EKOW NIMAKO: LEGO LEGEND

Walk of Fame | Martin Bierens

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When it comes to art there is no limit to the medium an artist can employ. This creativity is evident in the work of Toronto-based artist Ekow Nimako, who creates his art using LEGO bricks.

The inspiration for Nimako’s art came from a lifelong love of LEGO and the odd paradoxical freedom to craft rigid geometric shapes into flowing, lifelike structures. While Nimako is able to create extremely unique sculptures he articulates that LEGO’s structure informs and shapes his art.

Ekow Nimako with his artwork (Source). 

When viewing a Nimako sculpture the first aspect of the piece that one notices is the colour. Nearly all of Nimako’s sculptures are entirely black. This reflects his own identity as a Black man in Canada. Nimako says that LEGO is not typically perceived to be part of Black culture. It is only recently that LEGO has represented ethnic minorities in Minifigures. Before the 1980s, Minifigures were exclusively the iconic LEGO Yellow. Though LEGO’s goal was to create non-racial Minifigures, they soon became associated with Whiteness. The first representation of Black people as LEGO Minifigures was the introduction of an NBA Basketball playset, and the Star Wars character Lando Calrissian. This lack of representation was obvious to Nimako, and to address and combat the issue he creates distinctively Black art.

World on the Camels Back (Triptych) in Building Black: Civilizations at the Aga Khan Museum (Photo Courtesy of Martin Bierens)

Nimako’s art explores themes of Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that draws influence from science fiction, history, and fantasy to represent the Black experience, particularly the African-American experience, and is a method for Black Westerners to connect with their African heritage. Many of Nimako’s sculptures come to mind when reading this definition. Some of which were featured in the exhibition Building Black: Civilizations at the Aga Khan Museum where Nimako created pieces that explored the history of Sub-Saharan Africa through a fantastical lens. Another notable piece is titled Cavalier Noir. This sculpture features a heroic Black rider atop of a large unicorn. When describing the work, Nimako likens the sculpture to bronze statues of White colonial conquerors. His wish is for the viewer to see a representation of a Black heroic figure, and for us to question “who are our heroes?”

Two young men viewing Cavalier Noir exhibited during Nuit Blanche 2018. (Source).

Using the platform Nimako has gained through his art, he is working towards affecting societal change. Nimako’s art is intrinsically linked with his race and he considers himself an identity-based artist. As such, he has spoken to school children about the importance of everybody’s identity. Nimako also expresses the immense emotion he experiences when witnessing Black children seeing themselves represented in art. Along with his work in schools, Nimako also recently spoke about the murders of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, and Ashanti Carmon in an Instagram post. In this post, Nimako also speaks to the racism he himself experienced growing up in London, Ontario, and how that has influenced the artwork he creates as an adult.

The exhibition, Building Black: AMORPHIA, at The Power Plant, recently closed in June, but Nimako frequently has solo exhibitions around the GTA so make sure to keep an eye out for your next opportunity to view his work in person.

NON-NEUTRAL SPACES: ALUMNI CHECK-IN WITH ERIN CANNING

Alumni Check-In | Elizabeth Cytko

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Erin poses in the Aga Khan photobooth.
Photo courtesy of Erin Canning. 

Erin Canning is the Digital Platform Administrator at the Aga Khan Museum. They defended their Master’s thesis Affective Metadata for Object Experiences in the Art Museum in 2018 and graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019. Erin also sits on the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) Linked Open Data advisory committee; CHIN’s mandate is to assist Canadian museums in documenting, managing, and sharing information about their collections now and in the future.

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

My favorite memory is probably my thesis defense. It can be really stressful. And there definitely was a lot of stress involved with it. But it was also probably like what a lot of exhibitions students feel with their exhibition opening. It's a culmination of all of this work that you've put in and a real critical point that shows all of the different things that you've learned during your time at the iSchool. For myself as a CRO*, it was really a chance to work across both departments, applying the things I learned in the MI program to the MMSt context, and just get a chance to really look back at all the work that I had done in putting the pieces together and seeing it actually work.

*Concurrent Registration Option, now known as the Combined Degree Program

Why did you decide to pursue a thesis instead of the exhibition project?

I did my MI studies in Information Systems Design and User Experience Design. I'm really interested in information structures and information systems design in the arts and culture heritage context. The exhibition option didn't really speak to those things. Additionally, I'd spent a number of years working at an artist-run center during my undergrad, so I had a lot of exhibitions experience already and I was looking for something that could sort of take what I was interested in now to the next level.

Did your thesis feed into your current position?

Definitely. All the database courses, database structure, coding, etc., that's what I do. I spend most of my days in SQL and in the back end of databases. But having that museum studies knowledge and being able to understand it through that lens and in that context is really essential for doing the work well, making it fit the institution and knowing the kinds of questions that I need to raise or that should be discussed, and finding the people to talk about those with. Databases are not these neutral things: we make them, we actively configure them, and the ways that we label and structure and present information is very political. We need to make sure that the ways that we're developing our information systems speaks properly to the concerns that we have around collections, and that theory really comes from the museum studies side. The work that I do really encompasses a lot of the core concepts that I was taught about in the MI and the MMSt sides at my time at the iSchool.

What pulled you toward digital platforms?

I've worked in digital for quite some time. In my first jobs out of undergrad working in the commercial art scene, one of the biggest issues that I always noticed was that we had great artists, we had amazing art, we had amazing collectors, but we weren't really great at connecting the information about the art in the artists with the collectors in the ways that they wanted to see it. A lot of that came down to the fact that our databases weren't really working for us. I realized that everything could be much more efficient if we had our information systems geared up in a way that actively works to support our end goals. That got me really interested in digital platforms because databases now are digital; this led me back to the iSchool for my Master's program.

What is digital infrastructure?

It’s the plumbing in your house, it’s the lay of your foundation. If I'm going to put it up an exhibition online, that may be your public presentation, but the infrastructure is the piece behind that links all these things together. So if we want to create a publication after the website we don't have to recreate pulling our assets together. Infrastructure is the work that the public doesn't see that has to take place in order for us to produce the best exhibitions and programming and educational initiatives because we can spend our time focused on those public presentations as opposed to finding the things that we need in order to make them.

Databases are not all Erin works on. Here is a "hologram" they made.
GIF Courtesy of Erin Canning

What should current Museum Studies students keep in mind when it comes to digital collections?

Just because you see digital collections one way doesn't mean that is the way that it will always be or the way that is the best. It means that it's the way that we are currently trying, because it's the best that we've gotten to so far. You might see an online collection and think, “that doesn't really come across very well, therefore, digital doesn't do anything for me”. That makes about as much sense as going to one exhibition and saying that all museums aren't working: you're seeing just one thing in just one way, because we're trying things that are new. Keep that open mindedness towards it, but come at it with a critical eye as well.

Don't shy away from it and don't shy away from learning about the mundane tasks that are required in order to make those things happen. With any of those projects, there's a monumental amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. No matter where you're working in the museum, being able to understand a little bit of that is really helpful.

Is there anything you wish you had done while you were in the program?

I didn't start going to conferences until my third year, I wish I started going earlier. My advice here would be to go to all the conferences you can, take advantage of that student funding. Everyone that I've ever met at a museum conference has been nothing but welcoming, and willing to Skype with me about their projects. Take advantage of those things and start doing it as early as you can.

(FUN)DRAISING RETROSPECTIVE: 1.5 YEARS OF INTERVIEWS

(Fun)draising | Samantha Summers

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This is my penultimate column of 2019, and thus it marks 1.5 years of me writing the (Fun)draising column. Rather than feature another interview this month, I decided to sit back and reflect a bit on what I have learned about fundraising over the past 16 months. (Don’t worry, I have some amazing interviews lined up for later this month and for 2020.)

A quote adorns the wall of the Textile Museum's collection space. "Who is worthy of memory?" -Desmond Miller.
Photo courtesy of Samantha Summers.

I started (Fun)draising knowing nothing at all about the art of fundraising. In fact, I didn’t even realize I was interested in this field as a career. I went to my first Musings meeting, was told it was essentially the only column available, and so I took it. Knowing nothing about fundraising, I decided the best way to tackle this would be to feature the words of those who do know something about fundraising. Surely that would be a better use of readers’ time than the ramblings of someone who knew nothing about the field.


Armed with all of the confidence of someone who did not understand this field very well, I set out to meet with anyone and everyone who was involved in the financial side of museums. I sent emails with abandon. I have met with Executive Directors, COOs, Directors, curators, and even high-profile donors. I have met with people who, now that I understand the field better, I am shocked ever took the time to meet with me. Which brings me to the first thing I have learned about fundraising through writing this column: this is a field of incredibly friendly people. You cannot be successful in fundraising (or I think a more accurate term, development) unless you are excellent at meeting with people and building and maintaining relationships with them.

The Art Gallery of Hamilton in downtown Hamilton. (Source.)

I would characterize the average development professional as passionate, driven, and incredibly warm. They are all deeply invested in the educational and social programming at their institutions, and work hard to ensure that other departments have the support they need to achieve their goals. My favourite question to ask my interviewees is what they think is the most exciting thing achieved through fundraising since they joined their institutions. Almost every single person I have spoken to has discussed providing the support for educational programming, supporting marginalized communities, and supporting their institution’s involvement in the local community.

I have learned that the root of development work is education; teaching potential donors about the importance of the work your institution does and showing them how they can support that mission. This can take many forms, from throwing major events like galas to meeting with people for coffee and a chat. As an aside, if you hate coffee, this might not be the field for you.

Friday Night Live, an event hosted at the ROM in which the museum becomes a club. Drink and dance with your favourite dinos! Source.

I have learned a lot of practical things writing this column, like the ideal ratio of funding from various sources to which major corporations tend to support what kind of philanthropy (any literacy initiatives coming up? Talk to TD). I have learned tips for how to make “The Ask” (for money) to major donors and smaller donors alike. I have learned that the financial side of museums requires just as much passion and heart as the more artistic side.


I get the impression at the Faculty of Information that we prefer to avoid talking about the financial side of museums, or to think of them as less our business than what might be more cultural concerns. It isn’t easy to marry ambitions of social justice and curating conversations with the capitalist reality in which museums exist, so we tend to sweep those realities under the rug. While there is a half-year course offered about fundraising and project management, and the Ethics, Management, and Leadership course usually includes an assignment involving a spreadsheet, we really don’t talk about money in a practical way during our museum studies courses here. The overwhelming impression this gives is that we are museum professionals, interested in tough conversations and changing the world, and the money side of things will be sorted out by the cold capitalists working in accounting and development.

A gift of custom Caxton Cicero stationary given to donors who helped the Fisher purchase the Caxton. Photo courtesy of Samantha Summers.

I think that this is a grave injustice to the field of development. This is not only an important field and one that everybody working in museums should have some understanding of, but also one that engages with some of museology’s biggest questions today in a very unique way. I hope that my column has introduced readers to this fascinating field, challenged our understandings of development, and provided some insight into this extremely important aspect of running a museum.


Here’s to another 16 months!

RESEARCH, NETWORKING, AND SNACKS: INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN 2019

Internship Check-In | Joanna Wreakes

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Welcome to the first edition of Internship Check-In for 2019. This summer we've got MMSt students working all over Canada (and beyond) and I am so excited to be able to share what they're up to with all of you!

Our brave interns who have agreed to be interviewed will be asked five questions:

1. Please introduce yourself & tell us about your internship role
2. What is a typical day like at your institution?
3. Is there anything that’s surprised you about your internship?
4. What are you excited about accomplishing throughout your internship?
5. Do you have any words of wisdom for someone entering a similar position?

This post features:

Savannah Sewell: Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, ON

Emma Puddicombe: The Canadian War Musuem, Ottawa, ON

Jordan Fee: Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON

Erin Stodola: Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, ON

Toronto's AGO - where two of this edition's interns are working! Source.

Please introduce yourself & tell us about your internship role.

Savannah: Hi there, my name is Savannah Sewell and I am completing my summer internship in the marketing department at the Aga Khan Museum. My role here is a little bit of everything. The marketing department is made up of seven individuals, including myself who range from designer to social media coordinator. The role I play, specifically, usually incorporates a bit of all of the marketing and communications jobs together. For example, my project for this internship is to prepare the social media campaign for the fifth anniversary of the Aga Khan Museum. This project will narrate the impact of the museum and hopefully engage new visitors.

Emma: My name is Emma Puddicombe, and I’m currently completing my internship at the Canadian War Museum in the Education, Creative Development and Learning Department (ECDL) and I love it! This department is responsible for creating public and educational programming for the institutions as well as exhibition development for the whole institution. The programs the staff work on include tours of the museum, theatrical orientations (mini skits presented to schools by staff in character), and the Supply Line Discovery Boxes. My role in this internship is to help out with various projects, such as developing condition tracking tools for the Supply Line Discovery Boxes (the staff simply call them ‘kits’), helping with planning and operations for the Historical Thinking Summer Institute, and also helping with planning for the family-targeted series, “Awesome Sundays”.

Jordan: My name is Jordan Fee, and I am currently working as an Exhibition and Publishing Intern at the Art Gallery of Toronto. The department that I work in is under the umbrella of Curatorial Affairs, and my supervisor is Jim Shedden.

Erin: I’m Erin! I am the Curatorial Intern of Indigenous + Canadian Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Which means: I help the Assistant Curator of Indigenous + Canadian Art, Renée van der Avoird (an MMSt Alumni!), with research tasks and projects, among other things. These vague-sounding tasks and projects are things like researching a work of art that the AGO wants to acquire, preparing reports for Cultural Property Export Permits, writing text briefs that will turn into didactics, cross-referencing sources to prove a contested date on an artwork and anything else Renée needs a hand with. Donald the librarian and I are good friends! While these are the main things I have been working on, Renée has been so generous to include me in departmental meetings, conservation demonstrations, installation supervision, trips to the vault, acquisition committee meetings, watching a Renoir being packed for travel... and the list truly goes on.

Emma & colleagues at the Canadian War Museum recreated this photo from the Second World War for #MuseumsWeek. Photo courtesy of Emma Puddicombe.

What is a typical day like at your institution?

Savannah: A typical day at the Aga Khan Museum begins with logging in and answering any emails that have come up. Most of the staff here works later than I do (I rather coming in earlier), so sometimes there are a few things to catch up on. After that is finished, I check up on our Monday.com checklist and begin one of the tasks that have been assigned to me. These tasks range from packaging donation requests, archiving collateral, and writing copy for events on our website. As the day continues, I am usually a part of one or two meetings, the staff here is very welcoming and often invite me to sit in, in order to expose me to as much of the institution as possible. The tasks continue through the day, sometimes new ones getting assigned as we go. The great thing about this department is that the constant collaboration between people allows me to challenge myself and learn new skills every day.

Emma: A typical day for me begins with arriving at my little cubicle (which I did not think I was going to have) and turning on my computer. Almost everything at the institution is done online, such as scheduling, planning meetings, sending files, etc. First thing in the morning I always look to see what new emails I have (regarding meetings, readings about projects, etc.) and what my schedule for the day is. From there, my day usually involves shadowing meetings and working on various projects. I always love attending the meetings because they give me a better insight into what projects the department is working on. Sometime, I’m even asked my own opinion on how to move forward with certain decisions (minor ones, like “Do you think this is a good photo to include in the Supply Line kits?”). The projects I’m working on include my own Big Project (more info below), and also smaller tasks that permanent staff just need taken off their own plates (eg. data entry and organization). This part of the day is always so great because I actually feel like I am contributing in the department. The last notable thing about my ‘typical day at my institution,’ is lunch. The majority of the staff take lunch at the same time each day, so there’s always a large group to eat with and talk to about non-work related things (Eg. Cheese and what your favourite cheese is….which turned into create Cheese Club, who meet every Tuesday at lunch to try new cheeses!). At the end of my day, I clean up my desk to make it look clear and fresh for the next morning and my day is done.

Jordan: My day typically begins around 9am, although I sometimes arrive a little early to spend time in Grange park prior to entering the building. I take the elevator to the third floor, step into our collective office, and begin work on my computer. So far, I’ve been predominately working on the first draft of a publication in Adobe InDesign, although there have also been a number of days when we’ve spent time planning the layout of an exhibition. I generally try to take a break around 1pm to have some lunch with Erin (in the park whenever possible). After this, I will either return to what I was doing in the morning or go to a meeting with Jim. The day ends sometime around 5pm, when I leave to go make dinner.

Erin: May 31, 2019: I spent the morning finishing a report for an Export Permit review, gathering any relevant information to help Renée make a decision as to whether or not the piece was of “outstanding National significance”. Later, Renée and I met with Karl Beveridge of Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge, Toronto’s social activist artist duo, to talk about a few of their pieces that will soon go on temporary display. It was such a pleasure hearing an artist speak about his own art in person. As I will be writing the text briefs for the labels, it was an amazing opportunity. Meeting artists doesn’t happen for me everyday, so on a more typical one, I would attend a small departmental meeting for a project, which are fascinating in a different way! After having lunch in Grange Park with fellow AGO intern and desk neighbour, Jordan Fee, I went over several Export Permit reports with Renée and we decided that they were all ready to find new homes outside Canada. For the rest of the day, I researched a number of specific facts about David Milne for the upcoming revamp of the David Milne Centre. Also there were surprise donuts. All in all, a very good day!

Jordan enjoying the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre during some downtime at the AGO. Photo courtesy of Jordan Fee.

Is there anything that’s surprised you about your internship?


Savannah: I was surprised by how much they trust me! When anyone hands me a new task they are so confident in my ability to succeed at it. The support from the whole institution has been incredible and continues to allow me to push myself and learn. I really feel like they like me! Wasn’t expecting that.

Emma: What surprised me most about my internship, besides getting my own desk and cubicle, was how much my supervisor wanted to help me network. During my first week at the institution she told me to take some time and think about what museums I wanted to visit and who I wanted to talk to at those institutions. From there she would help me set up informational interviews with them so I could get a better idea of where my career could take me. This was something I would never have expected to happen at my internship, and I am so grateful that I have been given this opportunity.

Jordan: The thing that surprises me most is the amount of creative freedom that I have been given so far. Of course, it’s not like I’m making any final decisions, but Jim is quite open to new ideas and generally lets me try them out. Other than that, I would say that the amount of people working at the AGO is quite astounding. I’m still meeting someone new every day, and I don’t think that will stop anytime soon.

Erin: I had a fairly good idea that the AGO was a large, well-oiled machine but I did not know just how large! It is its own little city and everyone has their job to do to make the city function and flourish.

Savannah at her placement at the Aga Khan Museum. Photo courtesy of Savannah Sewell.

What are you excited about accomplishing throughout your internship?
Savannah: I am really excited about accomplishing this social media campaign, it is a new type of project for me and the challenges of a large institution’s narrative is exciting. This would also have a lasting impact on the museum itself and be an excellent addition to my resume. I have also begun to archive and organize all of their collateral which is exciting! Right now it resides in piles that have collected for five years and have been driving me BONKERS!



Emma: What I am most excited about accomplishing throughout my internship is my Big Project. Even before my internship started, my supervisor kept telling me, “We’re going to give you your own project that you can call yours from start to finish. Something you can leave this internship with and say ‘I did that.’” This Big Project is to create a Condition Tracking Report for the objects included in the Supply Line kits. It’s no quite condition reporting, but it is supposed to help the staff track the condition of the objects within the box so they can monitor object lifespans and budget accordingly for replacements and repairs. At first I thought I was going to be quick and fairly easy, but it was only once I started working on it that I realized how much work is going to be put into this. I have loved every step of this process so far. I cannot wait until I have the final product completed!



Jordan: I am excited about the fact that I will be able to walk away from this internship with some sort of portfolio, showing the work that I have done in InDesign and Illustrator. I have learned that the person who was in my position last year got to leave their internship with a bound book of all of the work they had accomplished in terms of research and writing, so I am hoping that I might be able to walk away with a similar document.

Erin: I am excited to soak up as much knowledge as I can handle in 12 weeks! From learning the ways that departments work together and the systems they use, to conservation theories, to political structures that can dictate the decisions of the gallery, to all the AGO’s works by Arthur Lismer, to how to send meeting requests in Microsoft Outlook. 12 weeks is time enough just to get my feet wet, which is to say: not enough time. A specific project that I very happy to be working on is researching a collection of Mary Wrinch’s miniature watercolour portraits on ivory. There is a lot to be said about this trailblazing woman, her fascinating career, the implications of ivory and discussion of femininity and gender roles in Victorian-era Toronto. The works won’t appear in the gallery until 2020, but my research will inform the accompanying didactics.

Erin in the beautiful Galleria Italia at the AGO. Photo courtesy of Erin Stodola.

Do you have any words of wisdom for someone entering a similar position?

Savannah: My words of wisdom would be to remain positive. The space is accepting, exciting and supportive. Ask questions and enjoy yourself while challenging your skills. Its sometimes difficult to recognize when you’re pushing yourself too hard vs. just the right amount. Ask questions! No one is going to laugh at you or get angry if you need help, everyone knows you’re new! Also, office jobs always have lots of snacks!! Be prepared for that, I wasn’t!

Emma: Keep a little notebook and a pen with you at all times and write down all the advice you hear. Just being in the office environment you hear so much advice that will be so useful in the future. No one will just sit and tell you everything you need to know, but sitting in on meetings you can easily catch on to what best practice is, and what has been most successful in projects. Always make sure to listen to what people say and take from it any advice you can.

Jordan: Well I don’t think that I can offer too much concrete advice, but I would say that it’s best to learn by doing. I had very little experience with the kind of work that I am doing now, but I just tried to jump in head first. If you get the chance to try something new, then take it!

Erin: Remember that everyone wants to help you learn! Ask questions. Of anybody. Take notes for when you forget everything all of the time. Show your enthusiasm, gratitude and willingness to take on tasks. Bring treats to share.

The interviews have been edited for length and clarity. 

That's all for this edition of Internship Check-In! And I have to agree with the advice above, office treats are plentiful and everyone appreciates when you bring things to share! Check back in a few weeks for another update about what some of the wonderful MMSt students are up to this summer.

DEACCESSIONING, THE REAL WORLD, AND AN INSIDE OUT MUSEUM

INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN

BY: KATHLEEN LEW

Welcome to the 2nd installment of the Internship Check-In series! MMSt students are spending the summer completing internships in institutions across Canada. Read the following interviews to gain a peek into their internship experiences.*

This post features:

Beth Dobson: Dance Collection Danse (DCD), Toronto, ON

Rachel Moats: Markham Museum, Markham, ON

Kesang Nanglu: Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, ON

Tell us a bit about yourself and your museum-related interests.

Beth: I came into the museum field by way of theatre costuming and prop building. My research and professional interests focus on decorative arts and costume history, especially dance costume. During my undergraduate degree, my final project was a study of current Canadian approaches to ballet costume conservation, preservation, interpretation, and display in museum settings. That project was also what connected me to my internship – Amy (my internship supervisor) taught a class on Canadian dance history. When I needed a supervisor for the project, she not only helped guide my research, but was one of my sources since DCD has a lot of costume holdings. My theatre background makes me extremely hands on, and my dream is to end up in a community museum with a dance or costume focus where I can wear a lot of (not fragile, historic) hats.

Rachel: I am a third year CRO working towards a Master of Museum Studies and the Master of Information with a concentration in Archives and Records Information. One of my undergraduate degrees is in History and using that knowledge at the Markham Museum has been great. I am from Pennsylvania, and interestingly enough, Markham was originally settled by Pennsylvanian German Mennonites, so interning at the Markham Museum feels like coming full circle. I’m fascinated with social history and the study of how people lived. History museums are definitely where you’ll find me. I’m also interested in the history of fashion and textiles. Museums such as the Textile Museum of Canada can keep my attention for hours.

Kesang: Coming from a fine arts background, I'm most interested in art institutions. I was born here in Toronto, so I've been lucky to grow up in a city with all kinds of art spaces. During my undergraduate degree at OCADU, I had the opportunity to get involved as a volunteer and as an exhibiting artist. I've found through my past curatorial roles I really enjoy project-planning and the more logistical aspects of museum work.

Rachel completing inventory in the Chapman House. Photo Courtesy of Rachel Moats.

What is a typical day at your institution? What are your responsibilities?

Beth: It varies. The only fixed activity is that Amy and I work in the National Ballet School of Canada’s archives on Fridays. I’m currently working on organizing 60 years worth of press clippings. For the rest of the week I work on some large projects (right now that’s organizing new acquisitions from Kaeja d’Dance) and do other jobs as needed. DCD has a lot going on, so the other jobs are really diverse. I’m only in my third week and I’ve helped pick up new donations from Veronica Tennant and Peggy Baker, set up and recorded a lecture on choreographic process, photographed a 1940s house program for a research request, and helped prep (with a lot of bubble wrap) five bundles of twigs (from Lola MacLaughlin’s Provincial Essays) for pickup for a Canada Council exhibit.

Rachel: At the moment, my main project is a building by building review of the collection, which includes assessing each object for relevancy, use, condition, ability to store, and provenance. For this project, I have been scanning records of objects into the collection management system and making sure the records are as complete as possible. I have recently moved on to assessing the objects housed at the Wilson Variety House. Objects with a passing score remain in the permanent collection, while objects that fail will be deaccessioned from the permanent collection. Currently, we are taking an inventory of the main floor of Wilson, which is set up similar to a general store. A separate project I’m finishing up is locating a birth fraktur for a community member. This project mainly involves communicating with other institutions to identify the object’s current location.

Kesang: I'll have to invoke the cliché -- there is no typical day. As Education Intern, I’m working on projects involving visitor research and evaluations of our education programs. Some of these tasks include: collecting data from visitor feedback forms, daily administrative duties like updating the museum mailing list and calling program ticket holders, creating graphs for reports, designing new online survey templates, and creating a manual of standards for implementing different types of surveys in the future.

Beth in the DCD gallery holding a National Ballet of Canada trunk full of Veronica Tennant's NBoC costume pieces, shoes, and rehearsal gear. Photo Courtesy of Amy Bowring.

What is something you have learned so far at your internship?

Beth: The most important thing I’ve learned is how to archive and organize with the researcher in mind. DCD is really dedicated to accessibility and making sure they keep research needs at the forefront, as well as balancing manageable collections. That means things like forgoing envelopes full of cheque stubs but keeping the yearly audits. Amy also encourages me to do research wherever possible to prevent disassociation. It’s a more hands-on, critical thinking method of archiving than I have previously been exposed to and I really enjoy it. Also – those score marks on the bottom of file folders? You fold those to give the folder a flat bottom. No more sagging folders or bending documents! I never knew and my life is changed forever.

Rachel: I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the process of deaccessioning objects from a collection. So often we discuss what goes into building a collection and the processes of bringing objects into the museum. However, there is just as much research, administration activities, and meetings that go into objects going out of the museum. Being able to be involved in these meetings and the project has been an incredible experience thus far. The experience of looking at each object individually and identifying the provenance, relevancy to the museum, condition, etc. has opened my eyes to a different role of a museum professional. Thankfully the community understands the importance of deaccessioning objects from the collection, and the museum is being transparent throughout the entire processes, which has also been a wonderful learning experience.

Kesang: Applying knowledge gained from our coursework to “real world” situations can be tricky. Problem solving on-the-fly is a constant in museum work. I've actually found this super liberating, since I initially underestimated myself. In actuality, if you have patience and an open-mind, you can work on equal footing with more senior staff, because everyone needs to work together to find the best solutions.

What are you excited about accomplishing throughout your internship? 

Beth: This summer is going to be a crash course in all the nitty gritty aspects of running an archive and I am really excited. Deed of gift forms, how to un-crease 80 year old letters, building custom choroplast boxes, how to remove old rusted paper clips, how to load a dolly; I am really excited for all the little stuff I definitely haven’t learned in class. Additionally, since I’ll be learning everything as I need to, there will be a lot of transitioning from theory to practice immediately. That is a scary proposition (I only have limited archives/collection management experience) but I feel very supported at DCD and I am really excited to hit the ground running.

Rachel: I’m honesty excited to see some of the objects leave the museum. As weird as it sounds, it’s going to be a great sense of accomplishment to see some of the objects that I have worked with find a better home at another institution. Seeing objects leave the museum would be the completion point of that project, and I’d be thrilled to see some of my work create a better museum and a better collection. I’m also excited for the prospect of being able to help create a temporary exhibition. Since this is something we have talked about at length in class, it will be a great accomplishment to be able to put those skills into practice.

Kesang: Seeing as the work I'm doing at my internship is new for the museum, I'm most excited to see the project through to the end. The standards I research and implement will ultimately form the foundation for the museum's future visitor research initiatives.

Kesang in front of the Aga Khan Museum. Photo Courtesy of Kesang Nanglu.

If you could create any museum (no matter how ridiculous) what kind of museum would it be?

Beth: Clothes, inside out. Just a whole museum of clothing flipped inside out. Clothing artefacts are normally collected for their exteriors and rarely exist in exact duplicates. As such, the focus is on displaying them as they would look on a person. You rarely get to see the insides, but seeing that completely changes how you think about a garment. One of my all time favorite museum things was an inside-out mid-1800s bodice at the ROM’s Dior exhibit. I would love to see a whole museum of stuff like that.

Rachel: Recently I have become fascinated with haute couture and the original fashion houses in France. I’d love the opportunity to watch the teams work in the ateliers to create extraordinary pieces of wearable art and turn individual pieces of fabric and thread into exquisite garments. That being said, I would love to be able to dive into the archives of the fashion houses, pull out all of the sketches, designs, fabrics, and clothes and put them on display for the world to see. It may not be that far fetched, but the delicacy of textiles means that it isn’t the most feasible museum that’s ever been dreamed up.

Kesang: I'm really inspired by the history of artist-run-centres in Canada, and I'd love to be involved with one in the future. So, I would create my own artist-run-centre with amazing, experimental exhibitions and programming… and extremely affordable studio space to accommodate all of the displaced artists in Toronto!

*These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

A SYMPHONY OF SENSES AT THE AGA KHAN MUSEUM

EXHIBITION REVIEWS

BY: JULIA ZUNGRI

I danced in a Mongolian yurt.

Come on in! Mongolian Yurt in the Aga Khan Museum's courtyard. Photo courtesy of Julia Zungri.

That’s how I began my afternoon at the Aga Khan Museum to explore the new Listening to Art, Seeing Music exhibition. The exhibition offers multi-sensory experiences through musical soundscapes and video installations placed throughout the museum’s permanent gallery, the Bellerive Room, and Diwan restaurant. The exhibition features Middle Eastern music, instruments, and related artifacts, and explores how this intangible art has changed over time.

Visitors first encounter an eye-opening and very well-written introductory panel in the lobby of the museum. As the introduction begins, it reminds us that this exhibition challenges the conventional thought of museums dealing with stationary, tangible objects, but that intangible arts are just as important and, even more so, are still alive and forming cultural identities and histories around the globe. It challenges us, as visitors, to form a physical relationship with an immaterial artistic expression.

Challenge accepted.

Listening to Art, Seeing Music reminded me that music is an expression that all humans can relate to, which I certainly got the sense of as I entered the highlight of this exhibition: the Mongolian Yurt. The Mongolian Yurt is placed in the museum’s courtyard, which is in the centre of the museum and immediately visible to visitors. A representative at the front desk informed me of programming that would take place in about five minutes, so we decided to check out the Yurt first (its size, beauty and centrality is also incredibly difficult to ignore). In my conventional understanding of museum programming, I expected to hear music, perhaps see live musicians or a museum employee discussing the development of the exhibition.

I was wrong.

As I entered the Yurt, a large circle of museum visitors – who I take it were all strangers at one point – were holding hands and dancing around the centre of the Yurt to traditional French/Welsh folk music. I automatically joined in and had one of the most incredible museum experiences! There were three live musicians; one was leading the circle with an accordion and later facilitated our singing to the music.

The smell, look, and sound that surrounded the Yurt made me realize that this was not going to be a typical museum visit. If this experience was an object, I lived inside of it.

The centre around which we danced; when stranger-visitors became dance partners. Photos courtesy of Julia Zungri.

The interactives were the second highlight of my exhibition experience, which were tied to the new artistic venture, A Hidden Order. This endeavour examines the relationship between art and music, and between traditional Islamic art and the Western contemporary musical composition.

Images from A Hidden Order. Photos courtesy of Julia Zungri.

In a collaborative effort by Musical Forms, a team consisting of composer Lee Westwood and geometer Sama Mara, this installation invites visitors to explore the relationship between artistic patterns and music. I had the pleasure of visiting with a fellow Museum Studies colleague, Sarah Rolko, who can be seen here enjoying making art through music.

Sarah interacting with the installation created by the Musical Forms artistic team. I guarantee this song will get stuck in your head, as it did in ours. Photo and video (below) courtesy of Julia Zungri.

The installations throughout the rest of the museum are a great accompaniment to the permanent galleries as they make the material objects come to life. It is incredibly interesting when we consider how something immaterial can bring something material to life.

Made my Anwar Kebbeh (oud maker, 1975-2000). Collection of Radwan Al Taleb, Damascus, Syria, 1991.

These artifacts and stories tell visitors of the importance, but also destruction of the oud industry in Syria. Photos courtesy of Julia Zungri.

This exhibition made me proud to know that our city is home to this museum and is producing such wonderful experiences. It has reaffirmed my passion for museums, and if this is where the field is heading, count me in.

REST AND RELAXATION

OBJECT OF THE WEEK

BY: HAYLEY MAE JONES

According to John H. Falk there are five different types of museum visitors: Explorers, Facilitators, Professional/Hobbyists, Experience Seekers, and Rechargers. These visitor typologies explain why individuals are motivated to visit museums and cultural Institutions.

With the stressful holiday (and exam) period fast approaching I feel like many people fit within the "recharger" category:

“Visitors who are primarily seeking to have a contemplative, spiritual, and/or restorative experience. They see the museum as a refuge from the work-a-day world or as a confirmation of their religious beliefs”.

In order to relax and recharge here are some amazing objects/areas in Museums you should definitely check out for a little rest and relaxation!

1. The Cupola - Canada Aviation and Space Museum

The original cupola is a window on the International Space Station (ISS). This window area provides astronauts with a working space and observatory. Although the Museum only shows visitors a model, this object is still surreal in its depiction of the Earth. The area surrounding the model is semi-isolated and slightly dimmed. There are benches for visitors to sit down and relax, while classical music is played in the background. Visitors have often been caught taking power naps!

Personal Photo - Hayley Mae Jones

2. Pier and Ocean by artists François Morellet and Tadashi Kawamata. - Le Centre Pompidou

Pier and Ocean is an art installation comprising of 38 neon argon lights that are scattered around a room. The lights turn on and off in a set pattern (for a video click here). One of the second year students within the program was lucky enough to have seen the art installation in person:

"The installation limits the number of people that may enter at a time, and I was able to stand by myself for a while to really savour the experience. The lights are timed to gently dim and light to resemble ebbs and flows of the ocean, and the humming sound that the florescent tubes make are meant to make the visitor think of waves. It's also meant to pay homage to Piet Mondrian's series of sketches of the same name. I loved that it served as an interpretation of a familiar idea (the ocean/sea) in a completely foreign medium, while still retaining the "calming" sensation that many experience on the water." - Khristine, Masters of Museum Studies Student

Photo credit: source 

3. The Main Lobby - Aga Khan Museum

The Aga Khan Museum's main building is an architectural feat, incorporating relaxing light into the main lobby. The main lobby has multiple glass windows that allow for soft natural light to flood into the entrance of the building. Although it may seem like an odd place to relax, on a quiet day the main lobby is peaceful enough for some personal rest and relaxation.

Photo credit: source

Some other honourable mentions include: 

The Dream House - New York, USA 

Kadriorg Palace - Tallin, Estonia 

Cloud Cities by Tomás Saraceno

Hope you all enjoyed this post and have relaxing holidays! 

Falk, John H. Understanding Museum Visitors' Motivations and Learning. Accessed August 2016.http://slks.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/dokumenter/KS/institutioner/museer/Indsatsomraader/Brugerundersoegelse/Artikler/John_Falk_Understanding_museum_visitors__motivations_and_learning.pdf

ENTER THE MMSt CLASS OF 2017 #LET'SGETPROFESSIONAL

INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN

BY: MAYA DONKERS

Hello again, Musing's readers! It has been a minute since my last article, and I am embarrassed to admit I just caught up on all-things-Musing's. From the Grad Guide to What's Happening Wednesdays, I feel caught up on the life and times of MMSt students - but what about the interns? The first instalment of internship check-in is here to catch us up on the amazing opportunities underway for my classmates who are fast approaching the half-way mark of their internship placements.

As for me, I started my internship April 25th, which means I am at the end of my FIFTH week and officially half way through my placement at Canada's National Ballet School.

I'm all about that Sharing Dance get-up. Photo Source: Danielle Rutkowski.

As much as I could talk about my own internship for the entirety of this post, I'm not about to 'check-in' with myself and have instead asked four outstanding interns to share their stories... Enjoy!

Anthony, Collections Management Intern at Black Creek Pioneer Village 

When did you start your placement? May 9th, 2016

Tell us about what you're working on! As a collections management co-op student at Black Creek, I am in charge of cataloguing objects and integrating them into Black Creek's Collection. My main project is to create a discovery station using objects in the collection in order to better inform the public about life in the 19th century.

What do you enjoy the most? I like the fact that I get to see how my work actually directly impacts the institution for the better and improves the public's understanding of the past.

What are you most apprehensive about? I think the thing I was most apprehensive about was the distance. Everyone said how far Black Creek is, but with the express buses from Jane, the commute is manageable and can actually be fun!

What is the most important think you've learned so far? Never underestimate the importance of object research. Sometimes you might think an object is for one thing, when it is really for something totally different.

Spinning the First House at Black Creek. Photo Source: Black Creek Pioneer Village.

Dana, Collections and Registration Intern at the Aga Khan Museum 

When did you start your placement? April 25, 2016

Tell us about what you're working on! I am currently working on an Emergency Preparedness Plan for AKM (conducting risk assessment and identifying assets of the museum; researching best practices for emergency response and recovery procedures and creating the Emergency Preparedness Handbook; sourcing and procuring supplies for the Emergency Preparedness Cart). I am also developing a provenance research policy and a variety of collections management tasks, including: processing acquisitions, incoming loans, condition reporting, collections inventory, and training in the collections management software - The Museum System (TMS). 

What do you enjoy the most? The fact that I'm treated as a member of the team, not simply a student or intern. My opinions and ideas are welcomed and encouraged, and my supervisor has invited me to shape the internship according to my own interests. 

What are you most apprehensive about? I was concerned that I may not receive enough guidance or perhaps be left to my own devices during the internship. I was excited to have my own projects and end with something that I could call my own, but I didn't want to be left unsupported either. I really shouldn't have worried about this, the entire staff at AKM is wonderfully supportive and no question is treated as too small. They understand that, as an intern, you are there to learn and they are there to teach you. 

What is the most important think you've learned so far? My very first week was trial by fire. I came into the museum during the installation of the new exhibition Marvellous Creatures and it was all hands on deck. With couriers, conservators, designers, collections staff, and curators running around and passing out tasks I learned pretty quickly that teamwork is essential. Tensions run high, mistakes happen, but so long as your team continues to support one another you will come out of things with a beautiful exhibition (and no casualties)! 

Some artifacts on display at the AKM. Photo Source: CTV News. 

Emily, Exhibitions and Events Intern at Lord Cultural Resources

Contributor's Note: When I approached Emily about sharing her experience for Musing's she informed me that she isn't allowed to discuss her projects, but would share what she could. As each internship is unique, I thought it was a great opportunity to include a different version of a check-in to this shared experience. 

When did you start your placement? May 2, 2016

Tell us about what you're working on! I am an intern at Lord with the Exhibitions and Events team, where I am working on content development, interpretive strategies, sourcing images for various exhibitions, as well as examining best practices for a variety of different institutions. 

What do you enjoy the most? By working on many different projects at various stages of their development, I'm exposed to multiple types of content and processes. I appreciate my team's support, being treated as an equal, diving right into projects, and always being able to ask questions when needed. 

The MMSt summer must-read. Photo Source: Lord Cultural Resources.

Kate, Research and Exhibition Development Intern at Bytown Museum 

When did you start your placement? April 25, 2016

Tell us about what you're working on! I am writing labels and exhibit text for the Bytown Museum's 100th Anniversary Exhibition (opening Feb 2017) and I am assisting the Exhibitions and Collections Manager as needed (exhibit installation, monitoring galleries, etc.)

What do you enjoy the most? I think what I enjoy the most about my internship is knowing that the objects that I helped choose and the research and content that I produced will be used in an upcoming exhibition. I am very much looking forward to visiting the Bytown Museum in 2017 and visiting an exhibit that I helped build! 

What are you most apprehensive about? Apart from emails for administrative things, I had only spoken to Grant (my supervisor) for 5 to 10 minutes before I started my internship. I was (unnecessarily) worried that I had misunderstood what my duties as an intern would be, or that the project I would be working on wasn't actually as cool as Grant made it sound. 

What is the most important think you've learned so far? It's hard to have someone shadowing you - be sure to let your supervisor know that you want to go to the meetings that they do, and help even with what they think are menial or routine tasks. The beginning of an internship is a learning curve for both the intern and the supervisor, so make sure your expectations and needs are clear from the get go. 

"Helping"install the bust of Lady McDonald. Photo Source: Kate Seally.

Well, it looks like we are all caught up with the first round of interns! I would like to thank Anthony, Dana, Emily, and Kate for sharing such amazing insight and experiences. I wish each of you all the best in the remaining time at your placements. 

I love to hear more stories so feel free to share your internship experiences, favourite tasks, high points, crying in the washroom low points... in the comment section below! 

We feel you Dwight Schrute, we really do. #let'sgetprofessional