Clearer procedures and policies for disposing of cultural items owned by Chatham-Kent will be put in place in the wake of the loss of the corn mural.
Council will also consider whether the existing museum advisory boards should be converted into museum boards that would have full authority of artifacts.
The recommendations follow the investigation into the destruction of the historic corn mural that was created for the 1979 International Plowing Match.
The mural was displayed on a wall inside the Chatham Cultural Centre.
Municipal staff concluded the mural was removed and disposed of without authorization to have it culled from the museum collection.
In addition, even if the mural had been properly removed from the collection, the staff report states it should have been offered back to the donor.
South Kent Coun. Frank Vercouteren, who called for the investigation, was disappointed with the report.
Among other things, he didn’t think the mural was in poor condition.
“Meantime, staff goes ahead and calls a conservator in London who didn’t see it and didn’t visit Chatham-Kent just to justify that mistake,” said Vercouteren, who was the chairman of the plowing match. “The report stated that at least three employees apparently were involved in this from the museum department and acted wrongfully. In my opinion, they should have known that permission was needed in order for it to be destroyed or removed from the building.”
Several factors were blamed for the improper disposal, including:
- • Advice that the corn mural was accessioned into the museum collection was not given to the supervisor in charge of making the decision about its removal.
- • A supervising employee authorized the removal and destruction of the corn mural. The supervisor received wrong advice that the mural was not part of the museum collection. The supervisor made a significant error in judgment to not inquire further about whether the mural was part of the museum collection.
- • The municipality has unclear lines of authority for accessioning and de-accessioning artifacts from its museum collections and this lack of clarity contributed to this incident.
Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy, who is a member of the museum board, called it a sad affair, which was also frustrating for the board.
“They do a great job, they have dedicated people,” said Bondy. “I feel this investigation could have taken 15 minutes instead of six months. I don’t believe the museum board is going to be satisfied with this report.”
Bondy also hopes the issue is over and council can now move on from “corn gate.”
“We’ve got bigger problems, obviously. So hopefully this is it,” said Bondy.
