May 2014 PLC Invite

Hamilton Area Museum Educators

invites you to our May 2014 Peer Learning Circle

Privilege and role of museums 
in presenting different cultures, socio-political,

and accessible exhibitions and objects

Monday, May 5, 2014, 10:00am-3:00pm

Woodland Cultural Centre

184 Mohawk Street, Brantford, ON

This session is FREE!

Please contact one of the HME Coordinators to register before April 26.

Presenters and topics include:

Shannon Prince
Curator of the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum
“Something to Hope for…”
You will learn about the educational opportunities that were offered to blacks once they arrived in freedom at the Buxton settlement. A brief background history of the founding of the settlement, a power point discussing the value of education and the lesson plans we have created that are accessible on line and correlate with the curriculum will be provided. Also artifacts will also be displayed which also enhances the experience.

Bio
Shannon is a 6th generation descendent from the Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission, which was a haven for fugitive slaves prior to the American Civil War. She is the curator at the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum.
She is a graduate from the Museum Studies Program through the Ontario Museums Association; Chair of the National Historic Sites Alliance of Ontario; the Ontario Trillium Fund Grant Review Team; a member of the Chatham Kent Economic Advisory Committee; a member of the Chatham Kent Community Leaders Cabinet; a member of Ontario’s Underground Railroad Alliance and is a historical storyteller.
She is involved in joint UGRR projects with York University, Toronto, The Underground Railroad Freedom Centre in Cincinnati, with Millersville University, the Network to Freedom program with the National Parks Service and several historical organizations in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
She and her husband Bryan have received numerous awards including YMCA of Chatham Kent’s Peace Medallion and the Underground Railroad Free Press international prize for “The Advancement of Knowledge”, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

She actively farms with her husband Bryan & their four children, & grandchildren and she enjoys cooking, reading and playing baseball.

Marty Brent, John Keeshig, Carolyn King, Sandra Lucs
Region of Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA)
“We Are Here: The Story of Aboriginal People in Peel Region: A Case Study in Inclusive Consultation”
From November 2010 until the official opening date of February 16, 2013, an Aboriginal Advisory Committee composed of members of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis communities, PAMA staff and exhibition planners met numerous times with the goal of creating a permanent exhibition about the history of Aboriginal people who lived, and continue to reside in, the Region of Peel.
As the development process proceeded, Aboriginal Advisory Committee members assumed an increasing level of responsibility for both meeting structure and exhibition content. Meetings began with the Anishinaabe tradition of smudging and a talk about the value of The Good Mind approach, and concluded with a prayer. Meeting etiquette ensured that each participant had the opportunity to express themselves fully, without fear of interruption. This highly inclusive process, modeled upon Aboriginal council meetings, contributed to productive discussions which continued until members reached  consensus on the interpretation and presentation of the exhibition themes, including the most contentious and difficult — the genocide of Aboriginal people.
The end product of this inclusive consultation process — a 1000 s.f. permanent exhibition in the newly renovated PAMA complex — tells the story of Aboriginal people in Peel Region from the perspective of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Set within a spiritual framework centering upon their relationship to land as the Heart of Creation, it celebrates their unique identity and cultural endurance despite centuries of domination, displacement and forced assimilation.

Bios
Marty Brent joined Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives in 2011 as Supervisor of Museum and Archives.  Tasked with opening 5,000 sq ft of new exhibitions following PAMA’s recent retrofit project,  her team successfully moved the collections, and planned and launched its diverse new galleries to tell the stories of the people of Peel.  Recently appointed Manager at PAMA, Marty’s earlier career includes positions at Black Creek Pioneer Village and the Ontario Ministry of Culture.

Maya-waasige, also known as John Keeshig, is from Neyaashiingaminng (Cape Croker). He was a member of, and the spiritual advisor for the We Are Here exhibition Aboriginal Advisory Committee throughout the duration of the project. John has worked at Pearson International Airport since 1983 as a Canada Border Service Officer. He is frequently called upon by the Canada Border Services Agency to give presentations and share his knowledge about Aboriginal culture and traditions with fellow employees. 

Carolyn King, a resident and member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, has been involved in First Nation community development for most of her working life and brings her experience in administration, planning, public relations and cultural heritage preservation to the table. In 1997 – 1999, she was the first woman to hold the position of elected Chief in her community. She currently works for the First Nation in the consultation and outreach office.

Sandra Lucs is an interpretive planner and partner in the exhibition planning and design firm of Vilnis Cultural Design Works, which was responsible for the research, interpretive planning, design and production of the We Are Here exhibition.

Peter Monahan
Museums of Mississauga
“South Asians in The Great War”

A discussion of developing and presenting an exhibition on the role of the British Indian Army in 1914-15.   Aimed at the considerable South Asian population of Mississauga and Peel Region, this exhibit breaks new ground in engaging a group not typically involved in the Museums of Mississauga and serves as a  counterpoint to the largely Anglo-centric ‘pioneer history’ which is the Museums’ main focus.

Bio
Peter Monahan is a part time interpreter with the Museums of Mississauga, a retired teacher of History and re-enactor of the Wart of 1812 and World War One and recently received his certificate in Museum Studies from the OMA.   He co-founded the Indian Military History Society in 1985 and is a life-long student of military.

Dillon March

Bev Dietrich Guelph Civic Museums
"Showcasing a Hidden History"; Out on the Shelf (Guelph Pride)

A video presentation of the process by Dillon Marsh, guest curator, with a commentary about the process from the institution point of view by Bev Dietrich, Curator of Guelph Museums. This presentation will cover topics regarding the project including the purpose, research questions, working with the GCM, research methods, working with uncooperative organizations, and reactions to the project.


Bios
Dillon has been the Chair of the Guelph Pride Committee over the past two years and has been involved with Guelph Pride activities for the past four. Dillon is currently completing his undergraduate degree in French and Italian studies at the University of Guelph and finishing up a certificate in Adult Education at Humber.

Bev Dietrich is the curator of Guelph Museums which includes the new Guelph Civic Museum and McCrae house, birthplace of WWI poet John McCrae of “In Flanders Fields” fame. Bev graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a B.A. in history and attended the Museum Technology Program at Algonquin College. She has completed the Ontario Museum Association’s Certificate in Museum Studies course of which she is now a course director for the Collection Management course.

Registration is limited! Contact one of the HME coordinators to register BEFORE APRIL 26.

Further Details:

Directions:
See this link for directions.
When you come up the drive, it is the huge three storey building Mohawk Residential School. You can park in the front parking area, or behind/ to the side of the building.

When you come up the stairs in the main building, you will turn to the left hallway and the board room is directly in front of you.

Lunch:

Lunch from The Pita Pit will be provided, sponsored by Carr McLean.
If you have any dietary restrictions or concerns, please note this on your registration form.

On lunch break – we will have a guided tour of Woodland Cultural Centre.

Interested in more about the Woodland Cultural Centre? Check out their website.