CMA Outstanding Achievement
Stewardship of Collections
For excellence in stewardship of collections, for example, in their physical care, in the preservation of intangible culture heritage, including relevant digital practices and documentation
Witness Blanket conservation project
Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Manitoba Museum
“It’s a strange feeling to work on the Witness Blanket,” says Skyler Wall, a conservation intern at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). “To look upon a mural of injustice. To see the remnants of a school your friends and your relatives went to and know the exact stories behind them. To see their faces behind every object. To hear the Blanket cry when no one else is around.”
The Witness Blanket was created by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme) with more than 800 items gathered from sites and from survivors of residential schools across Canada. The eclectic, evocative items range from a full-sized, functioning door to a child’s single shoe.
The artist and conservation team worked together on a decolonial approach, in an unusual framework of independent artist, national museum and provincial museum. The work was carried out in an exhibition gallery at the CMHR and in the Manitoba Museum’s conservation laboratory.
“We are humbled and deeply honoured. The team undertook this work in the spirit of thoughtful collaboration, incorporating Indigenous cultural protocols and traditions in the care and conservation of The Witness Blanket. Every person who worked on this project is deeply grateful for the experience and opportunity presented to us.”
— Louise Waldman, Director, Public Affairs
Individuals affiliated to the project
- Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme), artist and co-steward of The Witness Blanket
- Lisa Quirion, Manager, Collections and Stewardship, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Cindy Colford, Supervisor, Heritage Services with Halton Region (Ontario), formerly Manager of Collections and Conservation, Manitoba Museum
- Carolyn Sirett, Conservator, Manitoba Museum
- Stephanie Chipilski, Conservation Technician and Assistant Registrar, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Skylar Wall, Repatriation Research Assistant, Canadian Museum of History, formerly Conservation Technician, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Michael Brown, Exhibition Technician, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Ernie Reichert, Exhibition Technician, Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Seema Hollenberg, Director of Research, Collections and Exhibitions, Manitoba Museum
Publicity
