In the Spotlight
CMA to launch pan-Canadian consultations on a new National Museums Policy
Demasduit Regional Museum unveils new name for Spring reopening
Chinese Canadian Museum finds permanent home
CMA to reveal 2022 Awards winners this Spring
CMA to launch pan-Canadian consultations on a new National Museums Policy
Photo — Nabil Saleh on Unsplash
The Canadian Museums Association will be consulting its members as well as the larger museums and heritage community to help inform the development of a new National Museums Policy by the Government of Canada.
The goals of the consultations are to help forge a collective understanding of the role and place of museums and heritage institutions in today’s Canada. The sessions will also be used to identify the structural and other obstacles that stand in the way of the sector’s ability to play that role, as well as how the Government of Canada can partner with our sector to address those gaps and obstacles.
The consultations will include online tables as well as some in-person meetings. The consultations will kick off immediately after the CMA’s Annual Conference, and will include a member engagement session at its Annual General Meeting, virtual consultation tables, as well as a listening tour by the organization’s CEO, Massimo Bergamini.
You can read more about these plans in this issue’s Message from the Executive Director.
Demasduit Regional Museum unveils new name for Spring reopening
Rendering of new signage at the Demasduit Regional Museum. Photo — Courtesy of The Rooms.
In an act of decolonization, Demasduit Regional Museum was selected as the new name for the provincial museum in Grand Falls-Windsor operated by The Rooms, formerly called Mary March Provincial Museum.
Both names, old and new, are after the same person. Kidnapped by settlers, Demasduit was known to her European contemporaries as Mary March. During her time in captivity, Demasduit contributed to the cataloguing of knowledge of the Beothuk people and the museum’s name is in recognition of her contribution.
The change reflects the Museum’s deeper commitment to truth and reconciliation. CEO of the Rooms, Anne Chafe said, “Demasduit Regional Museum is a fitting name and represents an important piece of the region’s heritage. It also helps to further Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by honouring their history and the history of the community museum. When the museum opens its doors in the spring, I encourage people to visit and learn more about the rich history of Central Newfoundland.”
Following a regular winter closure, the museum reopened on April 30 under the new name.
Chinese Canadian Museum finds permanent home
Wing Sang Building, Vancouver, B.C. Photo — Larry Kin Fah Chin.
The Chinese Canadian Museum Society (CCM) of British Columbia has found a permanent home in the historic Wing Sang Building, the oldest building in Vancouver’s Chinatown. In February, Premier John Horgan announced that $27.5 million would be provided to the CCM to establish a permanent location.
Grace Wong, CCM’s Board Chair, indicates how this sector first will contribute to the larger dialogue, “the Chinese Canadian Museum will be the first public museum dedicated to the experiences of Chinese Canadians, a diverse cultural community that has significantly contributed to the establishment of the country, while enduring historic and continuing racism and exclusion. The creation of the Chinese Canadian Museum is a key part of the process of restitution. It will give substance to formal and public apologies for systemic and legislated exclusionary practices by providing a dedicated venue to amplify voices from the community. We hope that the CCM will empower Chinese Canadians to share their own histories and narratives through authentic, community-based storytelling. We hope this will provide an invigorating and transformative experience for present and future generations to see themselves through its exhibitions and programming throughout B.C. and Canada.”
Sophie Yamauchi, CMA Board Member and Board Administrator at the Chinese Canadian Museum Society added, “the Canadian museological sector has been grappling with the need to dismantle the outdated, elitist, and often racist narratives of traditional museum practices for quite some time. As a new museum, the Chinese Canadian Museum has seized the opportunity to build an ethical, collaborative, and empowering museum from the very beginning.”
Expected to open in 2023, the museum will feature permanent and temporary exhibits, space for multi-purpose programs and events, and learning spaces for students.
CMA to reveal 2022 Awards winners this Spring
2021 CMA Award of Outstanding Excellence, Exhibition was presented to Musée POP for creating an aweinspiring and exciting trip through popular Quebec culture with Attache ta tuque! Une virée décoiffante dans la culture québécoise.
In a prelude to International Museum Week, the CMA will announce the winners of the 2022 CMA Awards Program in a virtual event in June. The CMA received an excess of 60 nominations this year to represent the best in the sector.
CMA Director of Communications and one of the jury session moderators, Rebecca MacKenzie, stated, “the deliberations are certainly tight this year, with many juries reaching split verdicts and three-way ties. It is amazing to see what museums have been up to despite the pressures of the pandemic.”
Following an extended jurying period to process all of the nominations, an online event to celebrate the winners will be held. Interested readers can also look for our awards run down in the summer issue of Muse.
Conference delegates were treated to a preview of nominees at the conference, with short tours of nominated exhibits playing in the session pre-roll. Invitations for the awards ceremony will go out to members sometime in May 2022.
International Museum Day 2022
Since 1977, International Museum Day invites museums to engage with their public and highlight the importance of the role of museums as institutions that serve society and its development.
This year’s theme, the Power of Museums, explores how museums can bring about positive change in their communities through sustainability, digitization and accessibility, as well as the power of community building through education. ICOM President, Alberto Garlandini, shared these thoughts on the day’s importance: “International Museum Day is a unique opportunity for museums to revitalise and renew their bonds with their communities. This year, we wish to highlight the transformative power of museums while promoting this celebration’s original goal: raising awareness about museums being important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”
Museums are encouraged to participate in International Museum Day by implementing partnerships with local community organizations, advocating for the role of museums by speaking with political leaders, and sharing the word on social media.
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