Call for Abstracts

Edited Book: Small Museums and Art Galleries in Canada

Editor: Matthew Ryan Smith, PhD

The Canadian Museums Association estimates that there are approximately 2,600 public museums, art galleries, and heritage sites across Canada, the vast majority of which fall into “Category I” as defined by the Canadian Artists’ Representation (CARFAC), indicating annual operating budgets below $500,000. In contrast, Canada’s national museums and galleries are limited to just ten institutions, each designated under the Federal Museums Act and located in only four major cities. An expanded view that includes provincial and territorial museums and galleries accounts for between 80 and 100 institutions nationwide. This discrepancy highlights the overwhelming predominance of small museums and art galleries within Canada’s cultural infrastructure.

Given this stark reality, how is it possible that the study of small museums and art galleries in Canada has remained so persistently underrepresented—or overlooked—within the broader field of museological scholarship?

Drawing upon critical frameworks in contemporary museology, curatorial studies, critical pedagogy, participatory action research, and community engagement, this edited collection brings together a diverse and interdisciplinary group of contributors. The editor is particularly interested in addressing a broad—and at times conflicting—range of programming strategies, attitudes, philosophies, aesthetic approaches, and institutional histories related to the function, role, daily operations, and future trajectories of small museums and art galleries in Canada. The editor seeks theoretically grounded chapters and case studies or critical stories that articulate theory through museological praxis. This approach is especially valuable for those working in small cultural institutions, whose continued existence depends on adaptable strategies and sustainable outcomes rooted in everyday realities.

A key objective of Small Museums and Art Galleries in Canada is to foreground the perspectives, insights, and critical reflections of professionals working within Canada’s small museum and gallery sector—many of whom, despite their experience and expertise, have had limited opportunities to publish their research and observations in academic forums. In this regard, the book seeks to bridge the divide between academic scholarship and practitioner-based knowledge, appealing both to academic audiences and to those working directly in the small museum and gallery field.

Topics may include (but are not limited to):

Radical deconstructions of local histories, archives, and collections
Unsettling funding models, grant writing practices, and institutional competition
Accessibility, community-centered programming, and inclusivity
Decolonial initiatives, Indigenous consultation, and cultural protocols
Utilizing volunteers and negotiating board governance
De/accessioning policies and procedures
IBPOC and 2SLGBTQI+ communities and advocacy
Rural and reserve-based small museums and art galleries
Online programming, social media, and digital engagement
Cultivating audiences and mandated demographic targets
Burnout, staff turnover, and mental health challenges
Micromuseology, mini museums, and nomadic exhibitions
Censorship, editorial control, and controversy
Implementing policies from regulatory bodies (e.g., AAM, ICOM, ICMS)
Critical aesthetics and curatorial design
COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery
Climate change, carbon emissions, and environmental risk
Activating small or esoteric collections
Aging infrastructure, limited physical storage, and capital building projects
Museological futurisms

This book is not intended as a prescriptive manual, operational guide, or how-to booklet, nor should it be considered as such. Rather, it offers a timely and necessary intervention into the limited—yet slowly evolving—museological scholarship in Canada, centring small museums and art galleries as generative spaces of innovation, flexibility, experimentation, and resilience. It seeks to make a meaningful contribution to the fields of museum studies, curatorial studies, cultural heritage studies, and arts administration. More broadly, it represents a significant step forward in our collective understanding, with the aim of catalyzing a much-needed expansion of, and sustained scholarly engagement with, this emerging field.

Upon completion of the abstract submission phase, the proposal will be submitted to a Canadian university press, which has already expressed interest in publishing the manuscript.

Submission Guidelines:

This edited collection invites academic chapters, individual case studies, and critical stories from curators, academics, artists, arts administrators, cultural workers, educators, designers, and others whose work intersects with small museums and art galleries in Canada. The book emphasizes institutions operating with budgets at or below $500,000, aligning with CARFAC’s categories I classification. Submissions may address physical museum and gallery spaces, as well as travelling exhibitions, special projects, events, and initiatives that extend beyond conventional institutional boundaries. Contributions are welcome from all disciplines, professional backgrounds, and lived experiences across Canada and Indigenous territories. The editor particularly encourages submissions from individuals with experience working in local museums or galleries, as well as those based in rural or reserve communities.

Individuals or groups interested in contributing are invited to submit a proposal of 200-250 words, including the information outlined below, to matthewryansmith733@gmail.com by January 1, 2026. Inquiries may also be directed to this email address.

Your proposal should include:

Your name and institutional affiliation (if applicable)
Working title
A brief biographical statement (approximately 2–3 sentences) outlining relevant expertise and experience
The proposed chapter’s central argument and its alignment with the thematic scope of the volume
If applicable, an overview of the methodological framework, key literature, or professional experience that informs the contribution
A rationale outlining the significance of the subject matter to contemporary museology, with particular attention to how it challenges, complicates, or reconfigures prevailing ideologies, institutional protocols, or disciplinary practices
For case studies and critical storytelling submissions, please include a brief explanation of how your contribution provides a unique perspective on the operations, influence, or significance of small museums and galleries in Canada

Timeline:

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 1, 2026

Notification of Acceptance: February 1, 2026

Submission Deadline: June 1, 2027

Peer Review Feedback: July 15, 2027

Final Submission Deadline: September 15, 2027

Full Submission:

Word limit (academic chapters): 3,500 – 7,000 words (including references)

Word limit (case studies and critical stories): 2000 – 4000 words (including references)

Referencing: Chicago Manual Style (18th edition, 2024)

About the Editor:

Matthew Ryan Smith, PhD, is the Curator and Head of Collections at Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ontario, and a Curatorial Researcher with The New York Historical. With over 15 years of experience organizing original exhibitions and community-based programming, he has collaborated with artists such as Kapwani Kiwanga, Shelley Niro, Skawennati, and Andil Gosine. In addition to his curatorial and critical writing, Matthew served as the editor of Eli Baxter’s memoir Aki-wayn-zih: A Person as Worthy as the Earth, which received the Governor General’s Award for English-language nonfiction.