On Campus Communities: Museums Working with Universities

Thursday, November 3 - 12:45 to 2:00pm


Presenters: 

Nicole Knibb, Education Coordinator, McMaster Museum of Art; Teresa Gregorio, Information Officer, McMaster Museum of Art; Laura Suchan, Executive Director, Oshawa Community Museum; Melissa Cole, Curator, Oshawa Community Museum; Jordan Goldstein, General Manager, J.P. Metras Sports Museum, University of Western Ontario; Michael Lapointe, Research Assistant, J.P. Metras Sports Museum, University of Western Ontario.

Download the Slides - Part 1
Download the Slides - Part 2
Download the Slides - Part 3

session presenters
Session presenters look on as Nicole Knibb and Teresa Gregorio from the McMaster Museum of Art present.
 
Teresa Gregorio
delegates
Teresa Gregorio presents her On Campus Community project as delegates look on.
 

Session Description

This session will outline the benefits of institutional partnerships with universities to the development of emerging museums. The J.P. Metras Sports Museum at the University of Western Ontario, the McMaster Museum of Art, and the Oshawa Community Museum have all constructed a number of inter-departmental capacities with various academic institutions. These initiatives have been important steps toward establishing formalized museum procedures and have also successfully increased museum visibility within their communities. 

In 2009, museum volunteers initiated partnerships with faculties and programs at U.W.O., including the Archives and Research Collections Centre (ARCC), and the Public History M.A. Program of the History department. These partnerships gave the museum the external assistance needed to overcome the limitations imposed by imperfect volunteer knowledge of museum procedures. Enhanced human resources in this environment also facilitated museum growth. 

In an exciting new partnership, the McMaster Museum of Art and the McMaster Department of Family Medicine developed the innovative course ‘The Art of Seeing’. The course's objective is to improve observation skills and enhance empathy and self-reflection in physicians by examining original artworks from McMaster University's collection. This presentation will outline the genesis, development, implementation, successes and improvements of ‘The Art of Seeing’ program. 

The Oshawa Community Museum partnered with Trent-Oshawa University in offering a Historical Archaeology course. This  endeavour is expected to be a multi-year archaeological research project investigating the property adjacent to the museums three heritage houses to search for evidence of  how the early inhabitants of this lakefront community lived their lives. This project was envisioned to extend beyond the classroom by offering an opportunity to experience the valuable work performed by heritage professionals.

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