A-MUSING ACTIVITIES: UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE GLAM SECTOR

 Muse News | Jaime Meier

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With December right around the corner (yes, I am sorry to hear it too!), deadlines are looming and it is important for your health and sanity to take time for yourself each day to do something you enjoy. As someone who struggles with procrastination and staying focused, I am all too familiar with the guilt that accompanies avoiding a necessary task or struggling to finish an assignment. A great way that I have learned to cope and self-justify pausing school work is through participating in free online arts and culture related events. 

Event Hosted by 519 | Source

TODAY, November 20th

Trans Day of Remembrance 2020
Host: 519 
Time: 6:00pm EST
Where: Zoom
Registration: Required

It is the 21st annual Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) is being hosted by 519 to commemorate and honour the memories of members of the trans community taken too soon. This event will include speakers, singers, and other artistic components. 

Tuesday, November 24th

Zine-Making Workshop + Wellness Discussion with Melina Mehr

Host: Museum Professionals of Colour (MPOC)
Time: 5:00pm EST
Where: Zoom
Registration: Not required

Join accomplished MMSt alum, Melina Mehr, for an evening of discussion and creation around wellness and self-care. Guaranteed to be a relaxed and fun evening centered around creativity and support.

Thursday, November 26th

MUSSA Trivia Night

Host: Museum Studies Student Association (MUSSA)

Time: 6:00pm EST
Where: MMSt Channel (Virtual Inforum)
Registration: Email mussa.ischool@gmail.com by November 25 at 11:59 pm (Include your team members - max. 4 - or request to join a team)

You don't want to miss teaming up with fellow MMSt and CDP colleagues for a spirited game of trivia! The winning team will receive a prize (and bragging rights). 

EMILIA-AMALIA | Source

Wednesday, December 2nd

How to Build a Ruin: Hazel Meyer and Cait McKinney
Host: EMILIA-AMALIA
Time: 7:00pm EST
Where: Zoom
Registration: Required

An evening of lecture, workshop, and performance is a part of an ongoing program that explores feminist praxis through historical memory, exclusion, and refusal. Meyer and McKinney explore the idea of ruins in relation to sexuality throughout their journey from Vancouver to Disneyland.

Thursday, December 3rd

INTERFERENCE – A Virtual “Music in the Museum”
Host: American University Museum At The Katzen Arts Center

Time: 7:30pm EST
Location: Livestream
Registration: Required

Do you think museums are a little too quiet? Join the music collective INTERFERENCE for their concert that focuses on using instruments and computer technology to create a musical and visual performance within a museum environment. 

Thursday, December 3-11th

Human Rights Film Festival (HRFF+) 
Host: JAYU

Time: 6:30pm EST

Location: Online
Registration: Required

The 9th annual HRFF is a week long event focusing on sharing stories and experiences regarding international human rights through film and discussion. The keynote address by Syrus Marcus Ware on the last day of the festival will certainly be a highlight. 

What arts and culture events are you looking forward to? Leave a comment or drop us a line at musings.mmst@gmail.com!

NEW BEGINNING: THEY SHOOT, THEY SCORE!

Muse News | Michelle Wright

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Sometimes one ending is someone else’s beginning; that is what is happening here. Muse News has been piloted by Amy Intrator for the past year and the mantle has now been passed to me. So lets start with some fun and someone else’s new beginning too!

Many museums have noted the lack of 20-30somethings in the museum world which has effected numerous aspects. One of the biggest being finances--both on a visitor level and a donor level. Museums have been faced with this challenge of appealing to this generation that has a different set of behaviours and values and that are often looking for more of an "experience". Over the last decade there has been a rise of after-hour events for adults in museums, one of the most well known in Toronto being the Royal Ontario Museums (ROM) Friday Night Live.  Museums all over the world have been throwing open their doors after the “normal” museum hours and have become enticing places for a new type of entertainment and escape within the museum. We could fill many articles with all of the after-hour events out there but let us focus on one specifically, and as promised, lets look at one that is just starting out; The Hockey Hall of Fame’s new OVERTIME event!

The Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) has moved a few times in its life, but is now settled at the current location in the lower concourse level of Brookfield Place, 30 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario in 1993. The museum itself dates back to 1943 when James Sutherland was elected president to the newly-established Hockey Hall of Fame (Although, the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum didn't move to Toronto until over a decade later!) The HHOF has become the home of the Stanley Cup and showcases the best of hockey, from the best shooters and goalies to the largest collection of hockey memorabilia in the world.

The Hockey Hall of Fame, Source.

For the first time ever the HHOF is opening for a series of 19+ after-hour events known as Thursday Night OVERTIME starting on September 26, 2019. The night was filled with drinks, music and, you guessed it, hockey! The DJ for the night was Lissa Monet a 6x Stylus Award winning DJ and the host or Media Personality was Jesse Pollock who is a Producer for TSN. Tickets were $20 at the door or $18 online and a food or drink ticket cost $6. 

Photo with the Stanley Cup. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

I’m not going to lie, this was my first time at the Hockey Hall of Fame, and while I enjoy watching a game of hockey I’m not a super fan. But I have to say I had a good time! Besides the music, food, drinks and of course the friends I went with, the HHOF was filled with some interesting things. Obviously everyone was lining up to get their picture taken with the Stanley cup (above), but I didn’t know that there are actually three cups and the original one from 1892 was located in the same room! Well sort of in the same room. The original Stanley Cup now resides in a refurbished bank vault that used to be a Bank of Montreal, making it feel super precious. Another fun part of the night was the interactive games the museum has to offer. There are trivia and news rooms, but my favourite was the shootout where you could select a goalie and take your shot! On the other side you could also play as the goalie. 

Shooting game. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

If the aim of the event was to create an “experience” then I would say that it was a success! It remains to be seen if I will be going back for the next OVERTIME event, but I will go back to the Hockey Hall of Fame Museum to learn more!

The next OVERTIME will take place on November 28, 2019 and this time the theme is Kickin’ Country, so for those of you looking to ride a mechanical bull it looks like there is your chance! 

NO KIDS ALLOWED!

Museum Innovations | Keelan Cashmore

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If you have visited a museum recently, chances are you’ve seen a wide variety of programs dedicated to patrons under the age of the 18. These could include mommy and me events, holiday programs, summer camps, and more. Museums are striving to become inclusive spaces that provide fun for the whole family.

While this is great for families, especially those with young children, what about patrons who would prefer a kid-free experience?

More and more museums are developing events and programs geared to this demographic.

The Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) located in Victoria, British Columbia, holds four different types of adult only events.

One of the exhibits at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Source.

These are: night shift, grown-up camp, museum happy hour, and night at the museum.

Each event provides adults the chance to experience special programming designed just for them, free of children or underage teenagers.

Night shift is “an opportunity to visit the museum for an evening of presentations, live music, and exciting interaction with museum and community experts.” This event is held twice a year, on Halloween and New Years, and each event promotes a different theme.

Grown-up camp is defined as “a twist on nostalgic summer camp themes” and allows adults the chance to participate in either a day camp, or a sleepover camp, at the museum. This is a recurring event that takes places throughout the year.

Museum happy hour is an after-work event where adults can partake in new food and drink specials, explore the galleries, and take part in themed activities. Like grown-up camp, this is a recurring event throughout the year.

The final adults only event, is entitled Night at the Museum – Adults Only! This is a recurring sleepover camp strictly for those of legal age. Event activities include "food, drinks, and adventurous thematic-themed excursions throughout the museum.”

Each of these activities allows adults to get involved in the museum, while providing them with fun and entertainment. Who said kids are the only ones who should have entertaining programs?

This idea of adult only events has been picking up speed within the museum community. The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) in Edmonton, Alberta, recently reopened, has also included adult only events in their programming with the development of “Evening at the Museum” where those 18+ can relax with food, drinks, music, and a relaxed atmosphere.

One of the exhibits at the Royal Alberta Museum. Source.

Traditional institutions are not the only places integrating adults only events. The Telus Spark in Calgary, Alberta, hosts their “Adult Only Night” once a month from 6:00pm-10:00pm. During this night, patrons receive free reign in the galleries, a fully licensed bar, a dance floor, more involved challenges, and innovative collaborators from around the community.

One of the exhibits at the Telus Spark. Source.

Some children’s museums are even partaking in the adults only trend. The Manitoba Children’s Museum, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has launched a series of events entitled “Seriously Adult.” The event includes opening the museum after hours, providing a fully licensed bar, and special events such as comedy or trivia nights. It also allows the adults to fully interact with the exhibits without the worry of small children underfoot. Proceeds from these events are used to increase museum revenue, as they receive only 14% of their funding from the government. Lisa Dziedic, the museum’s Marketing Director, states that the return on the adults only events has been higher than those from fundraising galas, special event dinners, and golf tournaments (source).

The exhibit area at the Manitoba Children's Museum. Source.

Overall, it seems adults only events are taking the museum by storm! Not only are they providing adults with a chance to explore the museum without children underfoot, they are bringing revenue into the museum by providing this demographic with programming tailored specifically to them.

As an individual who falls within this demographic, I think adults only events are a fantastic way to provide patrons with a new way to experience museums, and I look forward to partaking in some of these events myself!