Clark, Ian C, 1930- : Ian Christie Clark was born in Toronto in 1930. He studied at Upper Canada College, at McGill University where he obtained a BA in 1953 and an MA in 1958. His thesis was on Ezra Pound. During his studies, he worked as Instructor in the English Department at McGill University and as Editor and Secretary (Publications and Reports) for Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (1956). He joined the Department of External Affairs in Ottawa in 1958, specializing in Cultural Affairs, and became Second Secretary and Consul at the Canadian Embassy in Brussels from 1961-64, Counsellor (Information & Cultural Affairs) at the Canadian Embassy in Paris from 1967 to 1970 and Cultural Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in London from 1970-72.
Upon returning to Canada in 1972, he was named Director of Museums and Visual Arts in the Department of the Secretary of State. In 1974, he was appointed Special Advisor to the Secretary of State to prepare and implement the Cultural Property Export and Import Act before becoming founding Chairman of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board in 1977 and special advisor from 1978 to 1992. From 1978 to 1983 he was secretary general of the National Museums of Canada.
In 1983, he renewed his diplomatic life and became Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Canada to UNESCO in Paris. Until 1987, he was Member of the Executive Board (1983-87) and was elected Vice-Chairman (1985-87) and Vice-President of the 24th General Conference of UNESCO (1987). He was President of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design from 1990-1994, during which time he was also Chairman of the ICOM Foundation. He was once again appointed Chairman of the Canadian Cultural Property Expert Review Board in November 1994 and served until 2003. In this capacity he was named Special Advisor to the Canadian Delegation at the diplomatic Conference which adopted the Unidroit Convention on Cultural Property at Rome in 1995.
During his career, Mr. Clark presented many addresses about cultural affairs, the Cultural Property Export and Import Act of Canada and the 1970 UNESCO Convention. At the beginning of his career, he also published some poems in various publications, mostly in the McGill University student journal.
Mr. Clark was elected an "Honorary Life Membership" in the Canadian Commission for UNESCO in 2002. In 2003 he was awarded the Commemorative Medal for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in recognition of 'significant contribution to the museum community in Canada", and an Honorary Life Member of the Canadian Museums Association. He also received the commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, the UNESCO Silver Medal and the Medal of the City of Quebec (in recognition of the successful application for the inscription of Quebec on UNESCO 's World Heritage List).
