CHATTING BY THE FIREPLACE WITH MUSINGS AND MUSSA

Letter from the Editor | Alexandra Forand, Jordan Fee, Natalie Heaton and Emma Puddicombe

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Well, it’s that time of year again. The wind is blowing, the snow is falling, and we are finished with yet another semester in the Museum Studies program! Since the last time we spoke with you, fellow Musers, so much has gone on that we thought we would invite the President and Vice-President of the Museum Studies Student Association (MUSSA) to chat with us and highlight all of the wonderful things that have taken place this semester!

Photo Courtesy of Erika Serodio

Photo Courtesy of Emma Puddicombe 

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Jordan: Emma, Natalie, it’s so nice to have you here with us! How are you feeling now that the semester is over?

Emma: It’s been a long semester, but such a great one! The students have all been so ready to interact with each other and take part in events on campus, and the articles Musings has published have been a joy to read every week. Our colleagues are so creative and hardworking. It’s weird to think we’ll be starting our last semester of this program in just a few weeks!

Natalie: Over the past few months I’ve been trying to push myself to try new things and meet new people! As a result, I’ve met incredible people, done amazing things, I’m really happy with how the semester went.

Ally: This is true, much has passed in just a span of 3 months. And what a whirlwind it has been! It seems like only yesterday that Jordan and I published our first articles as Editors-and-Chiefs of Musings. You can check those out here and here. How time flies!

Soure.

Jordan: Right you are! I bet the contributing editors who joined our team in September agree with you. As always, I am blown away with the breadth of articles. This semester Dominica took us on an adventure when she examined the unique programming at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Michelle had a frightfully good time at the “Bloodsuckers” at the Royal Ontario Museum, and Mary analysed “Age of you” at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).

Photo Courtesy of Mary Wallace. 

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand 

Emma: Musings also went beyond museums when Carly W. explored community engagement at Community Arts Guild, Jaime investigated Library and Archives Canada (LAC) digitization projects in collaboration with the Nunavummiut, and Carys pointed out the various displays of art on the streets of Toronto and their importance.

Photo courtesy of Katherine Fleitas/peacephoto

Jordan: Of course, we can’t forget about Natalie’s article about the Ottawa Field Trip! While I was sad to miss it, the consensus seems to be that it was a fantastic trip! What were your favourite parts about it?

Photo courtesy of Natalie Heaton. 

Ally: I quite enjoyed seeing all the museums’ galleries and the stories they told with their objects. I know Carly H. would agree with me that objects can tell very powerful stories. I was also interested in the inner workers of those museums. It is not every day that you get to see museums’ collections, libraries, and research centres, as discussed by Madison!

Emma: I’m just so happy that the students who joined the trip made such great connections with the professionals we met. It’s so great seeing first-hand how much museum professionals, especially alumni, want to support us as we start our careers! Elizabeth’s check-in with Britt Braaten was especially interesting to read.

Photo courtesy of Britt Braaten.

Natalie: I will remember the relationships that I formed and the ones I strengthened with my classmates. I also loved taking in all the museums, talking to the museum professionals, and getting to go behind the scenes! The behind-the-scene tour of the Canadian History Museum was a particular standout.

Jordan: Well, I still have many fond memories of the trip to Montreal last year, and from the sounds of it, the trip to Ottawa was just as great. I think that these trips are a fantastic way for new students to form a community.

Ally: Musings is great for this as well, because that is what we aim to do! Whether that be a professional community, as seen through Samantha’s latest article interviewing Dale Butterill from the Women's Arts Association of Canada. Musings is also a great way to process current events through an important lens. I was partial to Amy’s latest article discussing the monumentalization of the Stonewall Inn, and Joanna’s take on female artists (or lack-there-of) in art museums.

Photo courtesy of Amelia Smith. 

Nathalie: I am excited to see where Defne will go with her series about museums representing climate change as well as Jessica’s series on collection storage solutions… on a budget!

Illustration courtesy of Defne Inceoglu. 

Illustration courtesy of Jessica Lanziner.

Jordan: And of course, Musings cannot exist without the help of MUSSA! It has been so fantastic seeing the two of you lead the pack this year; I truly think that the dynamic you’ve formed with the students in the faculty is incredible.

Ally: Especially now that we’re headed into the final semester of our time in the program, it is comforting to know that we have such a strong support system.

With that being said, I think it’s best that we leave our readers and give them some time to relax. Musings will be on hiatus for the rest of December, but keep an eye out in early January for new posts! In the meantime, don't forget to check our Emma’s article about holiday traditions and if you still need to do some holiday shopping head on over to Erika’s Gift Guide for Museum people! 

Happy Holidays! From our family to yours! Photo courtesy of Alexandra Forand.