CFFM AT THE CANADIAN MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
This year’s annual conference of the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) was held in Ottawa in March, and celebrated the organization’s 60th anniversary. The keynote address by broadcaster and journalist Rex Murphy, Whither Culture? Museums are the Portrait of Canada, provided an entertaining outlook at the future of Museums and set the tone for the following two days’ workshops and educational sessions.
Seven members of our Board – Jo Breyfogle, Arti Chandaria, Danielle Lecours, Margot Magee Sackett, Bill Peters, Jean Read and Martha Wilder, together with Advisory Council members Louise Rickenbacker and Jocie Shaw, and CFFM Assistant Rima Zubas, attended the conference. This representation, together with the CFFM-sponsored Carol Sprachman Memorial Lecture, our Panel on Volunteerism, and the inclusion of our logo in the acknowledgement of sponsors, generated much interest in our organization.
The Carol Sprachman Lecture titled Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, presented by Ron Chew, Director of the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Seattle, WA, was well received, as was the Panel organized and moderated by CFFM Vice-President Martha Wilder. Panelists Margot Magee Sackett, Director of the Ross Memorial Museum, Joan Lozinski, volunteer and philanthropist honoured for her work at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Ballet School, Ann McCain, Executive Director of the Harrison McCain Private Foundation, and Daniel Ben-Natan, Vice- President, Development and International Relations for the Israel Museum and Treasurer of the World Federation of Friends of Museums, discussed What Motivates Volunteers and Donors to Give to Museums.
Also in this issue is a review of the powerful and moving presentation by the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre, which outlined the development of the exhibit: Residential Schools: the Red Lake Story. This exhibit set the context for a parallel travelling exhibition entitled Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of Residential Schools, organized by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the National Archives of Canada.
Notably, this year CMA made a commitment to environmental sustainability by organizing a Carbon Neutral Conference. According to Calvin J. White, CMA President, approximately 42.5 tonnes of carbon will be released through travel, accommodation and energy consumption related to the conference. To offset these climate change-causing emissions, 934 trees will be planted across Canada in 2007, in accordance with afforestation criteria.
The 2008 CMA conference will be held April 8-12, in Victoria, B.C. We look forward to seeing you there.
THANK YOU TO JO BREYFOGLE
CFFM gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Jo Breyfogle as National Director, from 2004 to 2007. She came to the organization with a wealth of knowledge from her involvement as a volunteer and Trustee at the Royal Ontario Museum. During her time as National Director, she saw many changes, including staff, retiring board members, the transformation, (with noisy construction!) at the Art Gallery of Ontario and changes in the larger Canadian museum community. Jo met all of these challenges with characteristic determination and enthusiasm. Extremely committed to CFFM, Jo is reluctantly stepping down as National Director for health reasons. However, we are pleased that she will continue to be involved as a member of the Board, where her experience will be invaluable.
RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS: THE RED LAKE STORY
During the 2007 Canadian Museums Association Conference in Ottawa, representatives from the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre made a moving and powerful presentation on the impact of residential schools. Opened in 2005, the Centre has played a leading role in preserving and promoting First Nations’ culture and heritage in Red Lake and across northwestern Ontario. In 2006, it hosted a travelling exhibit organized by the Legacy of Hope Foundation, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and the National Archives of Canada, titled Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of Residential Schools.
It should be noted that in 2002, a curator of the earlier Red Lake Museum, while mounting an exhibit of class photos for a high school reunion, found that in spite of the approximately 20% Aboriginal population of Red Lake, no Aboriginal children appeared in the photos prior to 1965. There were also no records of their education in the local archives. They had, of course, been educated in residential schools, a fact of which many of the local non-Aboriginal residents were unaware. It was therefore realized that for local people to understand the social and economic impact of residential schools on the community, a parallel exhibition needed to be mounted to place the local experience in context with the national exhibition. The result was Residential Schools: The Red Lake Story.
In developing The Red Lake Story, the Aboriginal community was consulted and a working relationship developed. Most important for them was that the Heritage Centre recognized the story needed to be told and had made every effort to balance the exhibit and present experiences in a sensitive manner. Also, the Centre did not shy away from possible controversies which might be generated.
The exhibits were accompanied by lectures and presentations. More than 1,200 people, including homeless people, board members from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, principals from 25 schools in Northwestern Ontario, students from across the region, many out-of-town and local visitors, as well as government representatives toured the exhibitions. Discussion groups, healing circles, education programs, information sessions and decolonizing workshops were held. The local Children’s Aid Society ran training sessions for foster parents and Aboriginal youth workshops were facilitated by mental health workers and survivors of residential schools.
These exhibitions provided an opportunity for a small museum to present local history, educate, involve the community and bring an understanding of how past actions can affect the future. Our thanks to Michele Alderton, Director/Curator, and staff of the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre, for providing the material and allowing us to publish this article. For more information, you can contact the Centre at: rlhc@goredlake.com, or visit www.redlakemuseum.com.
DID YOU KNOW?
- The Honourable Josée Verner was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in August. She replaces Minister Bev Oda. Ms. Verner was previously Minister of International Co-Operation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages in the Federal government.
- The Alberta Museums Association’s annual conference will be held in Red Deer this September 20-22. Contact: www.museumsalberta.ab.ca for more information.
- The Ontario Museums Association (OMA) is holding its annual conference October 24-26, in Toronto. For information, go to: conference@museumsontario.com.
- Sadly, the death of Signe McMichael, founder of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario, and a dedicated arts supporter, was announced in July.
- The Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, located 100 kms. east of Calgary, opened in July and is Canada’s largest museum owned and operated by First Nations.
- Meg Beckel, formerly Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Ontario Museum, has been appointed Vice-President of the University of Waterloo. Glen Dobbin has joined the ROM as Deputy Director, Operations. He was previously General Manager of Ontario Place, Toronto.
- David Palmer, former President and Executive Director, Royal Ontario Museum, has been appointed Vice-President and Chief Advancement Officer of the University of Toronto.
- The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, has appointed Tasha Ethelston as Director of Public Programs and Education. She was previously the Gallery’s Public Programs Co-Ordinator.
VOLUNTEERING AT JOSEPH BRANT MUSEUM
Joseph Brant Museum is one of two heritage sites that come under the umbrella of Museums of Burlington, Ontario. It has been Burlington’s community museum since 1942, with a volunteer program since 1975. A small group of volunteers assisted in every possible way to support the Museum, whether it was painting walls, fund raising, organizing special events, or helping with public and education programs. Over the years, the volunteer program has become increasingly specialized to meet the ever-growing professional needs of the Museum.
Under the supervision of the Curator of Collections, volunteers have the opportunity to learn about collections management, and develop new skills, such as cataloguing, exhibit preparation and installation, research, data entry, and maintaining the research/reference library. The work is on-going and takes a small army of committed volunteers, some of whom have been with the Museum for over 30 years and offer continuity and experience. More recent volunteers are no less enthusiastic in their support. For example, Steve Scheffer, a 2-year “veteran” is characteristic of the volunteer spirit.
When Steve first decided to join the Museum’s volunteer program, he wasn’t quite sure how he wanted to help, but was interested in research and antiques. Immediately, he proved to be a good fit for assisting with the cataloguing of newly acquired artifacts. This required skills such as organization, patience, attention to detail and good research abilities. Steve’s enthusiasm to support collections activities soon spilled over into doing research on specific topics, and assisting with the preparation, installation and dismantling of exhibits. No matter what need arose, the Museum could always count on Steve saying “Sure, I’d be happy to help!”. In a work environment that is always stretched to the limits for time and staffing, Joseph Brant Museum is truly indebted to this type of invaluable volunteer support.
CFFM BOARD NEWS
At its Annual General Meeting on March 30th in Ottawa, CFFM welcomed two new Directors – Peter Homulos and Wally Kozar. Peter and Wally, both of Ottawa, have worked in the Federal Heritage Department for many years. With their professional experience and additional volunteer interests, they will be valuable additions to the Board. Morris Flewwelling, of Red Deer, Alberta, a long-time Director, has resigned from the Board and has been appointed to the Advisory Council.
