Conference 2006: Schedule

Presenters: Jim Everson, Director of Government Relations, Canadian Museums Association; John McAvity, Executive Director, Canadian Museums Association; Micheline McKay, Cultural Consultant and Publisher of Arts Advocate; Marie G. Lalonde, Executive Director, Ontario Museum Association

Update on current issues and call to action.

Panellists: Michele Alderton, Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre; Karen Richardson, Adelaide Hunter Hoodless National Historic Site and Princeton Museum; Diane Wolfe, George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art.

As museum workers, we understand the value of museums in the community. The challenge is engaging the community-at-large not only to celebrate museums, but also to play an advocacy role to ensure the sustainability. Panelists will share strategies that have worked in their communities.

Speaker: Dr. Greg Baeker, AuthentiCity; Carrie Brooks-Joiner, President, Carrie Brooks-Joiner & Associates

The identification and mapping of all those things that together define the unique identity and sense of place in your commmunity is the first step in any cultural planning process. By encouraging people to "become tourists in their own town" we uncover and become more aware of resources or qualities of life that are often taken for granted. By looking beyond our traditional heritage silos, this broader network of cultural creators and entrepreneurs can be a powerful force in shaping community priorities for visioning, programming and funding.

Speakers: Martin DeGroot, Executive Director, Waterloo Arts Council; Colleen Hendrick, Director of Cultural Services and Community Funding Community and Protective Services Department, City of Ottawa; Neil Craig, Mayor Oro-Medonte Township, Simcoe County; Bruce Timms, Councillor, Niagara Region

The successes, failures, and challenges of the different perspectives of municipal and regional advocacy, especially from the administrators and politicians point-of-view, are addressed. How can museums best approach them, and what do they wish we had when communicating.

Speaker: Janine Dunlop, Ministry of Culture, Grey County

For too long museums have tended to view each other as "the competition". In this session, participants will discuss the advantages of working together, sharing resources, and speaking as a unified voice, and will brainstorm strategies for bringing museums together.

Speakers: Mac Swackhammer, Curator, Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology; Fred Addis, Curator, Leacock Museum National Historic Site; Ian Kerr-Wilson, Dundurn National Historic Site

Museums can play a vital role as agents for change in the community. Stepping outside the box of the traditional museum, community relationships can yield both encouraging and surprising results. Learn how your museum can contribute to the greater appreciation of culture and heritage and the value they bring to community life.

Speakers: Wendy Thomas, Canadian Heritage Information Network; Cathy Blackbourn, Ontario Museum Association

Wendy and Cathy will discuss recent developments in online learning for museum workers and their public including CHIN's new Knowledge Exchange and the work of The Learning Coalition. Visitor and staff use of podcasting, blogs and wikis will also be part of the conversation.

Speakers: Marie G. Lalonde, Ontario Museum Association; Heather C. Young, Young Associates

With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the participation of the Heritage Branch of the Ministry of Culture, the OMA has gathered and analyzed data to:

• identify trends in museum sector organizational health
• yield an assessment of museums' financial health
• develop approaches to the sustainability issues faced by Ontario's museums; and
• establish specific benchmarks identifying financially secure organizations

This session is a first opportunity for the results of this research project to be shared with the membership and to discuss how this information will make advocacy easier and more effective as well as "next steps".

Speakers: Kelly Wilhelm, Canada Council; Beth Kummling, Bruce Trail Association; Demetra Christakos, Ontario Association of Art Galleries; Sue Gunton, Toronto Zoo

By taking cue from other arts and cultural organizations, the speakers discuss successes, challenges, and tips that could be relevant to the museum contingent, and ways to make it easier to work together.

Jeff Thomas was the guest curator of the acclaimed travelling exhibit Where are the Children: Healing the Legacy of Residential Schools. Using this powerful exhibit as an example, he will address the issue of exhibits that deal with real issues and an approach that makes the shift from propaganda to self-determination. "The photographs I had to work with were produced for the purpose of showing the good work carried out at the residential schools, the question I faced when I began my work was if the photographs had another voice, another life beyond the propaganda". How can museum exhibits "take on" important social change issues in their communities and with their communities?