEO, Cassie spoke to the board and sought the opinion of the members.
“It’s an operational decision. We don’t have the right to interfere,” said Lyon, who was reappointed as chair last May.
The office of Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez was informed, but not the minister himself, she said.
In recent days, Cassie has done interviews with reporters, saying she could not discuss dismissals for privacy reasons but could discuss the federal institution’s five-year strategic plan, which calls for greater equity and inclusion, ranging from the workforce to exhibitions and building collections.
The museum’s board and management recognize that recent decisions were difficult to accept, but it was necessary to reflect changes in society, said Lyon.
“They were not easy decisions to make. But they were important to take if (the gallery) is committed to its evolution as a forward-looking and internationally recognized institution.”
A letter sent to Minister Rodriguez last month, signed by seven former top staff members of the National Gallery, said the cumulative effect of restructuring and staff dismissals has created a high degree of internal uncertainty and instability.
According to the letter, there have been at least 10 dismissals within the management ranks at the gallery, most within the past three and a half years. There are also vacancies in key areas of expertise, it stated.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez told reporters that the National Gallery is an independent Crown corporation, but he’s concerned about the work environment.
Rodriguez said he had written a letter to Lyon expressing his concern and “asking for a quick response on what solutions the board of trustees is going to put forward.”
On Thursday, a spokesperson for Rodriguez said he will wait for the board’s response to the letter before commenting.
The National Gallery’s former director and CEO, Marc Mayer, has also been critical of Cassie in posts on Instagram. Cassie has said “nothing about abolishing positions central to the functioning of an art museum,” said Mayer, who added that he was stung by the suggestion that his tenure “was a dark time of misogyny and white supremacy.”
There has been “a disturbing suggestion” by previous employees that National Galley is more focused on social policy than on art, said Lyon.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. In presenting art responsibly, we must also recognize the social factors that shape the expectations of our supporters, visitors and artistic communities,” she said.
“You need to show you’re evolving.”
Lyon said she has been disappointed that some media reports carried a “disturbing tone of intolerance and a distinct lack of understanding about the need to advance initiatives around racism, diversity and decolonization.”
“These are not politically driven platitudes; these are programs that reflect the deepest values of the National Gallery of Canada and the sentiments of the Government of Canada,” she said.
Cassie, formerly the National Gallery’s chief strategy and inclusion officer, was appointed interim director by the board of trustees last June after the departure of Sasha Suda, who was leaving to take over leadership of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Cassie had played role in developing the National Gallery’s first-ever strategic plan, now in its second year.
The plan has been very well received by the Gallery’s stakeholders and builds on the work of past employees, said Lyon, who described the plan as a “difficult but needed journey of transformation.”
The 11-member board of trustees sets the National Gallery’s direction through a corporate plan, which keeps Parliament and the public informed of its priorities, objectives, strategies and performance indicators. The plan commits the Gallery to a set strategic direction over a five-year period.
The board’s oversight role requires regular monitoring of corporate performance, annual assessment of the performance of the director and annual reporting to Parliament.
Cassie will remain interim director and CEO for at least the next few months and has the board’s support, said Lyon.
The board will put forward a list of nominations for the permanent position, but the final decision on the appointment of a permanent director and CEO for the National Gallery will be made by the Minister of Canadian Heritage, said Lyon.
An announcement is expected by the end of March.