MAKING MUSINGS PART 3: THINGS I LEARNED WHILE EDITING MUSINGS

Letter from the Editor | Natania Sherman

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This is the third post of a five part series in celebration of the Master of Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto's 50th anniversary (MMSt50). To reflect on Musings' past, present, and future, we invited all previous Editors-in-Chief to return to Musings to write special Letter from the Editor posts. These articles will highlight the significance of Musings both within the MMSt program, and for writers' professional careers. Natania Sherman was the third Editor-in-Chief of Musings from 2016-2017.

It’s been a few minutes Lovely Musings’ Readers! I bet you weren’t expecting to see me here again! I am honoured to contribute an article for MMSt50. Aaaaaand a little intimidated to be following two amazing former EIC’s (who just happen to be two of my #GLAM industry girl-crushes). I hope I can do Madeline and Jaime proud by sharing some of my experiences during and after my time as the 2016-2017 Musings' Editor-in-Chief.

The Musings Panel at the 2017 iSchool Conference. L to R: Musings writers Kristen McLaughlin, Erika Robertson, Natania Sherman, and Chris Wai. Photo courtesy of Anja Hamilton.

I knew I wanted to write for Musings as early as my orientation at the iSchool. But I didn’t know what I was getting into when I ran for Musings EIC, until I was suddenly standing in front of a room of 21 expectant student writers all looking to me to train and support them. No pressure, right?

In 2016, the blog was at the crossroads between being an upstart student blog and a professional industry platform. The number of contributing editors had quadrupled, and the blog was gaining attention from industry professionals both locally and internationally. The increased attention meant that editing was a constant pressure! Correcting spelling and grammar is hard enough. I also responded to external copyright questions, scheduled a variety of museological content, and coached writers on how to get the most impact with each article.

OMA Conference Selfies, L-R: Anja Hamilton, Kate Seally, Natania Sherman and Emily Berg.
Photo courtesy of Natania Sherman.

Balancing the blog, school, and my 3 jobs, meant that I was always juggling different priorities. With a team of 21 contributing editors, I was reliant on Musings’ roster of volunteers. I was so grateful that my cohort committed to producing exciting content. Editing Musings taught me that a group of people with a passion for what they do can produce something much greater than what I could do on my own.

Some of my proudest moments as Musings’ EIC were attending the Ontario Museum Association (OMA) Conference in 2016, sharing an article recapping the experience, and leading our own panel discussion about Musings at the iSchool Conference in 2017. These experiences highlighted how writing for Musings could develop connections between students and professionals. The iConference opened up lots of interesting discussions about the future of Musings. Imagine a Musings podcast or Youtube channel, more press opportunities, more outreach to industry professionals. Your academic workload is your only limit, future EIC’s!

I’m also extremely proud of a column I created called She’s My Muse dedicated to women in museums. This project gave me an outlet for my feminist values and it’s been exciting to see that after I graduated some students have chosen to re-interpret the byline. Many writers in my cohort were able to push the boundaries of their chosen bylines in very creative ways ranging from developing an interactive conservation flowchart to writing a three part series examining the conservation issues around the Dakota Access Pipeline. I’m glad I was able to foster an environment where writers could be their most creative selves, and I gained so much knowledge on a range of subjects by reading their work. I hope that you, Lovely Readers, feel the same!

Since graduating from the iSchool, I have have worked in collections management, first at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and currently, as Collections and Services Manager at the TIFF Film Reference Library where I manage library operations and over-85 special collections. Unlike my Musings predecessors, I no longer write for social media professionally. However, the skills I gained from Musings have helped my career. Editing Musings was a crash course in writing for an audience. Although I rarely use social media at work, I do write annual reports, prepare project pitches, publish artifact descriptions to the web, and correspond with my colleagues. Musings has a niche audience of graduate students and museum professionals, and I spent most of 2016-2017 thinking about what kind of writing voice could best engage that audience. After a year of focusing on writing for the Musings’ audience, it became much easier to engage with different “audiences” such as senior staff and board members in the workplace.

Becoming the Editor-in-Chief for Musings also prepared me for taking on management positions in cultural organizations. At Musings, I had the difficult role of being in a mentorship position with my peers while also learning “on the job” myself. Turns out, coaching Musings writers was the ideal practice for coaching interns and direct reports in the workplace. When I made the transition to leadership, I already had some experience knowing when to ask my colleagues the hard questions and when a strategic coffee outing was necessary (answer: always, coffee is essential). I learned that management is not about already knowing the answers, but about learning as you go and being willing to listen to your colleagues.

Source.

I want to end my article by thanking the faculty and staff at the iSchool. Musings was my outlet and my community during the 2 years of my graduate degree and I’m so grateful that the iSchool fostered student initiatives like Musings. Here’s to another 50 years of the MMSt program!

DOES ANYONE WANT TO SEE MY MASTER'S DEGREE?

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

Seriously, though.

Well, we did it! In a few days, myself and about half of this year’s cohort of Musings contributors will become Masters of Museums. This means the end of my tenure as Musings Editor In Chief. No, these aren't tears...there's something in my eye. The past 12 months of my degree have flown by but I was glad to be able to have shared them with you.

...and I've been cutting onions, nothing to see here.

Being the face of Musings has been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my graduate studies. When I started writing for the blog in 2015, with little museum experience, I did not how how important it would be for me as a student to have an outlet to explore my personal topics of interest in museum work, and to know that readers would respond with excitement to the things I had to say.

Myself at my internship with Art Museum at the University of Toronto (photo: Natania Sherman)

As Editor In Chief, my goal has been to make Musings an accessible space for MMSt students to write about the topics that they are passionate about. In doing so, I was also committed to continuing to build Musings community through social media posts and outreach to connect MMSt students to museum professionals. I could not have been more thrilled or surprised by the content that Musings contributors supplied in response. The quality of writing has elevated Musings from a student blog to a professional presence in our industry. Congratulations to Serena Ypelaar, Musings' New Editor In Chief. You are an amazing writer and I know that you will continue to make Musings a viable source of critical discussion in the museum field.

Before I leave, I would like to thank the Museum Studies and iSchool faculty and staff for supporting our work, promoting us and providing an academic environment for student projects to thrive. I am so proud of Musings' contributing editors for their hard work and commitment this past year and want to thank them for volunteering their time to the blog, even when they were busy with all of their coursework. And thank you to you, our readers, for continuing to follow, comment and support us along the way.

Raise a glass to all the MMSt'ers who are going to do great things this summer.

Finally I want to wish good luck to all of the first year students who will be doing internships this summer, and to all the graduating students who will be starting new jobs. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish!

JANE ASH POITRAS: AN ANTI-COLONIAL STANCE AT THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

SHE'S MY MUSE

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

Jane Ash Poitras: New Acquisitions of Contemporary First Nations Art (Photo: Natania Sherman)

Milestone birthdays are a prime opportunity to celebrate but also to take stock and think about the future. Those of us in the culture sector in Canada are currently facing this exact challenge, since our institutions are preparing Canada 150 programming and events. It is easy to get lost in a celebration of our Canadian-ness but the challenge is that in moments of nationalistic pride it is difficult to remember that many people see our national symbols as painful reminders of a dark past. One need only look at the Colonialism 150 hashtag on Twitter to see the opposition many Canadian First Nations feel to the Canada 150 fanfare.

The Colonialism 150 T-shirt. (Source)

Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015) has led to a renewed awareness of Canada’s dark history of colonialism, there is still a long way to go before Canadian settlers and Canadian First Nations are able to truly reconcile with our past and create change for the future.  Today I’d like to take a view of Canadian history through the lens of Cree artist,  Jane Ash Poitras. A current exhibition, Jane Ash Poitras: New Acquisitions of Contemporary First Nations Art  at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)'s First People's Gallery presents a darker take on Canadian symbolism and reveals what we can learn from listening to the perspectives and experiences of others.

A collage of colonial symbolism (photo: Natania Sherman)

Although the purpose of Jane Ash Poitras: New Acquisitions of Contemporary First Nations Art at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is to highlight new acquisitions, the resulting display, which places historical and ethnographic objects next to Poitras' paintings, is a subversive and anti-colonial take on the museological tradition of showing off newly acquired objects.  The tagline of the exhibition is "Four paintings recently acquired by the ROM explore colonialism and traditional knowledge of the therapeutic properties and spiritual significance of plants, wisdom now lost but which we hope to reclaim" (ROM, 2017).  The works in question are large scale paintings by Poitras that contrast traditional indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants with the drudge work imposed on indigenous youth by the residential school system. Works like Potato Peeling 101, Ethnobotany 101 directly challenge historical white settler's assumptions that children from indigenous communities were only good for peeling potatoes, by highlighting medicinal knowledge such as the fact that foxglove or digitalis purpurea had medicinal uses familiar to first nations peoples well before its medicinal properties were "discovered" by European scientists. Poitras' paintings tell a story through scale and through the sheer number of paint and collage elements included in each piece. Large painted backdrops resembling a classroom blackboard are overlayed with colonial symbols like the Hudson's Bay Company stripes and images of western medical textbooks. Poitras' hand painted elements creep in to overtake the colonial symbols in the form of expressionistic flowers and stylized buffalo, representing traditional knowledge and sacred medicine.

Buffalo Seed by Jane Ash Poitras (Photo: Natania Sherman)

The exhibit features ethnographic and historical objects alongside the paintings; a school writing desk and baskets for gathering herbs. In the context of the installation and interpretation, these objects take on a spectral quality, highlighting the losses in culture and disruption to family and social life that were a legacy of the residential school system.


 The modes of display also work to reinforce Poitras' artistic voice. Red and yellow interpretive text featuring botanical illustrations, The beautiful red interpretive labels, give this exhibition the feel of a very well designed pop-up exhibit, and they add to the aesthetics of the exhibition with botanical illustrations. The exhibit  features ethnographic and historical objects alongside the paintings; a school writing desk and baskets for gathering herbs. In the context of the installation and interpretation, these objects take on a spectral quality, highlighting the losses in culture and disruption to family and social life that were a legacy of the residential school system.

The new acquisitions' also look at the buffalo hunt, and how over hunting and extermination by European settlers nearly wiped out a key food soucre for First Nations peoples. The painting Buffalo Seed from 2004, which tells the story of the buffalo, is contrasted with oil paintings by European artist George Catlin, that romanticize the buffalo hunt as a dying relic of a dying people. Poitras' paintings tell us otherwise and are a scathing critique of our easy assumptions about  Canadian history.

I wish I could continue to write about all of the indigenous women artists whose work sometimes flies under the radar when it comes to the dominant narrative of Canadian History. So often we struggle to name even one woman artist when asked, (in fact there's a challenge about just this from the National Museum of Women in the Arts in the States) so creating a dialogue whenever possible highlights the importance of female voices in our cultural landscape.

MUSINGS HITS THE ROAD: A TOUR OF CANADA'S CAPITAL, MMSt CLASS TRIP 2017

WEEKEND EDITION

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

This past week was reading week, and rather than hibernating, Musings went on a road trip! For those of you unfamiliar with the Museum Studies (MMSt) program, every year the Museum Studies Student Association, MUSSA, hosts a class trip which is open to first and second year MMSt students. Every other year we visit Canada's capital city, Ottawa, to see what's happening in our national museums.

A foggy view of the parliament building (Photo: Natania Sherman)

This year's trip, organized by MUSSA's social chair and Musing's Museum Innovations writer Kelly Mackenzie, brought us to Ottawa in the middle of February where we had the opportunity to devote four days to experiencing the culture and unseasonably mild weather of Ottawa, Ontario.

Between us we managed to visit the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, the Bytown Museum and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum.

Since Serena and Hayley already provided an overview of the museums and museum programs in Ottawa, this article will just provide a recap of some of the highlights of the trip.

February 23rd

Our first stop at the CMH in Gatineau (Photo: Natania Sherman)

For our first stop, the Canadian Museum of History (CMH), located in Gatineau, Quebec, hosted us for a variety of candid talks about some of their ongoing projects, including the upcoming Franklin Expedition exhibition, inspired by the recent discovery by Parks Canada of the H.M.S. Erebus and Terror in the arctic. We heard from the Virtual Museum of Canada about how they facilitate museum and community online projects and learned a bit about the CMH's approach to accessibility and repatriation of indigenous objects. The highlight, however, was being led on a tour of the Canadian History Hall which is currently under construction but will reopen on Canada Day. I can't wait to go back to see the finished exhibition!

Part of a behind the scenes tour of the Canadian History Hall (Photo: Natania Sherman)

After our day-long visit to the Canadian Museum of History, we had the option to visit the Canadian Museum of Nature or the Canadian War Museum. Choosing which museum to visit in our free time was much like choosing a favourite child, but I ended up visiting the Canadian Museum of Nature to take in the Reptiles exhibit and play with the interactives. All in all, a long day of successful museum-going.

February 24th

Part of the Alex Janvier exhibition at NGC (Photo: Natania Sherman)

Friday brought us to the National Gallery of Canada where we got to hear presentations from staff about their diverse career trajectories and get an inside look at past exhibit, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Lebrun. We got to learn from professionals in every aspect of the museum, from marketing and digital strategies to education and interpretation. We also received a guided tour of the Alex Janvier exhibition from the curatorial team, which provided a deeper perspective into his life and art as well as background to some of the curatorial decision-making that occurred when planning this exhibition.

Students mingling with alumni at Boston Pizza (Photo: Natania Sherman)

In the evening, all students were able to partake in an alumni networking event at Boston Pizza. It was a wonderful experience to get to meet and mingle with so many MMSt alumni working in the Ottawa region and many of us were able to make new connections and get some advice from those who have been there before us.

February 25th

Walking to the Bytown Museum (Photo: Natania Sherman)

On Saturday, the last day of our trip, we had the option to visit either the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum (CASM) or the Bytown Museum for tours of their current exhibitions. This was once again like choosing a favourite child. At the Bytown Museum, we had an amazing tour of the building and got to learn about museum management, especially for a small museum. Those who visited CASM took part in a tour of the collections facilities and current exhibitions. Then we loaded ourselves back on the bus and departed for Toronto


Key Themes from This Year's Trip 

The Sesquicentennial: Canada 150 is a major event that is bound to take over Ottawa, and a major source of funding for cultural organizations. Most of the museums we visited seemed to have some kind of ongoing renovation project related to the sesquicentennial, many of which won't be revealed until July of this year.

Reconciliation: At both the NGC and the CMH many staff members were putting a concerted effort into placing indigenous stories front and centre and trying to place them as part of a living culture within Canadian History. This meant re-evaluating some of the ways indigenous cultures had been displayed previously in their museums and making major changes to interpretive and curatorial practices.

Government: The challenges of being a national museum can impact an institution's scope and mandate as well as create bureaucratic hurdles. Many of the museums we visited had to balance politics with museology as a result of being located in the capital city and political centre of Canada.

Canada 150 logo at the Canadian Museum of Nature (Photo: Natania Sherman)

Thank you to all of the museums and museum professionals who hosted us and shared their current and upcoming projects with us. We really appreciated you taking time out of your busy schedules to talk to us and answer our questions. A special thank you to social chair Kelly Mackenzie and MUSSA for organizing the trip and making sure that everyone had a great time in Ottawa.

LEAVE THE GUN, TAKE THE CANNOLI. THE END IS NIGH

GREATEST HITS

BY: KATIE PAOLOZZA

For my last entry in Collections Corner, I wrote about the cool, niche exhibitions that routinely pop up on campus. This was partly inspired by my own experiences, and also intended as an update/alternative perspective to Natania Sherman's take on the subject that she wrote about last summer.

For this Greatest Hits entry, I want to take those ideas about individual, eccentric collections and broaden the scope... and I mean really broaden it. Just a little less than a year ago Jennifer Maxwell wrote an entry for Collections Corner called "The Apocalyptic Collection,"  which blended commentary about our pop culture preoccupation with the apocalypse with a survey of which items people would choose to save should the unthinkable happen. The answers varied from silly and fun, like the original script for Star Wars, to items of immense historical importance like the Magna Carta, back to our pop culture fixations like a vinyl album of The Eagles' Greatest Hits. It was a fun and sassy article.

Just a year later, discussions of the apocalypse have taken a considerably darker tone. Nuanced and complex issues are being spoon-fed to us as black and white, and many people are feeling less like this:

and more like this:

Personally, I'm more middle of the road, in that I think the general ugliness and bullying that is happening everywhere has always been there. I can't say whether or not it is actually worse now or if it's just more publicly acceptable to express aggression and hate. Either way, millions of people have already had their world fall apart around them, and many were not lucky enough to choose which treasured item to take with them into the uncertain future. 

With that sobering thought, I have a question: Which items in our homes do we truly care about? If we strip away amusing hypothetical scenarios like "Desert Island" or "Zombie Apocalypse," what would we actually grab if there were, say, a fire? If your loved ones were safe, and you could pick any item to be magically transported to safety, unharmed, would it be practical? Sentimental? A mixture of both or neither? 

I ask these questions because I think regardless of the political or social climate, it's never a wasted exercise to evaluate what is most important to us. Outside of the realm of material culture, we need to know what we want, what is worth saving, and what we would gladly jettison if given the opportunity. Being able to articulate those things is perhaps the most practical apocalyptic tool of all. 

For now, don't let the misguided and the charlatans of the world bring you down. See it for the absurdity that it is:

V-Day approaches... stay safe.

TORONTO STORIES FROM THE ONTARIO JEWISH ARCHIVES

TORONTO STORIES

STORIES BY: EMMA HOFFMAN, HAYLEY MAE JONES, KRISTINA KARAKOLIS, CLAUDIA PALERMO, AND NATANIA SHERMAN

COMPILED BY: BRENNA PLADSEN

The series of digital stories about Toronto history and culture which make up this project are the work of fifty-three Master of Museum Studies (MMSt) graduate students. The project was inspired by the 2015 Myseum Intersections – Telling Toronto’s Stories and invited each storyteller to select an object from local collections which has significance to Toronto’s past and present. The objects inspired the authors to connect historical events with contemporary context so that they tell stories about the multiple intersections that happen in the city.

Musings will be posting collected stories once a cycle. We hope that, after reading the stories, you will know Toronto a little bit better. And perhaps you will find similar stories in your own objects!

Our partners for this project, to which we are extremely thankful, are:

• Archeological and Cultural Heritage Services 
• Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives 
• John M. Kelly Library, St. Mike’s College, University of Toronto 
• Lambton House 
• Myseum of Toronto 
• Ontario Jewish Archives 
• Private Collection of Russian Artefacts 
• Scarborough Historical Society 
• Scarborough Museum 
• The Multicultural Historical Society of Ontario 
• The Real Canadian Portuguese Museum 
• Toronto Botanical Garden 
• Toronto District School Board Archives

Now, without further ado, object stories from Ontario Jewish Archives.

FROM GEFILTE FISH TO GRILLED CHEESE: UNITED BAKER'S AND JEWISH CULTURE IN TORONTO

BY: EMMA HOFFMAN

The smell of beet borsht and the savoury taste of cheese inside a blintze… that’s what Jewish culture tastes like at United Baker’s, a true Torontonian institution.

A dairy restaurant [1] serving traditional Ashkenazi [2] fares, United Baker’s was originally located in Kensington Market until it closed in 1986, but still maintains a location uptown at 506 Lawrence Avenue West. The Ladovsky’s, a Polish-Jewish family, established the original United Baker’s in 1912 when Kensington Market was the centre of the Jewish community in Toronto and the population of Kensington Market was almost 100% Jewish. [3]

The copy of the last menu [4] used at United Baker’s in Kensington Market, can be found in the Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA). Herman Ladovsky, the second-generation owner of the restaurant and his daughter Ruthie Ladovsky donated this object to the archives when the downtown location closed in 1986. Herman and Ruthie have signed the menu with the message: “With fond memories of a long history.” 

United Bakers Dairy Restaurant menu, cover. (1986).
Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 83, file 8. Scanned copy of object by OJA.

Although similar dishes can be found on United Baker’s 1986 menu and on their current menu, this object is significant because it represents the migration of the Toronto Jewish community north during the past 60 years. [5] By the end of the Second World War, Jewish peoples had prospered from their businesses in Kensington Market and began moving to wealthier neighbourhoods uptown, while new immigrants displaced by the War were moving into the more affordable houses in Kensington Market, at the same time Jewish families were relocating from the area. [6]

Today, United Baker’s still provides a meeting place for Jewish immigrants to Toronto and their descendants. Ruthie Ladovsky, the third-generation co-owner of United Baker’s, gives insight into why the restaurant originally gained popularity: “It was a real meeting spot. The same as it is today.” [7]

United Bakers Dairy Restaurant menu, inside. (1986).
Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 83, file 8. Scanned copy of object by OJA.

Herman Ladovsky was a great supporter of the Ontario Jewish Archives, [8] so much that after his death in 2002, the Ladovsky family installed a plaque at the OJA that reads: “A Jew is not a Jew unless he is a member of a community.” [9] With continued support from a community of customers from all cultures, United Baker’s still remains a central place for schmoozing [10] and for enjoying delicious homemade food.

Footnotes

1. A restaurant that does not serve meat or meat-products to accommodate those who follow the Kosher laws of kashruth that disallow milk and meat from being consumed together.
United Baker’s. (2012). “United Baker’s Dairy Restaurant: Celebrating 100 Years, a Toronto Tradition Since 1912.” United Baker’s. 21. Retrieved from http://unitedbakers.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/united-bakers-celebrating-100-years1.pdf.
2. Jewish peoples originating from Central and Eastern Europe.
3. N. Li, (2015), Kensington Market: Collective Memory, Public History, and Toronto’s Urban Landscape, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 15.
4. United Bakers Dairy Restaurant menu. (1986). Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 83, file 8. Scanned copy of object by OJA.
5. E. Roher, (1986, August 4), “A Spadina tradition, restaurant to close,” The Globe and Mail. Ontario Jewish Archives.
6. Li 2015, 17.
7. Li 2015, 54.
8. Li 2015, 72.
9. Ibid.
10. Socializing and chatting in a group setting.

SENDING OFF CRIMINALS, COMMUNISTS, REBELS, SOLDIERS AND HEROS

BY: HAYLEY MAE JONES

Personal Photo of Mackenzie Papineau Battalion Pin Taken at the Ontario Jewish Archives

Hidden away in the Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA) is a Mackenzie Papineau Battalion pin. The pin is small, about the size of a dime, but the colours are bold, and it is smooth to the touch. Despite the size, the artifact has a powerful message: No Pasaran. Translated from Spanish, the passage means: "they shall not pass". These words were the slogan of men and women who fought against fascism during the Spanish Civil War.

The pin's origin is a mystery. Archivists claim that little is known about how the object fell into the Joseph Baruch Salsberg fonds at the OJA. Many members of the Jewish community were actively involved with the labour movement, including Joseph Salsberg. Salsberg's files provide copious information about his political involvement with the Communist Party of Canada, but show little information about how he acquired the pin. This being said, the pin reveals the Mackenzie Papineau Battalion’s strong connection to the city of Toronto.

The Mackenzie Papineau Battalion was made up of almost 1,600 Canadians who defied the Canadian government, broke the law, and fought against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. Spain became politically divided after the abdication of King Alfonso XIII in 1931, which escalated into the Spanish Civil War after a fascist coup d'état in 1936. Many nations, including Canada, wanted to avoid aggravating the conflict at all costs. As a result, the Mackenzie King government imposed the Foreign Enlistment Act, to bar any Canadian involvement. However, the members of the Battalion foresaw the dangers of fascism, and knew they must act.

Toronto was one of the two meeting points for these soldiers when they left their lives behind, and began their journey to Spain. In Toronto, these men prepared to be smuggled out of Canada while hiding from the RCMP. This was done with the help of the Communist Party of Canada. The story goes that the Communist Party would meet volunteers in Toronto or in Montreal and travel with the volunteers until they reached Spain, providing them with clothing, and travel tickets. As they were being smuggled out of Canada, volunteers were under threat of being arrested by the RCMP for attempting to disobey the Foreign Enlistment Act.

Once in Spain, the Mackenzie Papineau Battalion faced even greater challenges. The fascists led by General Francisco Franco were being supported by Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Ultimately, many members of the battalion were captured, wounded or killed. Having lost the War, the surviving members eventually returned to Canada only to face discrimination for their actions. They were placed under RCMP surveillance and deemed to be criminals, communists and rebels.

Regardless of how they are perceived, the memory of the Mackenzie Papineau battalion lives on through artifacts scattered across Toronto, the city where their journey began in 1936.

For more information on the Mackenzie Papineau Battalion:

Secondary Sources
Beeching, William C. (1989). Canadian Volunteers: Spain 1936-1939. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center.

CBC radio. (2012) Canada's 'MacPaps' and the Spanish Civil War (Promo) [Podcast] Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/The+Sunday+Edition/ID/2302691551/?page=4&sort=MostPopular

Frohn-Nielsen, Thor Erik. (1982). “Canada’s Foreign Enlistment Act: Mackenzie King’s Expedient Response to the Spanish Civil War” Masters dissertation. Available from UBC Theses and Dissertations. University of British Columbia. DOI: 10.14288/1.0095528

Howard, Victor. (1987). The Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion: the Canadian contingent in the Spanish Civil War. Ottawa: Carleton University Press.

Jones, Hayley Mae. (2014). Final Paper: The Canadian Spanish Civil War Volunteers. (Unpublished Undergraduate paper). University of Ottawa: Ottawa.

Petrou, Michael. (2008). Renegades: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War. Vancouver: UBC Press.

Poggi, Mathew. "Spanish Civil War Veteran’s and the Pursuit of Recognition." Masters dissertation. (n.d.) url: http://www.albavolunteer.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Poggi_Watt-Essay_2012.pdf

The Friends and Veterans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. (n.d.). Canadian Volunteers in Spain 1936-1938. Retrieved from: http://web.net/~macpap/volunteers.htm.

The Friends and Veterans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. (n.d.) Bibliography. Retrieved from: http://web.net/~macpap/bibliography.html

The Friends and Veterans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. (n.d.) La Pasionaria (Dolores Ibarruri, Member of the Spanish Parliament) Farewell to the International Brigades in Barcelona, Spain. Retrieved from: http://web.net/~macpap/texts/Farewell.htm.

The Friends and Veterans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. (n.d.) Poetry, Speeches, Texts on Individual Brigadistas. Retrieved from: http://web.net/~macpap/texts/texts.htm.

Wikipedia. (2014). No Pasarán Speech (1936) by Dolores Ibárrui Spanish Civil War, Speeches. Retrieved from: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/No_Pasaran

Wikipedia. (2015). They shall not pass. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_shall_not_pass

Primary Sources
Blum, Leon. (September, 1936). 5697 - Approaching the Crisis. The Jewish Standard. (p. 5, 40-43). Ontario Jewish Archives.

International Workingmens Association an Archosyndicalists. Events In Catalonia. Ontario Jewish Archives. Fonds 32, series 3-3, file 24.

Mackenzie Papineau Battalion pin [object] – [195-?].Ontario Jewish Archives. Fonds 92, Series 3, Item 2.

Workers Party of Marxist Unification of Spain. (October 1936). The Spanish Revolution. Ontario Jewish Archives. Fonds 32, series 3-3, file 24. 

Workers Party of Marxist Unification of Spain. (November 1936).  The Spanish Revolution. Ontario Jewish Archives. Fonds 32, series 3-3, file 24.

DORA TILL, THE WOMEN'S AUXILIARY, AND BAYCREST: A GLIMPSE INTO THE TORONTO'S JEWISH COMMUNITY

BY: KRISTINA KARAKOLIS

Dora Till could be defined best as a leader in the Jewish community in Toronto. From her early commitment to community service, her advocacy for women, children, and the elderly, Till aimed to make changes and fulfil a need within her community wherever possible. According to Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA) Archivist Donna Bernardo-Ceriz, Till emphasised the welfare of youth and elders in the Jewish community and urged others to give back through donations, volunteer work, or by participating in community events.

During her long and inspiring philanthropic career, Dora Till, participated and created a number of organisations that directly helped Jewish mothers and children. From the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Toronto, the United Jewish Welfare Fund (UJWF), and The Women’s Service Council, Till actively donated her services, skills, and passion wherever she was needed. Till later served as the vice-president for the Maternity Hebrew Aid Society and later become president of Women’s Auxiliary at Baycrest Heath Sciences.

The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre is currently displaying an exhibit entitled Polyester, Pattern, and Perms: Fashion from the 1960s and 70s. The exhibit highlights women, their fashions, and their lifestyles during the 60s and 70s, giving viewers a glimpse into Toronto’s history and it’s Jewish community.

The “Visit of Constance Bennett to Baycrest Women's Auxiliary, 1961” is one of the photographs displayed in the exhibit and depicts six women in the midst of conversation. Taken by Famous Portrait Studio, a significant institution in the Toronto Jewish community, the photograph features Constance Bennett, who during her career as an actress started in over 60 films, standing in the center, wearing a glamorous fur coat, and Dora Till, who stands to Bennett’s left. The photograph was taken during an annual fundraiser held by the Women’s Auxiliary in honour of Baycrest hospital. 

Jewish Home for the Aged hosts Constance Bennett, 13 Dec. 1961.
Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 18, series 3-4, file 11.

The Women’s Auxiliary, which operated separately from Baycrest, helped to encourage female participation, leadership, and aided in the foundational work for the hospital. Through various initiatives, from program development to running the hospital’s gift shop, the women at Baycrest filled an important role in the operation of the hospital. One of the Women’s Auxiliary main initiatives was an annual fundraising event, and under Till’s leadership, the Auxiliary was able to directly aid in the build and development of their new facilities on Bathurst, which is still in use today.

Jewish Home for the Aged hosts Constance Bennett, 13 Dec. 1961.
Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 18, series 3-4, file 11.

Due to her long-standing commitment to the Jewish community and her unwavering leadership, Dora Till was the first woman to ever receive the UJWF’s Ben Sadowski Award for Jewish Community Service in 1969. Till was a central figure to her community, a prominent women through her philanthropic work, and was instrumental in the rebuilding of Baycrest hospital.

The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre is the largest repository of Jewish life in Canada. Check out their website to learn more about Till and other prominent figures in the Jewish community.

PHILANTHROPY IN THE GTA: THE LEGACY OF SYLVIA SCHWARTZ

BY: CLAUDIA PALERMO

Sylvia Schwartz, 1950.
Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 80, series 5-1, item 17.

A quick search in the Ontario Jewish Archives reveals some fascinating information about the photographic work of Sylvia Schwartz. Schwartz, pictured in the photograph below was born with a medical condition known as dwarfism. [1] She is best known for capturing wonderfully creative formal portraits of servicemen during the war, families, brides, and eventually carved out her own niche specializing in child portraiture.

Schwartz had the ability to connect with children on a level that most adults could not. She could get children to sit quietly and pose in creative and charming positions and the result was formal children’s portraiture with exceptional lighting, props, and posing. After the death of her sister, Sylvia Schwartz established the Ruth Schwartz Children’s Book Awards, which was later changed to the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards [2] to honor both sisters. For over 35 years, this award has recognized artistic excellence in Canadian children’s literature and features two awards, which are presented annually, for picture books and for young adult readers.

The Ontario Jewish Archives holds the records of individuals who have made important contributions to the Jewish communities of Ontario, and Sylvia Schwartz serves as a reflection of the important role that Jewish citizens played in the artistic history of Toronto. Sylvia’s is also the story of female artists in Toronto during the 1940’s. Through both her life and her work, Sylvia Schwartz has demonstrated her involvement and engagement with the philanthropic community in Toronto. Personal philanthropy has been a mainstay of funding art programs in the City of Toronto, and through her partnership with the Ontario Arts Foundation, [3] Schwartz has helped build a stronger art community.

Her legacy continues to touch the lives of numerous gifted children around the Toronto area. Alan Walker, the Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Foundation writes, “We hear time and time again from Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award winning authors at how moved they are by the insight and sophistication shown in the school-age jurors. These awards have a profound impact on all involved, and we thank the Ruth Schwartz Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council for helping to make these awards such a memorable experience for all.” [4] Her story leaves us wondering just how many other less known female artists have also left a lasting legacy on the city? To learn more information about Sylvia Schwartz or other prominent Jewish Torontonians, visit the Ontario Jewish Archives at ontariojewisharchives.org.

Footnotes

1. “Dwarfism.” 2015. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dwarfism.

2. “PERSONAL PHILANTHROPY Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards.” 2015. Ontario Arts Foundation / Fondation Des Arts l'Ontario. Ontario Arts Foundation / Fondation des Arts l'Ontario. Accessed. http://www.ontarioartsfoundation.on.ca/pages/ruth-sylvia-schwartz-awards.

3. “Sylvia Schwartz.” 2015. Sylvia Schwartz. Ontario Jewish Archives. Accessed. http://ontariojewisharchives.org/explore/people/sylvia-schwartz.

4. “Shortlist For 2015 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards Announced.” 2015. Shortlist For 2015 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards Announced. Ontario Arts Council. Accessed. http://www.arts.on.ca/page5833.aspx.

LIFE IN THE SHMATA BUSINESS: THE STORY OF TIP TOP TAILORS AND ITS WORKERS

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

This two inch sliver of silver engraved with the words “Tip Top Tailors: Canada’s Largest One Price House” was brought to the Ontario Jewish Archive (OJA) by a collector. It is a small pocketknife from the 1960s. There is no record of who owned and used the pocketknife. Instead, I started to think about all the people who might have owned it, and the company that made it. From trendy Tip Top Lofts downtown to the old Jewish furriers on Queen West, there is no question that the garment trade physically altered the city of Toronto. Tip Top Tailors’ history is the story of the Dunkelman family who owned it, of the Jewish immigrants who worked there, and of the labour and Zionist movements that shaped their experiences.

Tip Top Tailors Pocketknife from the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre,
circa 1960’s, photo by author

A Jewish immigrant named David Dunkelman founded Tip Top Tailors in 1909. His concept was to sell one-price suits tailored to measure. This business model quickly became a success, transforming Dunkelman into a leading manufacturer of men’s clothing in Canada. Until 1967, Tip Top Tailors was owned and operated by members of the Dunkelman family. The Dunkelmans were well known Zionist leaders in Toronto, and maintained a strong commitment to assisting Jews in the diaspora.

While the Dunkelmans had built a comfortable life in Toronto, many of their Jewish employees had a very different experience when they settled in Canada. After World War Two ended in 1937, a large number of Jews who had lost their homes to the Nazis, were displaced. Many of these Jews had been tailors in Europe because that was one of the few professions open to Jewish people. Meanwhile, Canada was experiencing a shortage of skilled labourers in factories because so many men had joined the war effort. From 1946 to 1948, an initiative by the Canadian Overseas Garment Commission, called the Tailor Project, provided sponsorship and housing to displaced Jews from Europe to work in Canadian garment factories. Tip Top Tailors was one such company. [1]

Tip Top Tailors factory interior, Toronto, [ca. 1933].
Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, item 2373.

While the Tailor Project certainly helped many displaced people find shelter and work in Canada, Jewish immigrants to Toronto had few options. Not only did they face anti-Jewish sentiments in their new homes, they faced the reality of harsh labour conditions in the garment factories. In Sweatshop Strife, Ruth Frager describes the sweatshops of 20th century Toronto as places where “…women toiled alongside men, and Jews toiled side by side with non-Jews…” Eventually, workers in the sweatshops unionized in order to build better working conditions. In today’s culture of imported fast fashion, it is easy to forget that our city was shaped by the local garment industry. We may never know who used this pocketknife, but its history tells the stories of the industrialists and workers at Tip Top Tailors.

Footnotes

1. A Daily News article from November 6th, 1947 described Tip Top Tailors taking on 75 displaced persons.

Works Consulted
Charles, Alana, “Condo of the Week: The Tip Top Lofts Building,” BlogTO, June 25, 2015 http://www.blogto.com/city/2015/06/condo_of_the_week_the_tip_top_lofts_building/. Retrieved on November 13, 2015

Frager, Ruth A. “Sweatshop Strife: Class, Ethnicity and Gender in the Jewish Labour Movement of Toronto 1900-1939.” University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1992, pages 1-24

Gladstone, Bill, “Tailor Project brought displaced persons to Canada.” February 19 2015, Canadian Jewish News, Toronto ON

Tip Top Tailors, “Homepage” 2015, http://www.tiptoptailors.ca/. Retrieved on November 13th 2015

Wigoder, Geoffry, Ed. “The New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel.” Fairleigh Dickinson University Pr; Rev Sub edition, 1994

(ca. 1960’s) Tip Top Tailors pocket knife, Morris Norman Collection, The Ontario Jewish Archive, Fond 22, item 165, Toronto ON.

Various authors, 195-?-1996, “Biographies of Dunkelman Family Members,” Benjamin Dunkelman Fonds, Ontario Jewish Archives, fond 2, series 1-1, file 9, Toronto, ON.

Various Authors, “Mrs. D. Dunkelman obituaries,” Benjamin Dunkelman Fonds, Ontario Jewish Archives, fond 2, series 1-1, file 3, Toronto, ON.

Tip Top Tailors, 1941-1949, “Tip Topics, Vol 9 No. 3,” Benjamin Dunkelman Fonds, Ontario Jewish Archives, fond 2, series 3-1, file 1, Toronto, ON.Meduiau, Walter and Thomas Aplin, Overseas Garment Workers Commission Correspondence1946-1948. Men's Clothing Manufacturers' Association of Ontario fonds, Ontario Jewish Archives, fonds 31, file 1, Toronto ON,

MUSINGS GOES INTO HIBERNATION

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BY NATANIA SHERMAN

Thank you all for following Musings this fall. Today’s article marks the end of the Fall 2016 posting season. We are going into hibernation in order to give our writers a much needed break.  Musings will be going on hiatus from December 10th, 2016 until January 9th, 2017 when classes begin for the Winter semester. No posts will be published during this time.

We're going into hibernation so we can wear ugly sweaters and drink tea. Marvellous indeed!

Since it's the season to be sentimental, I though I'd give you a short recap of the year Musings had. Musings returned full-time in September 2016 with a team of 22 contributors: 10 first year and 12 second year students. This amazing team brought their own unique point of view to the blog, creating 7 new columns in 2016 including: Alumni Check-in, A-Muse Bouche, (Fun)draising, Heritage Moments, Musings Abroad, She’s My Muse and Toronto Stories. Musings was present at the annual Ignite event held by returning mmst students who had completed internships this summer, visited the OMA conference and had a presence at many MMST events as well.

We hope you have an amazing holiday no matter what you celebrate!

While our contributors take a must-needed vacation, I encourage you to re-visit Musings’ archive of over 550 articles by MMSt students. When I look back at the content that Musings has published over the years, I am always astounded by the depth and breadth of the material that MMSt students choose to write about. Musings writers tackle everything from new technology to food in museums. If there is one thing to be thankful for this holiday season, it is that the iSchool community is so conducive to helping students pursue their interests, whether it’s food, fundraising, or fashion. If you're looking for a place to start, here are some articles written by students this semester:

1. With holiday parties on the horizon, Maya shows us how to put the Fun into Fundraising.

2. Kristen's Conservation Flowchart is going to be a much used resource for years to come.

3. Chris explores the heritage issues surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline in Parts I and II of his series Representing Identity and Bulldozing Sites.

4. If it's quiet contemplation you need, Tabitha walks us through her interpretation of a contemporary art exhibition by Jeff Nye.

Now, before I leave you to your holiday reading, allow me to wish you, Dear Readers, a safe and happy holiday season, however you choose to celebrate. I’m looking forward to returning in the new year bright eyed and bushy tailed with new and exciting content.

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT: MONDAY MUSES TO INSPIRE YOU

SHE'S MY MUSE

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

Museums have a lot of work to do. If you had asked me a few weeks ago why I've chosen to write about women in museums, I may have played it off as an attempt to use up my collection of Beyoncé gifs. (To be fair, I have so many. ) However, the political state of the world today makes me think that this topic is as necessary as ever. this is further evidenced by the number of times the #womeninmuseums tag is used on Twitter. If no one takes the time to recall the stories of women in our history, people will start to forget that those stories exist, and that women have always been a part of culture.

It has always been my intention that this article be as intersectional as possible despite having a title that implies a focus on female-identified individuals. I thought that today I wouldn't focus on one woman, but would instead leave you with a list of some of the people and institutions whose work towards justice has inspired my own museum practice. Without further ado:

That's right, Ferris Bueller, museums are for everyone! (Source)

1. The Incluseum: The Incluseum is a blog devoted to facilitating conversations around inclusion in museums. Their mission is to create discussions about new ways to be a museum using colaboration and community building. This is in direct opposition to a traditional museum model in which the institution is the authority. The blog was founded by Aletheia Wittman and Rose Paquet Kinsley, both museum professionals, who are very interested in issues of social justice. In keeping with it's policy of inclusion, The Incluseum has many contributing authors adding a rich variety of content as well as a multiplicity of voices. As an emerging museum professional, what I love best about The Incluseum are the Tools and Publications  and Resources pages. These pages are full of content on topics such as pop-up museums, museums and autism, museums and race, and activism.

2. Brown Girls Museum Blog: Brown Girls Museum Blog is a collaborative blog and consulting firm designed to highlight cultural workers who are visible minorities.
Amanda Figueroa and Ravon Ruffin founded the blog to redefine the stereotype about who the average museum worker is. As both millenials, and women of colour, Amanda and Ravon's blog represents a radical shift in the thinking around museum work and museum workers. They post about everything from understanding otherness in museums, to post grad survival, and their candid writing merges critical discourse and cultural critique with accounts of real world problems faced by young professionals working in museums today.

3: Museums that have reaffirmed themselves as safe spaces for everyone: I suppose that this one should go without saying, but in a political climate that is increasingly divisive, it is important to remember that public spaces and public institutions should still be accessible to everyone. That's why this article made me so happy to see so many institutions reaffirming that everyone is welcome to visit. Museums such as  the Tenement Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Japanese American National Museum and The Philbrook Museum of Art are all among the list of museums who are making sure they continue to offer services that are safe and inclusive. I know there are many others that I cannot list here, but I truly believe that even a small statement like this makes a huge difference to visitor experience in the museum.

These are just a few of the people, projects and institutions that I look to when I need some professional inspiration. So tell me, Dear Readers, who are your muses?

WORKING TOWARDS EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT #OMACONF2016

WEEKEND EDITION

BY: NATANIA SHERMAN

The Hon. Eleanor McMahon, MPP giving her opening remarks (Photo: Natania Sherman)

 This week, myself and a small contingent of Museum Studies students made our way to Mississauga to attend the annual Ontario Museum Association (OMA) Conference hosted by Peel Art Museum and Archive (PAMA).  Unfortunately the conference was held on the same day as our 6 am course enrollment, so bleary eyed from having woken up early, we took the Mi-way buses to the Novotel Hotel in Mississauga. The 6 am struggle is real, but MMSt students stop at nothing to stay current in the museum field.

Conference Selfie! From left: MMSt students Anja Hamilton, Katherine Seally,
Natania Sherman and Emily Berg

This year's conference theme was "Towards Diversity and Inclusion." Each day of the conference featured a variety of keynote speakers and panel presentations. It was interesting to see how the various speakers interpreted the conference theme. Many panelists challenged the idea of what diversity and inclusion means to visitors and urged conference delegates to consider the challenges and rewards in making inclusion and equity part of an institution's core mission. Below is a short recap of some of my personal highlights from the OMA conference.


THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

Can't have a conference without coffee. (Source)

We arrived at the hotel in time for registration and immediately spotted the coffee stand. Coffee is conference fuel. An introduction to the conference was given by Anne Marie Hagan who urged us to recognize the dark side of Canadian History and to avoid maple-washing our heritage. Opening remarks were given by the Hon. MPP Eleanor McMahon, who is minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport. She drew parallels between what the ministry is currently doing in their Culture Strategy and the OMA's Museums 2025 strategic plan. 

One of the highlights of the morning, was the keynote and workshop given by Aletheia Wittman and Porchia Moore of the Incluseum.  The Incluseum is an online resource promoting critical dialogue around inclusion, community building and collaboration in museums. Wittman and Moore encouraged visitors to question what diversity and inclusion means as an action and not as a catchphrase. Their workshop functioned as an icebreaker because they gave every table post-it notes and pens and asked us to write brainstorm what inclusion means. The main portion of the workshop was an exercise in  building an inclusive museum. What would that look like? The results were both surprising and inspiring and it gave delegates a chance to get to know each other.

The Incluseum's Keynote and Workshop
(Photo: Natania Sherman)

One of the concurrent sessions focused on "Reconciling Heritage and Confronting our Past." This session's  featuring panelists were: MMSt alumna Emily Meikle, McMaster University's Indigenous Research Officer and Vice president of Research, Heather George, iSchool Professor Cara Krmpotich, and Assistant Project coordinator, at the Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic, Tanis Hill. To summarize the discussion, each speaker described how museums have a responsibility to to work towards reconciliation when it comes to the way Indigenous peoples have been represented in Canadian museums. This involves making space to empower others to tell their stories, unpacking our own privilege as educated museum professionals and taking a critical look at collections practices. Even though as museum people we love these institutions, it is imperative that we confront their colonial origins.

In an ignite presentation, entitled "Shared Authority and Inclusive Storytelling: A Grassroots Community Led Effort to Build Toronto's First Museum of Migration," current MMSt student, Anja Hamilton, and tour guide, Arlene Chan, spoke of their experiences collaborating on Toronto Ward Museum's Dishing Up Toronto tours. The work Toronto Ward Museum is doing is one example of the ways that Ontario museums are using co-creation to help Canadian immigrants tell their stories.

The Queering History Panel at #OMAConf2016
(Photo: Natania Sherman)

The conference didn't only focus on racial and cultural diversity but included a panel called "Queering History" which spoke to the need to include queer content in museums. This panel outlined a collaborative framework for working with LGBTQ communities. This can be as simple as including all gender washrooms in museums or in raising a pride flag. This year marks the first time the OMA has held a panel on queer content in museums and based on the turnout in the room, this is clearly a topic museum professionals are eager to include in their work.

The last panel I visited that day was titled "ROM Welcomes: Inviting Canadian Newcomers to the ROM in which Jaclyn Qua-Hiansen, the audience coordinator at the ROM, Yasmine Mohamed, the manager of Cultural Access Pass/Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and Lisa Randall, the program manager for Settlement Workers in Schools, spoke about how early access to cultural venues can ease the transition into Canadian society for Canadian newcomers. The day ended with a cocktail hour, an awards ceremony and a trivia night aimed at Emerging Museum Professionals.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4TH

The Plenary speaker on Friday was Franklin Vagnone of Twisted Preservation and author of The Anarchist Guide to Historic House Museums, who reminded us that museums are living history sites and that we as museum professionals need to recognize the living context of our institutions, embrace "death,"  and rethink what our best practices accomplish and who they are best for.

A few familiar faces, from left: Leah Moncada, Lindsay Parsons, Michelle Johnson,
Madeline Smolarz and Emily Meikle (Photo: Natania Sherman)

After that, I visited  the "Master's Panel" which featured a project by MMSt alumnae Madeline Smolarz, Michelle Johnson, Emily Meikle, Leah Moncada, Lindsay Parsons and Bethea Penny, about their "Museum Intercultural Education Program." The program, which consists of an intercultural outing is a perfect example of how intercultural exchange can be fostered through programs that encourage critical thinking and active listening.

One my favorite panels was Melissa Smith's talk on "Access to Art Programming @ The AGO." I was excited to learn about the outreach work that the gallery is doing in order to make art accessible to people with disabilities, people with mental health issues, the elderly and youth. I also loved learning about how their programs focus on empowering others to feel welcome in a gallery setting.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Conference Swag! (Photo: Natania Sherman)

Although I know there are many barriers (travel, cost) to visiting conferences as a student, it was a rewarding experience to be able to learn about trends in Ontario museums. There are so many museums in Ontario, many of which I had never heard of, despite having lived in this province for much of my life.

A powerful gesture by OMA organizers and many of the speakers was to acknowledge that we are living on indigenous land. The cynical part of me feels that dedications like this are not enough to undo the injustices that have been dealt to so many First Nations communities, but acknowledgement is an important first step towards reconciliation. Based on the emphasis that the OMA has placed on engaging with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call-outs to museums and archives,  I hope that building awareness of whose land we occupy is the first step of many steps towards telling the difficult stories of Ontario and Canada.

A beautiful day for a conference.
(Photo: Natania Sherman)

Finally, If like me, you have a fear of the word "networking" be not afraid! I learned that museum folks genuinely want to share stories of their work and to connect with young people.  To facilitate this, the OMA has a Conference Connections program to allow emerging museum professionals to connect with veterans in the field. I did not participate in this program but my friends who did had an overwhelmingly positive experience and made new connections out of it.  Even though there was downtime built into the schedule for networking, it wasn't awkward. The OMA conference had many  ice-breaking events, like a trivia night, that made it easy to meet people. Don't forget that social media can also be a networking tool! Many museum professionals are active on Twitter and by live-tweeting exciting moments of the conference and following speakers whose work inspires me, I was able to expand my circle in a very low risk way. That being said, you won't go wrong if you bring a few business cards.

For those of you who could not make it to the conference, you can get a sense of the presentations by following #OMAConf2016 on Twitter. For those of you who did visit, what are your thoughts? Did it give you a better sense of Ontario's culture sector?