Alberta Museums Association Conference

 

There are many things within the museum sector that we do not talk about, and many that we have talked about for years, but have taken little action on. Challenges in museum management and operations — such as financial stability, succession management, deaccessioning, storage and space issues, and dissolution and closure — are often considered too contentious to discuss. There are also the stories that museums do not tell; the artifacts that museums do not display; the multiple viewpoints that are not shared; and the questions asked by the public that museums do not know how to answer. It is about time we face our fears and challenge our perspectives to be courageous leaders capable of making real change in our museums and our communities.

The 2012 AMA Conference will be a catalyst for original research that will bolster the knowledge and skills available to museums in all stages of organizational life as they confront sustainability challenges and start having those crucial conversations that keep our organizations nimble and vital.

• When

• Thursday, September 20, 2012 - Saturday, September 22, 2012
  
  

• Where

• Sheraton Red Deer Hotel
  3310.50 Avenue
  Red Deer, Alberta T4N 3X9
  403.346.2091
  
  
  For more information or to register, please visit www.museums.ab.ca
  
  
  
  

AMA Pre- Conference Workshops

 

The 2012 Alberta Museums Association Conference sessions will tackle the difficult topics facing Alberta’s museums in order to address the challenges of organizational sustainability. To begin this year’s Conference experience, the AMA is pleased to present three high quality Pre-Conference Workshops, which provide a hands-on, practical learning experience.
Strategic Planning 101: The Development
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
$95
Kerry Wood Nature Centre
Jim Cullen, Principal, W. Jim Cullen Consulting Services, Calgary.
Strategic planning has become a standard practice of most non-profit organizations and is a mandated requirement of many grantors and accreditation organizations. This workshop will take you step-by-step through a broad strategic planning framework that is tailored to museums and will provide opportunities to discuss and troubleshoot your own particular challenges.


Strategic Planning 201: The Implementation
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
$95
Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery
Gail Anderson, Consultant, Gail Anderson and Associates, Novato, California, USA.
You have developed your strategic plan, now how do you implement it? How do you connect strategy to operations? Understand the pitfalls and learn about the keys to success for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating your organization’s strategic plan. Please bring a copy of your strategic plan for this session.


Financial Management and Planning 101
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
$ 60
Norwegian Laft Hus
Stella Penner, Certified General Accountant and Partner, Thompson, Penner & Lo, Calgary.
Join us for this workshop on the best financial practices for small not-for-profit organizations. We will discuss the tools you should be incorporating into your institution to manage and reflect your finances. We will also look at how finances can be used as a basis for longer-term planning and as a way to tell the ‘story’ of your organization. 
Fort more information and to register, please visit www.museums.ab.ca

Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)

Here is a fun resource that allows you to explore Canada's history and culture from the comfort of your home!! (The information presented in this blog post was retrieved from www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca)

Explore Canada’s rich history and culture in the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC). You will find virtual exhibits and interactive learning resources on numerous subjects, created by Canadian museums and galleries. You will also discover local history exhibits that capture exciting Canadian community memories, drawn from the collections of small museums and local memories and treasures.

virtualmuseum.ca is your definitive online resource for Canada's museums and their collections. It's a unique space featuring over 600 virtual exhibits, nearly 1 million images, and a wealth of engaging multimedia content. Dive into a world of arts, science, and history and explore our stories as told by Canadian museums.

Enter your Canadian museum space.

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp

2012 Material Culture Institute Symposium in Edmonton

The 2012 Material Culture Institute Symposium will take place at the University of Alberta on May 4, 2012.  The Symposium will address fascinating issues related to the material culture of (dis)ability, including museum experiences and other.   

Speakers include;

1. Patrick Devlieger (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium)
2. Rebecca McGinnis (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
3. Danielle Peers & Lindsay Eales (University of Alberta, Edmonton)
4. Caroline Lieffers (Independent Scholar, Edmonton)

More information and registration forms can be found at www.materialculture.ualberta.ca 

Summer Positions at Heritage Park

Heritage Park is now accepting resumes for upcoming summer positions.  Work at one of the most interesting and rewarding places in Fort McMurray. 

For more information, visit Heritage Park's Facebook page.  

Percolate 2012: Edmonton based speaker series:

The following information was found in the Edmonton Arts Council's Weekly e-newsletter. If you would like to be added to the mailing list please click on the following link: http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Subscribe.aspx?m=5816


Brewing ideas with… Leading minds in the fields of Arts, Heritage and Cultural Management

Presenting partners the Alberta Museums Association, Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Heritage Council and MacEwan University are pleased to announce the return of the popular arts & cultural speaker series in 2012, an exploration of sustainability in the fields of arts, heritage and cultural management.

Percolate. Brewing ideas with…
February 6, 2012 | Douglas McLennan
Liquid Culture | The Importance of Fluid Relationships to Artists & Cultural Organizations
Douglas McLennan, founder and editor of ArtsJournal, will explore how the digital revolution is transforming the arts.

March 14, 2012 | Kelly Hill
Towards A Better Understanding of Arts in the Alberta Economy & Society
Founder and president of Hill Strategies Research, Hill will present a research-based view of the role of arts and culture in Alberta’s economy and society.

April 18, 2012 | Lois H. Silverman
The Social Work of Museums
Museum scholar and author provides a unique look at the role of how museum resources are being directed to meet human needs and engage with community social service.

Free tickets and series subscriptions are available at TIX on the Square
Call 780.420.1757, or visit in person at 9930 - 102 Ave on Sir Winston Churchill Square

All events take place at:
Matrix Hotel, 10640-100 Ave
6:30 pm - doors open /cash bar
7:00 pm - presentation followed by moderated Q&A, reception to follow

>> Check Percolate site for details...

Alberta Culture and Community Services: calling on all museums and archives

Alberta Culture and Community Services is currently in the preliminary stages of developing a website exploring the rich and diverse history of Alberta’s energy resources. The website will seek to engage Albertans on one of the essential aspects of our shared history by focusing on compelling visuals and narratives, attending to the human story of energy resource development, and emphasizing photographic, documentary, artifact, and multi-media collections. 

The areas to be explored include conventional oil, natural gas, oil sands, coal, and premodern / alternate forms of energy. The website will rely heavily on multimedia elements. As such, Alberta Culture and Community Services is calling on all museums and archives that might have relevant artifact / image / oral history / video / audio etc. collections. They are also interested in any “leads” on people that might have relevant collections and/or could be interviewed for the project. The site will profile communities and people throughout Alberta with connections to the energy resource industries and will be integrated into the Alberta curriculum, so this represents an excellent opportunity for museums and archives to promote their collections. 

If you have relevant collections or wish to discuss this further, please contact: 

Matthew Wangler 

Manager, Historic Places Research and Designation Program 

Alberta Culture and Community Services 

Historic Resources Management Branch 

8820-112 Street 

Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 

Tel: (780) 438-8503 (toll-free by first dialing 310-0000) 

Fax: (780) 427-5598

Museums and the Web 2012 Conference

Annual Museums and The Web conference registration now open

Join museum professionals from around the world at Museums and the Web 2012 conference (MW2012). Join speakers from France, Australia, The Netherlands, Norway, The UK, Germany, Korea, Greece, Italy and Singapore (to name a few) for the largest international conference devoted to the exploration of art, science, natural and cultural heritage online.  The conference will be held in San Diego, April 11-14, 2012. 

Museums and the Web is an annual conference exploring the social, cultural, design, technological, economic, and organizational issues of culture, science and heritage on-line. Taking an international perspective, MW reviews and analyzes the issues and impacts of networked cultural, natural and scientific heritage – wherever the network may reach.

MW2012 is the largest international gathering of cultural and heritage technologists.  Museums and the Web conferences draw a diverse group of participants from many different professional groups in all types of museums, galleries, science centers, and other cultural and heritage institutions.

Regular registration rates apply when you register for Museums and the Web 2012 before Jan 31st, 2012; apply online now at www.museumsandthewed.com

The full schedule is online:

 www.museumsandtheweb.com/mw2012

Host a Canadian Conservation Institute Workshop

 

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) offers workshops for heritage organizations and associations both within Canada and internationally. Their goal is to help institutions build capacity in preserving and conserving the objects in their collections. 

Your institution or association is invited to submit an application to host a CCI workshop in your region for the 2012-13 fiscal year (April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013). Details about the workshops can be found at; www.cci-icc.gc.ca.  The cost to host the workshop is $500.00 and there are two available workshops for the British Columbia – Alberta region.

In addition, two regional workshops are available each year for Aboriginal communities and organizations. 

The Canadian Conservation Institute is committed to the ongoing development of specific modules based on expressed community needs, demand and research.  They hope that the support within the workshops will serve as valuable reference tools for participants when they return to their working environments.

If you wish to apply to host a workshop, please visit the Learning Opportunities section of the website. 

Deadline: January 13, 2012.   

Date of Workshops: Apr 1, 2012 - Mar 31, 2013

Canada's History Webinar

Canada’s History is excited to tell you about an upcoming webinar, designed especially for those of you who work in museums, archives, or other community heritage organizations.
Join them for a presentation by experienced heritage professionals, as they explore some of the most common issues and opportunities faced by heritage organizations today. The webinar will also provide you with a chance to interact with the guest presenter and to meet new colleagues from across the country — all from the comfort of your home or office!

On November 29 at 2:00pm, EST, museum curator Madeleine Callaghan will tell us about the Scarborough Museum's successful youth mentorship program in her presentation "Youth in Museums: Open the door and let 'em in."

The webinar is free, but space is limited. Visit www.Canadashistory.ca to register and reserve your spot today.

Join Madeleine as she takes you through their multi-year youth diversity project, made possible with funding from the Citizenship and Immigration Inter-Action Program. Youth new to Canada integrate with Canadian youth, and together do everything from performing historical theatre to working on photo projects inspired by the museum's collection. These experiences pave the way for youth to develop social and employability skills. Learn how one small museum is making an impact and how you can do the same.

Alberta Museums Association Employment Opportunity

Alberta Museums Association Program Lead
The Alberta Museums Association (AMA) is the provincial association of museums and museum professionals. We are regarded as a leader in the Canadian museum field for our innovative programming, publications, and services. The AMA leads, facilitate, and supports the province’s museums through professional consultation, career development opportunities, award-winning publications, and grants funding. We are excited to offer an employment opportunity for an organized, enthusiastic, and detail-oriented person interested in a full-time, one-year term position in the heritage and culture sector. Please note, this position is a maternity leave replacement.

Reporting to the Strategic Services Director, the basic duties of the position include:· Manage the delivery of courses for the Certificate in Museum Studies program
· Facilitate courses
· Manage the planning and delivery of the AMA Annual Conference
· Coordinate other AMA lead and partner-presented professional development opportunities
Qualifications / Competencies:Undergraduate degree and applicable certificate, diploma, or degree
Experience working in event planning and educational / professional development program coordination
Experience in a museum, arts, culture or non-profit organization
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to manage multiple priorities
Friendly with strong customer service skills and a commitment to life-long learning
Experience in a MS Office Suite environment, especially with MS Outlook, Word, and Excel
Good communication, organizational, interpersonal, and time-management skills
Confidentiality and discretion
Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative, team-based environment
A sense of humour
Driver’s License and acceptable Driver’s Abstract

Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Hours and Compensation Package: 37.5 hours per week. One-year maternity leave replacement.Competitive salary, details available on request. Includes access to benefits program, pension program, and professional development funds.

Closing Date: The competition will remain open until the position is filled; however, resumés will be reviewed starting Friday, November 18, 2011.

Please submit a cover letter and resumé by email, fax, or in person to:Crystal Willie, Strategic Services Director
Alberta Museums Association
Suite 404, 10408.124 Street – Edmonton, AB – T5N 1R5
F: 780.425.1679
E: cwillie@museums.ab.ca
* Further information about the position is available by email only, by request

For more information on the AMA, visit our website at: www.museums.ab.ca .The AMA thanks all applicants for their interest but only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

Vote for Marine Park Museum in Fort McMurray Alberta!

The Aviva Community Fund is hosting a competition that makes funds available of up to $1,000,000 to create positive change in communities across Canada.

Locally, the Marine Park Museum Project to revitalize the Clearwater River waterfront is competing to receive funding through this project. This project’s goal is to build a visitor center, which beautifies the neighborhood and reclaims an underused resource in our community. Once public facilities are in place, the community will have a second destination for school programs, tours and recreational activities.

If the Marine Park Museum Project receives enough votes, they will have a chance at sharing in the prize. You can vote for this project by clicking here!

Virtual Museum of Canada

The above image is a screen capture of the site.

Here is a rundown on a newly discoverd resource. I am currently taking an online course through Grant MacEwan University, and as part of our weekly learning modules my instructor often suggests great websites for further reading. This week she introduced us to Canada's Virtual Museum (VMC). It is an amazing interactive site that has something for everyone. Below I have copied some information from the various sections/resources on the website. To take a look for yourself click on the following link. I've also added it to the Canadian Cultural Resource list on the right hand side of this blog.

http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp

Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)

As an endless source of discoveries, virtualmuseum.ca is a unique interactive space that brings together Canadian museum collections and riches in a variety of thought-provoking and instructive contents. It’s your window on current museum news and your reference guide to plan your next outing. Enter your Canadian museum space.

Explore the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC)
Explore Canada’s rich history and culture in the Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC). You will find virtual exhibits and interactive learning resources on numerous subjects, created by Canadian museums and galleries. You will also discover local history exhibits that capture exciting Canadian community memories, drawn from the collections of small museums and local memories and treasures.

Image Gallery
The Image Gallery showcases thousands of artefacts, photos, paintings and objects from Canadian museums. Amongst others, it contains the works of the Group of Seven, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Emily Carr and many other great artists. Find images that match your interests and gain access to various and fascinating thematic associations.

Museums in Canada
Locate over 3,000 Canadian museums, pay them an online visit and find tourist information and cultural offers. Do you feel like shopping? Click on the online Boutique tab and browse through the Selections from Museums of Canada. These services are provided thanks to a partnership between CHIN and the Canadian Museums Association.

Teachers Centre
Simple, fun, fascinating and, above all, educational!
The Virtual Museum of Canada's new online learning centre is for teachers and students. It provides access to museum collections in the form of digital learning resources created by educators and museum professionals. It is trustworthy, bilingual and full of content from the fields of art, science, social studies, and more.

Teachers:Craft lesson plans by drawing from authoritative and copyright free texts, images, audio clips, animations and video clips of museums' treasures.

Students:You're invited to learn, create and interact with your teacher and classmates in this secure, moderated, and user-friendly domain.

Google Art Project

A few days ago my best friend forwarded me on this link to the google art project.

http://www.googleartproject.com/

It allows people to explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at amazing zoom levels and create and share your own collection of masterpieces. This might be an excellent reference for artists, students, and those with a general interest in art and art history.

Happy viewing!