Educational Sessions
[T] indicates sessions offered with simultaneous translationICH and Exhibit Development
Getting a Handle on the Intangible
Objects on Shelves and Clutter that Won't Stand Still
What's in the Box? Putting People, Places and Practices into a Museum Kit
Museums and Ethics [T]
Digitalizing Successfully on the Cheap
Aayaanscha: Bridging and Continuity – Cree Cultural Heritage at the Chisasibi Cultural Centre
Building Successful Museums by Reaching Out
The Art and Science of People, Place, and Meaning
Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers: Technology and the Future of Museums [T]
Change, Community and Collaborations
Addressing Current Issues Facing Atlantic Regional Art Galleries: Engaging Aboriginal Communities
Cultivating Collections Responsibly: A Strategy for Effective Weeding, Pruning and Growth
Best Practices and Practical approaches to Developing and Implementing Collaborative Exhibition Projects
Intangible Evidence: Interdisciplinary Culture of Creativity & Change
A Life on the Water
Museums and the Recession
ICH and Exhibit Development
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: Richard MacKinnon, Cape Breton University
Panellists: Maureen Power, The Rooms; Jane Arnold, Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University
"The Battery: The People of the Changing Outport" was a joint project between The Rooms Corporation: Provincial Museum Division and Memorial University of Newfoundland. Originally a graduate class assignment to write a proposal for an exhibition on the community of The Battery, it evolved into an exhibit that investigated the changes affecting the communities of Newfoundland and Labrador, including loss of traditional ways of life and population turnover altering the fabric of the community. The Rooms’ first folklife exhibition was a resounding success; guest curator Maureen Power will discuss the process of collaborating with a community and weaving its stories into a dynamic exhibition.
Cape Breton’s Story of Ukrainian Dance: From Village to Stage, a unique partnership between the University of Alberta, Cape Breton University and the Ukrainian community of Cape Breton Island, began primarily as a small number of traveling exhibit panels from the Ukrainian Folklore at the University of Alberta. Dr. Marcia Ostashewski, at the time a post- doctoral student working with Dr. Richard MacKinnon's Centre for Cape Breton Studies, worked tirelessly to incorporate the story of Pavlo Yavorksky, a pivotal figure in Canadian Ukrainian Dance who is credited with bringing the dance tradition to Cape Breton. The exhibit has grown to include nine distinct exhibit units spanning nearly a century.
Jane Arnold entered the project to work with the archival materials in the exhibit. This role grew to include design and implementation. Jane will discuss the importance of building community relations during the exhibit process, the logistics of presenting intangible content in a successful manner, and the challenges of working in a multi- disciplinary team.
Getting a Handle on the Intangible
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: Bill Greenlaw, Nova Scotia Museum
Panellists: Lori Clapp, Strathcona County; Rodney Chaisson, Heritage Village; Dorothy Outhouse, Island Museum; Stephanie Smith, Nova Scotia Museum
This session challenges small (and larger) museums to discover the means and methods to make local intangible heritage relevant in their communities and for visitors. Panellists will describe how they are engaging their communities in aspects of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and share their solutions to some of the hurdles they have faced, such as training funders to see the value of ICH and developing ICH interpretation that is necessarily outside the scope of the museum’s traditional artifact-based programming. Best practices in intangible heritage interpretation and practical ideas on how small museums can begin promoting ICH with limited people and dollar resources will be presented.
Objects on Shelves and Clutter that Won't Stand Still
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: TBD
Panellists: Karen Duffek, Carol Mayer, and Dr. Sue Rowley, UBC Museum of Anthropology
In January 2010, following several years of collaborative work with originating communities, the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA) opened the new Multiversity Galleries. The collections have been reorganized with classification systems that privilege originating communities’ languages, cosmologies, and local knowledge. This panel will examine the challenges and negotiations that helped shape this still-evolving re-presentation of MOA’s collection and how your institution can benefit from their learning experience.
What's in the Box? Putting People, Places and Practices into a Museum Kit
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: Robert Laidler, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre
Panellists: Nathalie Bays, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre; Maggie Macintyre, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
Museum kits are popular with many institutions as a way of linking their collection, research and programming to schools and communities. Is it possible to put a person, landscape or traditional belief into a box? This session examines how three diverse institutions are using kits to increase their outreach programs beyond traditional school groups and how your institution can both implement and evaluate similar programs successfully.
Museums and Ethics [T]
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Ethical issues have become increasingly present in our institutions and their various functions. These issues relate to collections, research, dissemination, marketing, relations with donors and donor agencies, etc., and even raise the question of the very purpose of museums.
Over the next few years, the CMA wishes to organize a summit on ethics. The goal of this workshop is to identify priorities, issues and challenges that could be addressed during the summit.
Digitizing Successfully on the Cheap
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Moderator: Gord Carter, Currency Museum Bank of Canada
Do you want to digitize your collection, but have little or no budget? Then this is the session for you. Several panellists will talk about their research and experience from conception to completion concerning digitization projects that had to be done on the cheap.
Aayaanscha: Bridging and Continuity – Cree Cultural Heritage at the Chisasibi Cultural Centre
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Moderator: Dale Jarvis, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland
Panellists: Marion Cox, Cree Nation of Chisasibi; Beverly Cox, Chisasbi Cultural Centre; Margaret Fireman, Chisasbi Cultural Centre; Gayle McIntyre, Fleming College; Ruth Freeman, Blue Sky Design;
The Chisasibi Cultural Centre is a vital resource, created by and primarily for the Chisasibi community at James Bay, Quebec. The vision and process of undertaking this multifaceted project involved many segments of the community to capture the ancestors’ traditions and convey them through the generations. The challenge of reviving, collecting, preserving and presenting this heritage is also facilitated by a customized museology training program at Fleming College and through collaboration with exhibition consultants. This session will discuss the issues and challenges that were faced, and how decisions were made.
Building Successful Museums by Reaching Out
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Moderator: Robert Laidler, Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre
Panellists: Phil Aldrich, Aldrich Pears; Bill Greenlaw, Nova Scotia Museum; Ian McLennan, Ian McLennan Consulting, Catherine Rockandel, Rockandel Associates
In these times of rapid change and competition for attention, successful museums are now reaching beyond their collections to explore the lived human experience they can embody, and achieving stronger political, community and financial support as a result. This requires a planning and design approach that integrates stakeholder and community interests. This session will focus on collaborative methods for exploring these opportunities and the exciting, inspiring and sustainable visions and concepts which result.
The Art and Science of People, Place, and Meaning
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Moderator: TBD
Panellists: Marlene Creates, artist, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland; Sharilyn J. Ingram, Studies in Arts and Culture, Brock University; Mary Pat Matheson, Atlanta Botanical Garden; Wilf Nicholls, Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden
Over the past two decades botanical gardens have addressed major societal issues such as biodiversity and climate change and building therefore on their traditional scientific base to create perceptions of greater relevance and social value. More recently, a number of gardens are using exhibitions of contemporary art to engage the public. This session examines the interrelationships of art, nature, and meaning, and how museums can enrich understanding by using these powerful linkages.
Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers: Technology and the Future of Museums [T]
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: Louise Filiatrault, Canadian Heritage information Network
Panellists: Sue Boyle and Shiralee Hudons Hill, Art Gallery of Ontario
How do museums and galleries successful market to the Net Gen? As visitors, how do you keep the Net Gen interested and engaged? This session will discuss the options and issues around the use of social media (e.g. LinkedIN, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) for professional and public audiences. Panellists will discuss marketing initiatives, how to go about making an informed decision about adopting implementing, and sustaining the medium or combination of media, and the potential for news aggregators to act as portals for museum professionals to have access to social media. Don't be scared – you don't need big bucks to implement successful programs!
Change, Community and Collaborations
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: Pauline Rafferty, CEO, Royal BC Museum
Panellists: Nika Collinson, Haida Gwaii Museum (Queen Charlotte Islands); Bill Greenlaw, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage; David Jensen, D. Jensen & Associates Ltd. (Vancouver), Claudette Leclerc, The Manitoba Museum; Marc Mayer, National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa)
The role of museums and galleries is always evolving. If we do our job well, the essentials are change, collaboration and community. Panellists will draw upon their vast experience and expertise referring to examples of how collaboration and community has changed, how they and their institutions approach their work and how change can be easily introduced into your institution.
Addressing Current Issues Facing Atlantic Regional Art Galleries: Engaging Aboriginal Communities
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Moderator: Charlotte Jones (Sir Wilfred Grenfell College Art Gallery)
Panellists: Misel Joe, Conne River First Nation; Calvin White, Flat Bay Indian Band
This session features two speakers who have been actively involved in the growing movement towards self-realization of Mi'kmaq communities in insular Newfoundland. Misel Joe has been the Chief of the Conne River First Nation, the only reserve in Newfoundland, since 1982. Calvin White is a former chief of the Flat Bay Indian Band and one of the founders of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. The presenters will give a history of and perspective on their Mi'kmaq communities, then the moderator will direct a more general audience/panel discussion on how art galleries can work meaningfully with aboriginal communities.
Supported by the Atlantic Canada Provincial Art Gallery Association
Cultivating Collections Responsibly: A Strategy for Effective Weeding, Pruning and Growth
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Panellists: Catherine Cole, Catherine Cole and Associates; Franz Klingender, Canada Agriculture Museum; Deborah Scott, Fleming College
Content TBA
"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives": Best Practices and Practical approaches to Developing and Implementing Collaborative Exhibition Projects
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
Moderator: Denise Corbett, Canadian Museum of Civilization
Panellists: Nicolas Gauvin, Canadian Museum of Civilization
What does it take to find and develop a good working collaborative relationship in a museum context? How do institutions move from “It would be interesting to think about working together on something…” to “Wow. What a great experience – what can we do together next?” Are shared, enriching exhibition experiences possible, or do institutional cultures, bureaucracies and individual personalities get in the way? This session will look for answers to these questions by looking at collaborative models from three perspectives. Attendees should come away with a practical, working knowledge of collaborative models and how to develop and implement them.
Intangible Evidence: Interdisciplinary Culture of Creativity & Change
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
Moderator: Shauna McCabe, Mount Allison University
Panellists:
Art galleries and museums have recently seen an increasing emphasis on notions of "cross-disciplinary" and "interdisciplinary." This panel discussion will focus on innovative initiatives looking at the "big picture" of emerging intersections and blurred borders. Participants will reflect on the impetus and potentials of such collisions, of artistic and material culture, contemporary art practice and cultural heritage, creative practice and research, and the possibilities of connecting and communicating diverse fields of knowledge.
Transmission of ICH: Boatbuilding
Date: Thursday, May 13
Time: 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
Moderator: Bruce Whitelaw
Panellists:
The traditional crafts and knowledge associated with the building of boats – both in maritime environments and for use on inland waters – is a part of the intangible cultural heritage of communities from across the globe. The accumulated knowledge that such boat-building traditions represent has intrinsic value as culture. Various groups and organizations have recognized that in many locations, boat-building skills and the knowledge associated with them are rapidly vanishing. This session focuses on the preservation of traditional boat-building as a living craft, and the challenges that the conservation of a living tradition pose to contemporary museums.
Museums and the Recession
Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Content TBD