UNEARTHING HISTORY: ALUMNI CHECK-IN WITH KRISTEN MCLAUGHLIN

 Alumni Check-In | Elizabeth Cytko

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Kristen McLaughlin poses with a newly unveiled sign.
Photo courtesy of Kristen McLaughlin

Kristen McLaughlin is the plaques co-ordinator at Heritage Toronto. She graduated the Museum Studies program in 2018, was a former editor of Musings and was the Vice-President of MUSSA. Kristen has a passion for archeology and continues to incorporate it into her work.

What is your favourite memory from your time in the Museum program?

I think one of my favourite memories was when I was Vice-President of MUSSA and we put together the first panel hosted by the MMSt program on Women and Leadership in the Museum/Cultural sector. We invited four brilliant women leaders and our Musings Editor, Serena Ypelaar, asked them questions compiled by students. It was a full house and really addressed what, we felt, was an important issue in the field, such as how women deal with the barriers facing them in the sector, stories of success, advice, etc. I felt so proud to have contributed to the discussion of an important topic, felt empowered by all the powerful women around me, and my feminist heart was very happy.

What did you like about writing for Musings?

I loved being able to research the things I was passionate about and then writing it in an accessible, digestible format. My very first article was an interactive PDF flowchart on quick conservation methods for smaller institutions. My last column on Museums Abroad let me go a bit more in depth into what interested me about museums around the world and how they are different than our standard North American concept of museums and memorialization. I believe traveling, learning, and realizing the bubble of your world is not the world of everyone. I find in academic streams the mindset can sometimes get a little too narrow, and it was a great reminder to be aware of all the heritage issues that are happening around the globe!

What does a typical day entail at your job?

My job is Plaques Coordinator for Heritage Toronto, so I work on all aspects of the heritage plaques you see around the city, from working with applicants, budgets, and funding for the plaques, intensive research, writing, logistics, installation, and more! For me specifically, there is a lot of research involved.

If I am working on a current heritage plaque project, I can spend several days to a week+ researching the content. It's really fun, actually, because I get to use amazing resources like the City of Toronto digitized directories through the Toronto Public Library, or visit the City of Toronto Archives and scroll through tax assessment forms from the 1920s on microfiche. Other days it can be lots of emails, as plaques don't just mean research! I am frequently going back and redesigning and researching. If it's one of our larger enamel plaques, my day can also include finding appropriate images and requesting or ordering high resolution versions.

There is also a lot of logistics works: how do we actually install the plaque? Whose permission do we need? How do you make sure the plaque won't hit a pipe? So it's a great mix of creativity, due diligence, and organization and planning, all things I enjoy! We also have public plaque unveiling events throughout the year, and those are fun too because you get to meet and interact with the groups who are super passionate about the topics of the plaque. It's a great reminder that the goal of our plaques department is creating an accessible platform for various facets of Toronto's heritage.

Kristen (left) poses with Herman Custodio (centre) and Emily MacRae (right.)
Photo courtesy of Kristen McLaughlin

How does your archeological fieldwork and your work as a historian inform your museum work for Heritage Toronto?

What we are trying to do in the plaques program is to make stories accessible and diverse. I have worked with various Indigenous communities over the years in different kinds of jobs and it is important to me to make sure that we fight to get Indigenous stories about Toronto told. Archaeological fieldwork has taught me the importance of being humble and respectful, which are key in many situations when plaques can focus on histories and stories that are not necessarily my background or experience. I have learned that is important to learn from and listen to those who know better. I also came onto the job with a general knowledge of Toronto's pre-settler history, which I think could be a valuable point of view to have in a program that, historically, has focused on settler stories but is now working diligently to change that!

How do you see the role of museums evolving in Canada?

Museums seem to be at a crux of existence right now. On one hand you have them as stalwart knowledge keepers of bygone eras, there to educate the masses, etc. On the other hand, they are starting to work towards becoming more community spaces; having community events, opening up to ideas of community consultation and exhibition creation, etc. How do you market to people so they still see museums as something different but worth going to? How do you do this and still exist as an educational institution? Their backgrounds are so complex, as is the future. My thesis work focused on small museums in Alberta and their place in the community. It's quite different than bigger institutions, like the ROM or RAM, for example, and not necessarily one that can (or should) be copied by institutions of bigger sizes. I see them working towards becoming more community-focused, but I see that being quite difficult to pull off, especially for the larger ones.

What advice would you give to museum professionals entering the sector today?


If you can't find a job that suits you where you live now, apply countrywide! I've done plenty of Skype interviews. Go on a trip and forget about school for a while! The job field is not all there is to life. Be sure to explore and enjoy life in other ways, too. Which I know is hard when we have loans, debts, etc. But we have to try and figure out a good balance! I'm such a big fan of getting out of the comfort zone. Go do it! If you're scared of speaking in front of crowds, apply for a job where you'll have to public speak a lot—I did that, and it was terrifying, but now public speaking is no problem at all. Skill learned!