NATIONAL DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
After doing sterling work editing “Au Courant”, Flora Agnew has sadly decided to retire and we are incredibly in her debt for the wonderful way she took over the job a few years ago and kept our lines of communication open. Flora, of course, is not really retiring, but is continuing to help us as a member of the Advisory Committee. Thank you very much Flora, from us all, for everything you have done, and everything that I know you will continue doing to help CFFM achieve its aims.
We welcome Carol Smith as the new editor, who has many ideas for the future. You will notice some changes this issue, and I know there will be others in subsequent newsletters. Please let us know your impressions and give us your comments about our efforts to communicate better.
In this newsletter are the names of the new CFFM Board, elected at the AGM in Saskatoon in June, a section about the WFFM meeting in Montreal and Seville and the CFFM AGM in Saskatoon, and the upcoming conferences.
We also were happy to hear that the amended Ontario Heritage Act, which we had supported, passed its final reading before the summer recess.
I hope that you have all spent a relaxing and happy summer, and like us all at CFFM, are ready for the new season, heralded, as always by the Labour Day weekend.
Jo Breyfogle,
National Director
CFFM AGM…
CFFM AGM in Saskatoon June 9, 2005
Our AGM was held during the Canadian Museums Association annual conference in Saskatoon. The new Board of Directors voted in at that meeting is below. As always the CMA conference was extremely interesting and many of us had a great time exploring Saskatoon and environs. The Carol Sprachman lecture, which CFFM sponsors annually in memory of Carol, was given by Chief Clarence Louie, Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band, and it was very stimulating to hear everything that the Band has done under his leadership.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
| Dr. Richard Alway Toronto, ON |
Bette Anderson St. John’s, NFLD |
| William ( Bill ) Barkley Victoria, BC |
Arti Chandaria Toronto, ON |
| Morris Flewwelling Red Deer, AB |
Joan Goldfarb Toronto, ON |
| Shabbir Jirvanji Treasurer Toronto, ON |
Danielle Lecours Montreal,QC |
| Jean Read William ( Bill ) Peters Ottawa, ON |
Vice President Toronto, ON |
| Margot Sackett St. Andrew’s, NB |
Jocelyn Shaw Toronto, ON |
| Martha Wilder Vice President Toronto, ON |
CFFM ADVISORY COUNCIL (2005 / 06)
| Flora Agnew Toronto, ON |
Louis Dussault Montreal, QC |
| Dr. Sean Murphy Montreal, QC |
Suzanne Stohn Toronto, ON |
| William Withrow Toronto, ON |
WFFM NOTES www.museumsfriends.org
WFFM Council Meeting in Montreal May 19 – 22, 2005
This business meeting of the World Federation is held in a different location each year, and 2005 was Canada’s turn, with delegates meeting in Montreal. Dr Sean Murphy, our Past President and the North American Region Vice-President for WFFM, and CFFM Board members Jocelyn Shaw and Danielle Lecours put together a wonderful program for the attending members, and a fantastic, rewarding time was had by everybody. Even Danielle, who convened the meeting so well, managed to enjoy it!
Triennial WFFM Conference in Seville, Spain October 18 – 22, 2005
The program for this conference is extremely interesting to all of us who are involved in museums and their continuance and wellbeing. Canada will be represented by William Thorsell, the Director of the Royal Ontario Museum which is undergoing a great building renaissance, taking part in a panel called “The New Reality of Museums” and Dr Murphy, who will be discussing drawing in museums in a panel “Educational Programs in Museums”. Current CFFM members are eligible to attend WFFM conferences, so if you are interested in knowing more visit the Spanish Federation of Friends of Museums web site to find out more, and, if you wish, register on-line.
SUPPORT NEEDED FOR NEW NATIONAL MUSEUM POLICY
Bill Peters – Director in charge of Advocacy
CFFM has played a vital role in the development of what could turn out to be a seminal new national policy to support and enrich Canada’s museums. As this issue goes to press, work is proceeding in Ottawa on the development, for ultimate consideration by the federal cabinet, of a national museum policy that would define the role and mission of these important institutions, and deliver significant new support for their priority activities.
The current federal policy is essentially that developed in the mid-70s, when Canada’s museums, with a few notable exceptions, were small, largely volunteer-run organizations that had few professional staff and depended almost exclusively on government funding for their survival. Today that situation is evolving dramatically towards a network of professional institutions that are increasingly self-reliant but still in need of a great deal of public support to enable them to deliver essential services in the areas of programming, outreach and education, and to ensure adequate care of their collections.
These areas are the principal priorities for the emerging new national policy, and it is hoped that if Cabinet approves what is being proposed, a new and strengthened policy with an adequate funding base will be in place for the coming government fiscal year that begins on April 1. Significantly, funding will be provided for multi-year programming, a need that has been largely constrained by the existing policy.
The initiation and development of this new policy has been a lengthy and arduous process that involved a couple of key players. First, the arrival of a new Minister of Canadian Heritage in the person of the Hon Lisa Frulla was the starting point. With her background in the Quebec cultural and heritage field, she was positively disposed to the development of a coherent policy to guide federal involvement in the museum field. Recognizing this opportunity, the Canadian Museums Association, supported by the CFFM, took a proactive approach to its dealings with the Minister and the officials in the Heritage Department.
Early in the process, strong letters urging the Minister to take action and to demonstrate federal leadership led to a key meeting at which Mme. Frulla committed to the development of a national museum policy appropriate to the Canada of the 21st Century.
As a key player in getting this process underway, CFFM was able to capitalize on its role as the representative of the volunteers and supporters of Canada’s many museums to convince the federal government of the need to provide adequate support and leadership. It is important to note that this was not simply a case of demonstrating need – on the contrary, the position put forward was based strongly on the role of the museum as a centre of learning and knowledge, one that is based in its community and a leader in that community; the case for enhanced support is centred on ensuring the capacity to carry out the key functions in education and outreach, and in preserving the collective memory of the community.
CFFM was able to assist materially in marshalling support from Canadians from coast to coast. However, it is vital to remember that this process is not yet complete – until a final decision is reached and funds are allocated, it is necessary that politicians and decision makers at all levels be reminded of the important role that museums play in our national life, and of the need to ensure that they have the tools needed to do their job.
You can help by reaching out to those with influence: your MP, the chair of your museum board, other local officials, and urging them to lend their support to this vital cause.
Bill Peters
TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS
Department of Volunteers, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
- Churchill, Polar Bear Capital of the World – October 28 to November 1, 2005
- Egypt, A Voyage along the Nile – November 16 to 19, 2005
- Splendours of North India – January 23 to February 9, 2006
- Oaxaca, the City and Central Valleys – February 3 to 10, 2006
- Treasures of Libya – March 7 to 20, 2006
- Eternal Russia – May 12 to 25, 2006
Looking Ahead :
- Arctic – August and September 2006
- Argentina – October 2006
- Egypt – October 2006
- Myanmar ( Burma ) – November 2006
Contact ROM Travel 416 – 586 – 8034
Volunteers Circle, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
- Affordable Paris – October 14 to 23, 2005
Contact Executive Worldwide Travel 613 – 236 – 5555
Travel AGO, Art Gallery on Ontario, Toronto
- Cezanne Centenary Exhibition – Washington, DC – April 2006
Contact Travel AGO 416 – 979 – 6660 ext.444
Canadian Federation
of Friends of Museums
317 Dundas Street West Toronto, ON M5T 1G4
Tel (416) 979-6650
Fax (416) 979-6674
email cffm_fcam@ago.net
website www.cffm-fcam.ca
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
Ontario Museum Association – October 14, 2005 – Niagara Falls
WFFM Congress – October 18 – 22, 2005 – Seville, Spain
Alberta Museums Association – October 19 – 22, 2005 – Edmonton
