Spring Workshop Series: Trauma-Informed Museum Practices

This training emphasizes various dimensions of trauma awareness in the research, acquisition/collection, curation, design, and delivery of museum exhibitions and other museological work. The workshop explores foundational considerations and skills required to reduce the risks of harm and increase emotional safety when staff (and visitors) interact with exhibitions that might provoke strong emotional reactions. The content includes the following themes: -What is trauma? -How is trauma connected to themes such as mental illness, addiction, and similar complex challenges? -What are the risks incurred by museums in developing, curating, collecting, and exhibiting content that is likely to provoke traumatic responses among staff, visitors, and community partners? -How might museums mitigate these risks and provide contexts of trust and emotional safety as they navigate traumatic content? -How does trauma healing work? -What can museums do to encourage trauma healing and trauma mitigation as an integral part of the exhibition process? -What can museums do to help staff manage emotionally charged situations on the museum floor, in the research or curation process, or within their organizations generally? This training utilizes a trauma-informed style of facilitation that emphasizes safe conversations, an individualized approach to engagement, and respect for the unique perspectives of each participant. This session will not be recorded. About Ross Laird Dr. Ross Laird is a clinical consultant in the interwoven themes of mental health, trauma, and addictions. He has worked with hundreds of organizations over more than 30 years of professional practice and has won multiple awards for his writing, teaching, scholarship, and clinical work. He is the clinical supervisor for BC’s largest provincially-funded addictions treatment program and a consultant to many others. He has taught at more than a dozen post-secondary institutions and has been involved with trauma research at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo, and the Happy Museum Project in the UK. In Canada, he has provided trauma-informed training at the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian War Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, and others. He has worked with first responders, parent groups, refugees, Indigenous communities, university students, cancer patients — hundreds of organizations both in Canada and internationally. Please visit rosslaird.com for more information.

OMA Zoom

Jun 20, 2024