SO LONG, FAREWELL, AU REVOIR: GOODBYE LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

  Letter from the Editors | Jaime Meier and Erika Serodio

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Today is the last day of mine and Erika’s reign as Editors-in-Chiefs and while we are sad to bid everyone adieu, we are excited to look back at the articles created by our talented team of writers. Over the past year we had 16 fantastic permanent and guest writers to cover a huge variety of museum topics, from collections to MMSt classes. If you weren’t able to catch all of our publications, we have made a list of highlights. 

We appreciate your ongoing support! | Courtesy of Jaime Meier

For Collections Corner, Martin interviewed recent CDP grad, Karen Macke, to discuss her collections related insights and her hugely popular Facebook group that focuses on collections. 

Madison brought fresh perspectives to the Heritage Moments column with her article on preserving historic scents and their important place as intangible heritage. 

With the pandemic changing how we view exhibitions, Rachel brought us comforting Exhibition Reviews, such as the “Three-Thirty” show at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, and how cultural institutions are seeking to adapt rather than cease creation. 

Brooke made our Research Column better than ever with her in-depth series on critical conversations happening in museum and the rights of museum workers that have been challenged by “neoliberal economic strategies” and ongoing resistance from museum workers. 

For Museum Innovations, Sara brought us examples of how the cultural sector has continued to engage communities on new platforms like Twitch and Tiktok. 

Annabelle highlighted the Jewish community's many accomplishments through Walk of Fame, including the crucial role of Frieda Schiff Warburg in the creation of the Jewish Museum in New York City, one of the first and oldest to focus on Jewish history. 

For Internship Check-in, Annie brought us the inside scope on working in cultural institutions, including Lauren at the Royal Botanical Gardens and Leora at the Robertson Davies Library. 

Caitlin created a new column, Final Project Reflections, to highlight the many accomplishments of students completing their thesis and exhibition projects, including her own and the inspiration behind it. 

For Technology Tuesday, Jaime explored what the future holds for interpretation in museums after the pandemic ends and many of the new approaches significantly aid in accessibility for all visitors. 

Melissa used GLAM Gets Mindful to bring us resources to help in our success and reduce stress, with a very timely one with tips on how to conquer job search anxiety. 

We have been so lucky to have Museum Professionals of Colour contribute a Special Edition each season, with their most recent article highlighting their successes and delivering handcrafted memes. 

The MUSSA President & Co-President also contributed a Special Edition where they gathered and shared student experiences from working in the field and all of our wonderful memories together. 

Natalie is a student like none-other and wrote for two whole columns, Sew What and A Muse Bouche. She delved into her Italian heritage to explore and re-create disappearing pasta forms and also explored the sustainable history of 18th century clothing through fabric reusing - the duality! 

Erika continued to highlight outside-the-box spaces for arts and culture, like Underpass Park, in the Beyond Tradition column.

In Museum Mysteries, Mia has kept us wildly entertained with stories of horror, fictional fantasy, and eerie holiday traditions. 

Helen took us to museums all around the world with Musings Abroad, where she looked at how international museums work with topics like black culinary culture, scents, and women's history. 

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It has been a very "online" year for all of us, with museums closed for the majority of our school year. Finding inspiration to write has been challenging and has made the accomplishments of this year's writers even more impressive. We look forward to someday running into each other in museums again, and finally meeting the writers who we've been working with all year but have never met in person. The articles from this year will be remembered as small tokens of resilience. We know it has been anything but easy and we are so very grateful for everyone that's written with us and followed along. 

Signing off,

Jaime & Erika