[Part 5] Multitasking as the Belkin’s Collections Assistant: Artefacts Canada & Public Domain Day!

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Collections Management / Database / Editing / Independent Work / Remote Work / Research/ Analysis / Time Management

This is the fifth and final post in a series of five, each building on a project mentioned in my Belkin Art Gallery poster (see my September 11, 2020 post “Reflecting on a Remote Summer: Collections Assistant at the Belkin Art Gallery”). I worked on these projects in my position as the Belkin’s Collections Assistant from June 2020 to January 2021. This final post focuses on a public domain and Artefacts Canada project.

Fig. 1. Rocky Mountain Sketch, c. 1962, by Lawren Harris. Image courtesy of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery.

On this first day of 2021, as in previous years, thousands of works officially entered the public domain, increasing free public access to these previously copyrighted treasures. Such a day is important, especially this year as it may be the last public domain day in Canada for the next 20 years due to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement of 2020 stipulating that Canada has by 2022 to extend its term of copyright from the life of the creator plus 50 years to the life of the creator plus 70 years. Such a change, if made without any accompanying measures or Copyright Act reform respecting the archival and art museum mission—that is, public service, access, preservation, and to do no harm to others—is problematic.

Nevertheless, supporting the idea of increased public access, the Belkin Art Gallery is a contributor to the Artefacts Canada (AC) database. As the Belkin’s Collections Assistant, I undertook the project of updating the Belkin’s data and image contributions to AC, including those for works that recently entered the public domain in Canada. Such a project entailed:

  • Defining the field mapping between the Belkin’s PastPerfect database field names—previous contributions were mapped to a former database—and AC field names, which resulted the Belkin contributing over 5,000 updated artwork entries, each with key information like object name, title, artist/maker, medium, etc.
  • Researching and updating the copyright status of works in the Belkin’s collections that have officially entered the public domain as of January 1, 2021, resulting in my increased knowledge of the Belkin’s collections, various contemporary artists, and how to identify public domain works under the Canadian Copyright Act
  • Compiling images of public domain artworks in the Belkin’s collections, allowing the Belkin to contribute images of more than 200 public domain artworks, including numerous Lawren Harris (1885-1970) works that entered the Canadian public domain today!


As an information professional with a background in visual art and considering the recent monumental changes in the Canadian copyright landscape, assisting the Registrar, Teresa Sudeyko, and Archivist, Anna Tidlund, with this project has been memorable and valuable. I was able to not only develop new skills and acquire knowledge that I can bring to my future work, but also assist with effectively increasing and managing access to the Belkin’s collections of 5,000+ objects and 30,000+ archival documents. . . during a global pandemic. 

Fig. 2. Man Killing Seal, 1961, by Tudlik. Image courtesy of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery.

Fig. 3. Un-named Mountain Peak, unknown date, by William Percival Weston. Image courtesy of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery.

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