Join Dr. Anne Dymond from the art department at the University of Lethbridge as she gives a talk titled, From a Communist Doctor to Madonna’s Cone Bra: Museums and Cultural Diplomacy in Troubled Times, on Thursday, Sept. 25 in Lethbridge and Thursday, Oct. 02 in Calgary.

Why, in the middle of the Cold War, would the Canadian government create a museum at the birthplace of the relatively unknown Canadian communist Norman Bethune? Why would a Montreal art gallery develop and tour exhibitions of French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier?

Dr. Anne Dymond explores the mobilization of Canada’s art and museums for political purposes, starting with Canada’s engagement with China in the early 1970s. Her lively presentation of fascinating objects reveals how in troubled times, art and museums can act as bridges that connect us across challenging divides. Dr. Anne Dymond's book Diversity Counts: Gender, Race, and Representation in Canadian Art Galleries is the first large-scale quantitative assessment of gender and ethnicity in Canadian art galleries and was described as “a path-breaking study and an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the contemporary art scene in Canada”.

In 2024, she was a Distinguished Woman Scholar at the University of Victoria. An editor at Canada’s preeminent art history journal, RACAR, she was recently awarded for her service to the Universities Art Association of Canada. A dedicated teacher, she has been a University of Lethbridge Board of Governors Teaching Chair and has served on the Board of Governors. Her ongoing work supporting refugees garnered her both the University’s Senate Volunteer Award and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award. She currently serves as Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Lethbridge.