The Globe and Mail

Pamela Wallin uses the "salon" as her instrument to get attention for Canada in New York City, as Allan and Sondra Gotlieb did so successfully in Washington 20 years ago. Exploiting her consul-general's apartment on Park Avenue, Ms. Wallin uses celebrity to fight indifference in a city where countless foreigners seek attention. One example: Her consulate's "cities project." This month, Ms. Wallin convened famous architects and their coteries to explore the "Bilbao effect," packing a public forum with the likes of Daniel Libeskind, Will Alsop, Bruce Kuwabara and Jack Diamond. The "Bilbao effect" refers to Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and to the power of all great architecture to colour social identities and attract attention and investment.