What a Week in Whitehorse! | Quelle semaine à Whitehorse!

We hope you have returned safe, sound and stimulated from the 2013 CMA National Conference; we certainly have! We were treated once again to the genuine hospitality of the people of Whitehorse. Even Mother Nature gave us a warm welcome! It was the perfect setting for learning and networking with some of the best in the museum community. From singing keynote speakers and inspiring award recipients, to throwing atlatls at mock mammoths and panning for gold — the week flew by!

You can relive some of your favourite moments by viewing photos on the CMA Flickr site (can you tell which ones were taken at midnight?), and videos of the Award recipients on the CMA YouTube channel. To see the entertaining “photo-booth” pictures taken during the event at the MacBride Museum of Yukon History, click on this hyperlink and use the access code “museum”. Who knew museum professionals could strike a pose like that? Our thanks to the MacBride Museum for sharing those images and for hosting a wonderful evening.

Celebrating Future Museum Professionals

On the evening of Thursday, April 25, I had the privilege of addressing the soon-to-be graduates of Algonquin College's Applied Museum Studies (AMS) program at a well-attended public event. The students talked about their experiences as interns at various museums across Canada as well as several international sites.

© CMA / AMC 2013

This three-year Ontario College Advanced Diploma program provides students with a background in museum work and the technical areas common to all museums including collections management, exhibit preparation, conservation, educational programming and museum management.

The AMS program — one of the most recognized of its kind in Canada — is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. Congratulations to Algonquin College and all the graduates!   

The CMA is the proud employer of a number of the students who were introduced at the event. These young people represent the future of our profession–we will be in good hands. Bravo Algonquin!

 






John G. McAvity

Executive Director

Heritage Never Gets Old

It’s a great time to get involved in the museum and heritage sector. In the next few years alone, Canadians will celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Confederation (2017), the 200^th birthday of our first Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald (2015), and the centennial of the Great War (2014), in which Canadians played a major role in important battles such as Vimy Ridge.

In light of all these commemorations, the government is focusing on our history more than ever. In 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper declared Canadian heritage to be a top priority. Even in a time of economic uncertainty, Harper has promised that the heritage sector, a $46 billion dollar industry which provides over 630 000 jobs, will have steady funding for the next five years.

Museums have a valuable role in society. They tell the stories of people who can no longer tell their stories themselves. They promote cultural unity through understanding and appreciation. They act as teacher, storyteller, and facilitator of discussion all at the same time.