xxxV art medal congress - ottawa
ottawa, canada - 29 may until 2 june 2017
The XXXV FIDEM congress was held in Ottawa in late May and beginning of June 2018.
The congress was successfull and well visited. The congress and exhibition were heldin the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN).
The building was used in 1918 by the Canadian Parliament due to a fire in the House of Parliament. It was in this building that the law of women’s emancipation was enacted. Because of this, the CMN announced that for this Congress the theme of all the medals would be “Women” with a special category of "Women in Natural Science”.
Opening
Wednesday 30 May was the grand opening day of the XXXV FIDEM congress. Everything started at 9 o'clock in the morning with a very special ceremony held in the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Nature. It was acknowledged that the land on which we were gather is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe People.
An elder, Grandmother Monique Renaud, a Métis of Algonquin and Huron- Wendat ancestry, conducted a smudging ceremony and gave an opening prayer.
The Mayor of the City of Ottawa, His Worship Jim Watson, spoke to the audience and welcomed FIDEM to the City of Ottawa. He was followed by Philip Attwood who gave a short history of FIDEM and brought up the fact that this was the first congress ever in Canada.
It was then the turn to Michael Groves, Director of the Development & Applied Technology of the R&D team for the Royal Canadian Mint to speak. He officially presented the Congress medal. The medal had been a well kept secret. It was not included in the congress bag as it usually is. The designer of the XXXV FIDEM Congress medal is Susan Taylor.
"Central to the reverse design are three maple leaves intertwined with a flowing sash. The maple leaves represent Canada bounded by water on three sides by the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans.
The flowing sash represents Canada’s fresh water lakes and rivers. The wheat design represents Canada’s strong agricultural roots and the eastern cedar motif on the left hand side honours the land around the National Capital Region where the FIDEM XXXV Conference/Exhibit is taking place. The Rocky Mountains and the Aurora Borealis symbolizes the spectacular opportunities Canada has to offer to those who choose to make this land their home.
On the obverse side the Aurora Borealis flows from the reverse side. The underlying five sided figure moving forward from behind the Aurora Borealis evokes Canada’s commitment to ensuring a safe and caring community. Sitting beneath the stars, a female figure reading to a child represents the importance of education so that we have a better understanding of the world around us." (FIDEM Canada XXXV 2018, Exhibition Catalogue, p. 4)
The official opening of the congress was followed by two plenary sessions and in the afternoon the lectures started. In the evening the official opening of the exhibition was held.
More information about the lectures
More information about the exhibitions
More information about the opening of the exhibitions
Congress theme: “Women” and “Women in the Natural Sciences”
Women: The medals to be chosen for the FIDEM XXXV exhibit will celebrate the contributions and achievements women have made to society. The contribution could be in commerce, politics, nutrition, fashion, and family, to name a few. The achievements could be recent or have taken place centuries ago. The possibilities are endless. This contribution and/or achievement by a woman can have been within your own country or community or could be about any woman that you believe has made a difference in the lives of others. As well as medals featuring individual women, medals that make more general statements about the contribution that women make to society will be welcome.
Women in the Natural Sciences: The theme of “Women in the Natural Sciences” is a special category celebrating the contributions and achievements women have made in the field of natural sciences such as biology, zoology, botany, geology, geography, astronomy to name a few. This contribution and/or achievement by a woman can have been within your own country or community or could be about any woman that you believe has made a difference to our understanding of the world we live in. The medals for “Women in the Natural Sciences” will be displayed as a group. The best medal in the “Women in the Natural Sciences” category will be awarded a prize. This prize is separate from the prize given to the best in show.
THEME POUR LE CONGRES
Toutes les médailles pour l’exposition doivent avoir le thème de la Femme ou Femmes dans les Sciences Naturelles. A savoir que toutes médailles ne comportant pas ce thème seront refusées.
Femmes : Les médailles doivent célébrer les contributions et les accomplissements que les femmes ont fait à la société. Les contributions pourraient être dans le commerce, la politique, la nutrition, la mode, et la famille, pour en nommer que quelques-unes. Les réalisations pourraient être récentes ou avoir eu lieu il y a des siècles. Les possibilités sont infinies. Cette contribution et / ou réalisation par une femme peuvent avoir été dans votre propre pays ou communauté ou pourraient être sur une femme que vous pensez ait fait une différence dans la vie des autres. En plus des médailles représentant des femmes individuelles, des médailles plus généralisées sur la contribution apportée par des femmes à la société seront les bienvenues.
Femmes dans les Sciences Naturelles: est une catégorie spéciale qui célèbre les contributions et accomplissement des femmes dans le domaine des sciences comme la biologie, la zoologie, la botanique, la géologie, la géographie et l’astronomie pour en nommer quelques-uns. Les médailles faisant partie de cette catégorie seront exposées à part. La meilleure médaille de cette catégorie recevra un prix.
