Sarah Jennings
Sarah Jennings is a political and cultural writer in Ottawa and the author of Art and Politics: The History of the National Arts Centre.
Articles by
Sarah Jennings
What kind of capital city will a multibillion-dollar renovation of Parliament create?
January 2017
A chapter in Design of Cities, by urban planner, architect and author Edmund Bacon, is entitled “Glory of Exuberance.” In it, Bacon cites Canada’s Parliament buildings and their governmental environs as “one of the finest expressions of Victorian exuberance in the world.” The glory of the work he noted is marked not only by its mostly neo-Gothic style architecture but also by its magnificent…
The vast, idealistic effort to bury World War One’s fallen soldiers
July–August 2014
In this year of remembrance of the outbreak of the First World War, no more profound symbol of the carnage and valour can be found than in the cemeteries, created and still maintained by the Commonwealth (formerly Imperial) War Graves Commission.
Although monuments to fallen heroes have existed since ancient times, never before had all the military casualties of war been commemorated in such a formal and physically defined…
The creator of Canada’s National Ballet was charming and ruthless
January–February 2012
Dance historian Carol Bishop-Gwyn has selected a fascinating personality to write about in her choice of the classical dance czarina Celia Franca, whose ruthless dedication led to the creation of one of Canada’s most esteemed arts companies, The National Ballet of Canada. This is a portrait of one of the most crucial figures in our post-war artistic and cultural…
One cultural mandarin’s take on the politics of funding
July–August 2010
If the arts and culture need advocates, there is no more tireless one than Simon Brault. Trained as a chartered accountant but a longtime arts administrator, Brault has worked at Montreal’s National Theatre School since 1981 and was made its CEO in 2008. He is also in his second term as vice-chair of the Canada Council for the…
