In order to establish priorities between these important research goals, the Alliance commissioned a literature review to assess what research already exists and identify gaps. In the fall of 2009, with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Dr. Guy Bellavance of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (now known as the Centre INRS–Institut Armand-Frappier) undertook a critical review and analysis of existing research on the visual arts in Canada. Dr. Bellavance’s work was presented at a Colloquium held in Kingston, Ontario in September 2011.