INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN: JULY 2021

Internship Check-in | Jingshu Helen Yao

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For July's internship check-in, I got in touch with Beatrice Hunter, who is currently working at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte, Ontario, and Sarah Cavaliere, who is interning with the Association of Nova Scotia Museums (ANSM).

1. Beatrice Hunter and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum

Beatrice was surprised to find out about the location of the Mississippi River in Ontario Canada, and the museum itself is situated about 30 minutes away from Ottawa. Although Beatrice is currently working remotely as a research assistant, she will be traveling to Almonte in a few weeks to continue this internship in-person.

 

Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte, Ontario | Flickr

The main task for Beatrice’s position is to establish a historical timeline of mills and woolen mills in the Mississippi Valley by consulting primary and secondary research documents. [rearranged] She is responsible for organizing her findings into an Excel spreadsheet and coding the data. Later on, when she is on site, she will collaborate with the volunteers at the museum to create a research binder. [reworded]

What most intrigues Beatrice about her role at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum is the working class aspect of Canadian history that she gets to explore.

“Since I began working in the museum profession as a volunteer, most of the history I've gotten to explore and interpret has been [that of] upper-class Canadians,” Beatrice explained. “This project dealt with working class Canadians, which I was very interested in.” She has been able to apply research skills, collaborative skills, and especially critical analysis skills to produce accurate research accessible for the public.

Artifact on Display in Mississippi Valley Textile Museum | Flickr

Beatrice found this opportunity through Symplicity, the internship recruitment platform provided by iSchool. She had applied for a dozen positions and didn’t think that the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum would consider her due to her having aspirations in a different area of the museum field than the position encompassed. However, she was thrilled to be offered this opportunity and to connect with various museum professionals during her work. Thus, she would like to suggest other emerging museum professionals approaching the internship course to be open to any opportunities, even when they aren’t aligned with your exact career goal.

“You will get to meet some really wonderful people who are very supportive and empathetic and generally really fun to talk to,” Beatrice said. “The skills you learned will be transferable.”



2. Sarah Cavaliere and the Association of Nova Scotia Museums (ANSM)

Sarah found out about the internship through the emails sent by the Careers Office at the iSchool. Cold-emailing was also a strategy that she took during the job searching process. She specifically reached out to institutions that were affiliated with the university for student internship opportunities.

 

Association of Nova Scotia Museums (ANSM) | LAMNS

Sarah described ANSM as a small organization. Therefore, her role involved many different aspects of the museum’s operation, where collections and educational programming were the main focus.

“I work with the Association’s 56 member museums’ databases, and I also create educational resources based on the collections to be posted on ANSM’s collections website, novamuse.ca,” Sarah stated. “For my collections work, I have been doing a lot of data cleaning and entry. I go through each site’s database, where I merge duplicated donor records as well as ensure that data has been entered consistently. I’m also working with a subject matter expert from the community to help enrich the descriptions and object histories recorded in the museums’ object records. Most recently, I’ve started working with the collections management system’s IT person to develop new features for the database’s condition reporting function.”

Sarah's work also involves the creation of diverse educational activities.

“I have been selecting photographs of the museums’ objects from novamuse.ca and turning them into colouring pages to add to the website, and I have also been creating object-based lesson plans for teachers in Nova Scotia to use with their students,” she explained. “So far, I have created a math/social studies lesson about the Canadian census, a math/art project about patchwork quilts, an art project about hooked rugs, and an English Language Arts/French assignment about samplers. I’ve been having a lot of fun with them!”

Example of Sarah’s work. Screenshot courtesy of Sarah Cavaliere.

Sarah believed that the different roles she took up during the internship gave her the opportunity to learn about diverse aspects of museum professions, as well as to gain insights that will benefit her in future career.

“My position combines my two major interests – collections and educational programming – which was not something I expected to be able to find,” Sarah said. “Being able to work in both of my interest areas has helped me understand the things I like best about both.”

“Even though I haven’t been able to physically handle any collections, I’ve discovered that I enjoy data entry more than I expected to.” Elaborating on her experience with the two separate subfields, Sarah concluded the following: “My internship projects have also confirmed my ideas that my passion in the museum field lies in creating collections-based educational programming for schools.”

Similarly to Beatrice, Sarah worked from home for her internship. She had originally hoped to live in Halifax for the summer, but was forced to change her plans due to the new restrictions in May.

“As disappointing as that was, the best part of working from home is how convenient it is. Everything I need is always really close at hand and, instead of commuting, I can spend that time on other things. And, best of all, I can still play with my cat on my breaks!” Sarah said when I asked about the disadvantages and advantages of her online internship. “One of the biggest challenges of working from home, though, has been achieving a good work-life balance. It’s easy to feel like I’m constantly in intern-mode, since there isn’t much of a boundary between where I work and where I do other things. The time difference between the GTA and Halifax has also been a bit of a learning curve. Halifax is only an hour ahead of Toronto, but sometimes it takes more mental gymnastics than I expected to translate the times my co-workers mention in meetings and emails!”

Sarah’s workspace at home (feat. Leo)

Lastly, Sarah gave the following suggestions to future students: “Don’t be afraid to take chances! I almost didn’t apply to the position I’m working in now since it seemed like a big risk to do my internship somewhere I’m unfamiliar with. I am so glad that I decided to take a chance on ANSM – it has turned out to be an incredible experience!”

 

AUGUST INTERNSHIP CHECK-IN

Internship Check-In | Annie McCarron

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For August I got to chat with Jaime and Hanna, who are both completing their internships remotely from Toronto.


Jaime Meier is completing her internship with a Professor in the Drama and Performing Arts Department within the University of Toronto.


AM: Tell me a bit about the work you are doing for your internship this summer?


Jaime: My internship transitioned from a work study I completed in the fall. The Professor I am working with focuses on 17th century Indigenous and French relations in regards to performance. I have done a lot of work with 17th C. Indigenous accounts and explorers, so it tied in well with my knowledge. The Professor had grant money to go to Paris and do research in the archives for a book. Due to COVID19 we had to make changes to our summer plans so this summer has been finding other things to do. Instead of cancelling the internship my supervisor has found other things for me to do. A lot of my work has been with copyright and image permissions which is something that I wanted to learn about. Having worked in museums before, when they are developing exhibitions I have heard about the challenges around image permissions and rights, and the price of using these images. This summer I have been trying to figure out what images to use, working with different institutions across the world. It has provided me with a case study in copyright and permission in different places. In Canada and the U.S. it can be very expensive, from $60 to well over $100. In France and the U.K. it is more like 5 euro/pounds or no licensing fee at all. It's been interesting to see how they treat academics. In Europe, even though it's commercial, they know it's for use in something academic and for the public so they charge less. They just want a small amount to keep their institution going or a free copy of the book with the images in it when the professor is done and that’s all they expect. I have looked at images from institutions in Toronto that the rights are well over 100 dollars! My supervisor gave me a list of images but I have gotten to help curate the final selection for the book, I help to decide which ones end up in the book and where they go. If it will be a full image, or in black and white or in colour. I have a great supervisor who trusts me.


I have also done a lot of transcription work, taking French documents and writing them up. It's really strange looking at old French from the 17th c. it's really different, it can sometimes look like typos but I just transcribe it as I see it. It's been great also working on my French skills as I have always wanted that experience.


AM: What’s something useful that you have learned from your internship? 

Unicorn of the Red Sea, n.d. Photo courtesy of  Louis Nicolas Life & Work

Jaime: I liked hunting down an image and almost negotiating for the rights. I think this skill will help me with my work with museums. I know copyright can be really stressful and I did not have a lot of experience in it, but now I feel a lot more confident when people ask me what they can do with certain images. Even for my own work, knowing the limits of what you can do with an image is extremely useful.


AM: What is the main focus of the images you are researching?


Jaime: We are doing research looking at Indigenous performance and ceremonies, how it has been recorded by Jesuit missionaries, and how it has influenced European forms of dance. We have been working with members of the Haudenosaunee community to make sure we are not crossing any boundaries since we are talking about their ceremonies and we don't want to include anything that we shouldn't. We ran into this issue where we almost included a sacred ceremony that they did not want included, because it was never supposed to be recorded. So we have taken that out and we are working with the community to see what they want. The last thing we want to do is perpetuate what the Jesuits did and just record anything and everything.


AM: Do you have any  interesting images you have found through through your research you can share with us?

Jaime: Unicorn of the Red Sea by Louis Nicolas. The context is when he was in "New France" the Jesuit Missionary Louis Nicolas recorded hundreds of animals and plants and then threw in a unicorn, and claimed to have seen the unicorn with his own eyes!

AM: Have you encountered any challenges in your work?


Jaime: I find working from home extremely challenging, I like being able to work from a different space or with someone else. It's nice that I have flexible work hours, but it's hard to stay focused at home because you can’t escape other work and chores. I also miss the camaraderie of office spaces. My supervisor is amazing but it would be nice to see people everyday and check-in.

Hanna Schacter is currently doing her summer internship at the Ontario Jewish Archives and the Neuburger Holocaust Education Centre.


AM: Tell me a bit about the work you are doing for your internship this summer?


Hanna: I am working for two institutions, the Ontario Jewish Archives and the Nueberger Holocaust Centre. I have been working on three different projects, one for the Ontario Jewish Archives and two for the Holocaust Centre. I am enrolled in the Collaborative Specialization in Jewish Studies, and as part of those requirements I needed to do my internship at a Jewish Institution. I had solidified an internship in early March, before the pandemic and luckily they were able to keep me as an intern.


For the Ontario Jewish Archives, I am working through creating a digital version of their Stories of Spadina Walking Tour. The tour has been run for over 40 years since the 1970s and tells the Jewish History of Kensington Market and the early settlement of Jewish people in Toronto and the surrounding areas. I started by reviewing the content of the tour, as well as looking at other digital tours to see what was out there and what would work for us. I got to interview the 5 amazing tour guides who have been doing the tours for years. I had a list of questions that I asked to gain their insight. From there I took all that information and thought about the common themes. Then I developed what I think will work on the digital version. Now we are waiting for tour guides to write different sections of the stops and I have been going through the Ontario Jewish Archives and the Toronto Star archives to find pictures to go along with the digital stops. From my work this summer I discovered that I love working with archival collections and looking at old pictures.


For the Neuberger Holocaust Centre I am doing research on young professional programming. They currently have a great young professional program unlike any other institution, and I have been gathering information to see how other places have been handling similar programming during COVID19, and what sort of changes they have made to online.


For my third project I am doing some collection development for the Neuberger Holocaust Centre. They have plans to open a new physical museum in the future, so I have been going through their archives to see what exhibiting content there is that is useful, the interpretive elements available, and what common themes they cover. I am also researching other holocaust museums and what they cover, what pieces and artifacts they use to tell stories. This project has been more on hold because of COVID19, as I have not been able to talk to as many people and conduct the necessary research due to the pandemic.



AM: What are you most excited to accomplish?


Hanna: For my exhibition project in the fall I will actually be able to continue with the walking tour that I am doing and continuing working through it, it will be great because I get to see what it will become. I would love to do some user testing once the website is launched and also make some educational resources to go along with the tour. I have really enjoyed doing the research for it and finding the archival materials, I get really fascinated looking at old photos and I love Kensington Market too. It is a place that I have grown up going and now get to learn about the Jewish history of it too. It has been a home to so many different commutes and still is.



AM: Any advice for future people in your position?


Hanna: For anyone taking on a remote internship, I would say communicate — a lot. I regret not communicating more at certain times. I think also that you should never be afraid to ask for help! I have also learned more technical stuff about archives, and I have become a better researcher throughout this internship. I have had an amazing supervisor who is an archivist at the OJA. We have weekly calls checking in and seeing where I am at, she has been very helpful especially if I am unsure if something is useful or not, I will present to her and she will give me great feedback about my work.


AM: What skills have you employed from classwork?


Hanna: I took the User Experience for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museum course and it is always in the back of my mind now, whenever I do anything for the public. Even at the start, doing research about different walking tours I am constantly thinking about the users, what are their needs, ease of use, site accessibility issues. I also took the Public Programming and Education course, where we learned about tours and the different elements to set up a tour. Certain questions to keep in mind: what are we learning here? What is our theme? These helped guide my research for the walking tours.


AM: Any interesting stories from the walking tours you would like to share? 

Augusta Fruit Market, August 1956.

 Ontario Jewish Archives, accession 2006-1-3

Hanna: The tour guides told me that everyone has a fish in the bath story. Before Shabbat people would buy fish and they didn’t have anywhere to keep it but their bathtub. Someone had a story where they were about to hop in the bath and there was a fish. I liked this story because I think it conveys the hustle and bustle of how Kensington Market is. Not sure how true the story is but it is something that has been passed along.

AM: What interesting facts have you learned?


Hanna: I have learned some interesting institutional history about organizations that the Jewish Community have established that still live on. On Cecil Street the Jewish old folks home was established in the early 1900s, which is now Baycrest Centre. Places have moved out of the Kensington Market area but are still going strong and serving the community. I have always felt that being Jewish you care for your community, and that was so true with everyone coming here to Toronto, and establishing themselves, and helping each other when they got here. These stories of care and serving the community are well documented within the archives.

THE UNFAIR ULTIMATUM: UNPAID LABOUR OR NO EXPERIENCE

GLAM Gets Mindful | Melissa Mertsis

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In a call for transparency early last year, a spreadsheet was started by Michelle Millar Fisher and colleagues at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, highlighting the salaries of museum and art workers from around the world. The importance of this conversation was inspired by Kimberly Rose Drew, who only realized she was being underpaid at The Met because of the openness of her colleagues to share information about their compensation. The spreadsheet has now reached over 3000 entries, sharing museum and art workers' salaries from all around the world. This initiative has helped in opening up an extremely important discussion — what is our labour worth?

Courtesy of Melissa Mertsis.

In the arts and culture sector, especially as students, we are all too familiar with the most unfortunate ultimatum — you either are willing to work for free, or you risk not gaining enough experience to eventually get a job. At the University of Toronto, internships are heavily emphasized by the Faculty and alumni as being integral to the success of Museum Studies students. The part that is not as openly advertised is that most internships are unpaid. Although some financial support is offered by the Faculty, students are essentially expected to commit full-time hours to an institution for zero compensation, with the internship being "for credit" considered sufficient payment. Since students are paying for their own tuition, we are essentially paying out of pocket to gain experience so we have even a slight chance of employment after graduation.

Courtesy of Melissa Mertsis.

ARTNews shared an article about how museum workers can "Just Say No" to unpaid interns, including refraining from reposting ads for unpaid internships or donating funds to needs-based internships. For students, "Just Saying No" is not an option. The museum sector is one that is heavily based on experience and networking, and for students, we don't really get this exposure until we get to this stage in our education. Passing up an opportunity to work for a reputable institution, for reputable folks, in a department that you really enjoy, just because it's unpaid would entirely be seen as a mistake.

At this point, some people may still be thinking that an internship is a privilege, and students should be grateful for the experience, whether or not it's paid. Trust us — we are — but we also have other entirely financial things to worry about. For example, the living wage in Toronto as of November 2019 was $22, with an average rent cost of $2103 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. This year, tuition for the Museum Studies program is $12,038.65 with a post-secondary TTC pass ringing in at $128.15 a month, and a single round-trip GO fare charging around $10-12 a trip from most places in the GTA to campus. A student at Western University described her internship as a choice between gaining experience or making rent, painting an entirely negative picture of interning and the working world.

Courtesy of Melissa Mertsis.

If you currently work in a gallery, museum, or other institution, there are a few steps you can take towards promoting fair labour. First, and arguably the easiest, is to pay your interns. If it's not in your institution's budget, take some time to explore grant opportunities like the Summer Experience Program; a small amount of paperwork for you means that your intern can afford rent this month. You can also use this checklist created by the Ontario Nonprofit Network to see how your institution fares in providing decent work, and hopefully recognize that doing the bare minimum is not sufficient anymore. Take some time to review this research report titled "Interrogating Institutional Practices in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion," and pay special attention to the concept that not paying your interns entirely excludes candidates that simply cannot afford to work for free. You can also read this community forum (created by Faculty of Information PhD students!) speaking about how contract positions and unstable work in the museum sector contributes to poor mental health and security.

Courtesy of Melissa Mertsis.

The unfair ultimatum — either work for free or gain absolutely no employable experience — is toxic to student mental health and well-being, and promotes accepting inappropriate compensation for your labour. If we start students in the workforce thinking that their efforts and contributions aren't worth any money, we can only expect unlivable wages and unfair working conditions to continue — and we, the students, think this is no longer acceptable.

INVENTORYING, EXHIBITION BUILDING, AND STAYING WARM IN COLLECTIONS

Internship Check-In | Joanna Wreakes

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Welcome back to another edition of Internship Check-In! Today’s column takes us across the country from Saskatchewan to Ontario with 4 interviews. Keep reading to see what MMSt students have been up to this summer!

Sam Richardson: The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum, Oshawa, ON

Julie Suh: Heritage Services, City of Richmond Hill, ON

Matthew Dominico: Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto, ON

Ally Forand: Western Development Museum (WDM), Saskatoon, SK

Doorway details at the Hockey Hall of Fame, where one of our interns is spending their summer. Source.

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your internship role. 

Sam: My name is Sam Richardson, and for my summer internship I am working as an assistant curator at the Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum in Oshawa, Ontario. My responsibilities are typical of an assistant curator, like making exhibits, giving tours, and helping people with research, but those “other duties as assigned” come up a lot too.

Julie: Hi, I am Julie! I am currently working at the City of Richmond Hill’s Heritage Services as a Curatorial Attendant. I am on the Collections team within the Heritage Services. I mostly manage the City’s Heritage, Sports Hall of Fame, Public Art, and Archaeological collections. Besides the collections management, I also assist with exhibition planning and installations.

Matthew: Hey guys, my name is Matthew Dominico and I am completing my internship at the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. I work in the exhibitions department as a researcher and writer for upcoming exhibits. The department is small but it is directly responsible for everything that goes on display within the museum from full size exhibits to individual artifacts.

Ally: I’m Ally, and I am working as a collections assistant at the Western Development Museum (WDM) in Saskatoon, SK.

Julie at work with the City of Richmond Hill's Heritage Service. Photo courtesy of Julie Suh.

 What is a typical day like at your institution? 

Sam: There is no such thing as a “typical day” at this museum, and that is exactly what I like about it. My day can range from exciting to mundane and back again. In the morning, I could be helping the head curator install a new exhibit on the War in Afghanistan. After lunch, I could be suiting up in waterproof gear to hose down a Soviet Cold War tank for a movie shoot. On the odd occasion, I may even drive something. And after that, I could be helping someone find out what Grandpa did in the Second World War.

Julie: Since there are two other Curatorial Attendants whom I work with, we all take turns in our rotating job stations. So, my duties vary every day. But mostly, I start my day by logging onto a computer, open PastPerfect and database artifacts (many artifacts!). Then in the afternoon, I would sometimes catalogue or take professional photographs of artifacts or plan/install exhibitions.

Matthew: I begin my day at the Hall by checking the museum floor. I take a walk around every case and display making sure that all of the lights are on, the artifacts are still in place, and the captions are straight and properly secured. If I find anything out of place in the case, I simply open it up and fix it. I then begin work on whatever project I happen to be working on. We have a number of exhibits currently planned that I am in the process of researching and writing for so it just depends on which one I feel like working on right away. I continue to work on that during the day, switching exhibits from time to time. I also complete any small tasks that my boss asks me to do. Around 4pm I pack up my stuff and head home.

Ally: Most days I am inventorying artifacts, which includes photographing, describing and reporting on their description. Since the WDM is so collaborative every day is a little different. For instance, I worked with the curatorial and marketing department to write an article about my work! Also, this past week I have worked with the exhibition team to install “The Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project” exhibit.

Matthew with arguably the most well-known artifact at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Matthew Dominico.

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

Sam: With how unpredictable each day can be, I have learned to let nothing surprise me about this
job. I take everything in stride as it happens, go with the flow, and see where the excitement takes me.

Julie: The fact that my supervisor, the Collections Supervisor, is a part-time staff who only works 22 hours a week when myself and two other Curatorial Attendants work full time surprised me the most. This was not only surprising but also worrisome as it indicates fewer stable (full-time) cultural heritage jobs in municipalities.

Matthew: Being that this is my second time working with this department, not too much has surprised me. I guess the sheer amount of work that goes into building an exhibit from the ground up is something that always surprises me. Even when it is simply switching out teams in a particular showcase, the effort to really make the exhibit memorable is something that I relish doing because the impact is immediate when you see a fan taking it all in.

Ally: I was surprise by the degree of teamwork at the WDM! Since the institution is on the smaller size you know what people are working on and they are more than willing to share their knowledge with you.

Was Ally transported to the 1910's?! Nope! She is strolling down the Boom Town exhibit at the WDM. Photo courtesy of Ally Forand. 

What are you excited about accomplishing throughout your internship? 

Sam: I am excited to finally finish up an exhibit on military badges that I have had to put off for over a year because of constant delays. There are 219 badges to go in that exhibit and finishing it will be immensely satisfying.

Julie: Digitizing artifacts on PastPerfect was something that I have not had a chance to learn in school. Learning how to use PastPerfect makes me feel like a real “emerging museum professional.” I am also excited to plan and install an exhibition from the ground up for a community centre in Richmond Hill at the end of the summer.

Matthew: The project I am most excited about finishing is the Stanley Cup Vault renovation project. The Hockey Hall of Fame is partially housed inside the old Bank of Montreal building at Yonge and Front. The historic bank holds the honoured members plaques and the NHL’s individual trophies. It also holds hockey’s holy grail, the original Stanley Cup bowl. The bowl is kept in the old bank vault which was last renovated in 1993, the year the Hall opened downtown. This summer I will be working on the revitalization of that vault and I am very excited to get started.

Ally: The accomplishment I am most proud of during my internship is gaining technical skills to accompany the academic knowledge I am learning from the MMSt program. I think these skills are acquired with time, but I cannot imagine a better place to learn them or better role models to shadow.

Sam at his internship labelling military badges for installation in a future exhibition. Photo courtesy of Sam Richardson.

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


Sam: Be prepared to “mount up and move out” for anything on the job and see where it takes you.

Julie: It is such a cliche but don’t be afraid! Just explore, try, and ask everything and anything you would like to learn. Another word of wisdom: bring your thickest winter cardigan. Artifact storage is SUPER cold and gets colder as summer weather heats up. I mean a colder storage room is better for artifacts and we all want to create the ultimate environmental conditions for artifacts, right?

Matthew: I would have to say to anyone coming into a similar position as me, to be open to doing everything. Making yourself invaluable is the best thing you can do in this kind of work because it shows that you are willing to do whatever is required of you and more. You just never know where these jobs will take you.

Ally: I recommend taking chances, which is scary because you are an emerging professional, but now is the time to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and grow. You’ll be a better person and professional for it.

The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

NWT OR BUST: A CROSS COUNTRY ROADTRIP

Weekend Edition | Michelle Wright and Caroline Kaszar

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Heading out on a road trip is no small decision. Luckily I was not alone, but with my good friend Caroline Kaszar! Caroline and I meet first day of classes and have been friends ever since, we were even roommates on the Montreal trip. Eight days on the road with someone who you are not sure if you are going to love or hate by the end is kind of a nerve-racking thing. We are not doing this trip for nothing. Both of us have been accepted to an internship at the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre (NLMCC) in the Northwest Territories, in a small town of 2500 people called Fort Smith. Being so small the flights are very expensive, so we decided to do the 4,661 km drive together. Our stops? Ashland, WI, USA, Winnipeg, MB, Saskatoon, SK, Calgary, AB, High Level, AB, Fort Smith, NWT. Roughly 48 hours over 8 days. Here we go!

Heading out on the Road, ON. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

TORONTO to ASHLAND to WINNIPEG

We decided that the longest days should be at the start when we are freshest. Our goal was 10 and a half hours to Ashland, WI, USA. Apparently, it was a little faster to go through the States but lets also face it - gas is cheaper there. Honestly didn’t see much, other then the bald eagle literally 5 minutes after the boarder. Ashland was basically the middle point, but it was very pretty on Lake Superior. We had a night in a hotel and then drove to Winnipeg the next day to meet up with Sam Kilpatrick, who after recently graduating has gotten an awesome job at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).

WINNIPEG

Let’s just say Winnipeg was not our city. Picture this: The night we get there, Caroline and I getting ready for bed, me on the phone with my parents, a knock on the door, enter Sam in a towel, asking if we have a first aid kit. She was changing her razor and sliced off the tip of her finger!! We bandaged her up and went to bed… So we started the next day by trying to redress Sam’s wound but let’s just say the blood had clotted to the bandage so time to go to the doctor. They said we did a good job bandaging but just needed some Polysporin. Caroline and I had an awesome breakfast at Stella’s, and googled which museums were open and we settled upon the exhibit on Winnie the Pooh (who was from Winnipeg), so we drove out and guess what… it was under construction. We went and had lunch at the Forks Market, but we couldn’t walk along the river because it was flooded! We then decided to drive out to the middle of Canada. The middle of Canada is just a big sign in the middle of no where, but it is technically the longitudinal middle point of the country. After this we decided to go to the zoo as it was such a nice day, we looked for the Winnie the Pooh Statue but found out it had moved to the park and went to get our photos. For those of you that don’t know about the origins of Winnie check out the link here.

Centre of Canada, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Winnie the Pooh Statue, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Sam Kilpatrick.Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

WINNIPEG to SASKATOON


Lastly, we decided to go to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in the morning before heading to Saskatoon. Because we had limited time we decided to do a tour and it was well worth it! I feel like we saw everything. There are seven floors, each with their own themes, so if anyone is going give yourself lots of time! I was very impressed by the architecture and the various stones used representing different things, for example the alabaster-clad ramps or the basalts in the reflection area. Both of these stones I recognized from my time in Europe and I was interested to learn that the basalts are found on every continent, making them a good representation of something that connects us all. We left around noon and drove on to Saskatoon where we met up with another friend from the program… Ally Forand!

Canadian Museum of Human Rights, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Alabaster ramp inside the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

SASKATOON to CALGARY

Since it was a short drive to Calgary we stayed in the morning to visit where Ally at her internship, the Western Development Museum (WDM). The WDM is similar to an indoor Black Creek Pioneer Village. I found out Caroline has a fear of mannequins, but I like when museums do this type of representation, although at times they can be creepy. After a lovely lunch in the museum’s restaurant we said goodbye to Ally and drove on. We made it to Natalie Heaton’s house! That is something I am very thankfully to our program for giving me all these amazing friends.

The Western Development Museum, Saskatoon, SK. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

CALGARY

We took the day off and wonderful Nat did the driving for us. She took us to Banff and up to see Lake Louise, which Caroline had never been too. On the way, Nat suggested we get a canoe... It never occurred to us that the lake could still be frozen! So no canoe for us. It was still a fun day and maybe if we have time on the way back we will make another stop. It would be worth it to visit the hot springs again too!

Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, AB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

CALGARY to HIGH LEVEL to FORT SMITH

We officially crossed the 60th Parallel line and made it into the Northwest Territories! We did stop at the Twin Falls, stopped for some sun tanning on the beach in Hay River, and we saw seven bears along the way and one bison! (To clarify it is a Wood Bison up here, not a Plains Bison) He was just chilling on the side of the road, perfect for photos but we said if he gets up, drive!

Once we arrived we found out that if we had left one day later we would not have made it. A massive fire blocked the roads and High Level was evacuated. Although the fire was put out, we have learned what to do in case of an evacuation. Wish us luck that we are not!

Latitudinal line crossing into the North, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Alexandra Falls, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Wood Bison, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

That’s it for now! At least until we have to drive home…

Along Highway 5, somewhere in NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Along Highway 5, somewhere in NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

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.