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Session Title:

The (im)possible Museum

Presenters:

University of Toronto: Cara Krmpotich (Assistant Professor, Museum Studies Program), Lindsay Small (Museums Studies Student), Mary-Kate Whibbs (Museums Studies Student) and Jennifer Ford (Museums Studies Student)

Session Description:

This session features current research that pushes the boundaries of museum practices and is inclusive of unconventional collections and cultural institutions. We will explore ways of removing boundaries between people and artifacts. We will venture to think of museums beyond our own planet, and we explore the unpredictability of collaborations. Crossing into these sites are community groups, First Nations seniors, space explorers, tourists, and non-humans. By challenging existing museum conventions, this session will offer unique perspectives on museum practice as we take steps towards making the impossible museum possible.

Session Slides: 

Download the Presentation Slides [ PDF ]                     Download the Presentation Slides [ PDF ]

Download the Presentation Slides [ PDF ]                     Download the Presentation Slides [ PDF ]

Cara Krmpotich Assistant Professor (Museum Studies, University of Toronto)

Cara Krmpotich is a professor in the Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto. She teaches and researches in the areas of collections management, museums and indigenous relations, and material culture. Currently, she leads a project in partnership with the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto called “Memory, Meaning-Making and Collections.” She is the author of The Force of Family: repatriation, kinship and memory on Haida Gwaii and co-author of This Is Our Life: Haida material heritage and changing museum practice.

Lindsay Small Master of Museum Studies Student (University of Toronto)

Lindsay Small is a Master of Museum Studies student at the University of Toronto. She has a Masters degree in Science and Technology Studies from York University as well. Her research interests include heritage management in outer space and the neoliberalization of the American space program.

Mary Kate Whibbs Master of Museum Studies Student (University of Toronto)

When she’s not in a river looking for mussels or in a classroom talking to students about water conservation, Mary Kate Whibbs is a Master of Museum Studies student at the University of Toronto. As a biologist and educator at Toronto Zoo, she is interested in connecting people to their local aquatic environment. Her research explores questions about value and what makes some species more appealing than others at zoos and aquariums, both in the public eye and in conservation.

Jennifer Ford Master of Museum Studies Student (University of Toronto)

Jennifer Ford curated her first exhibition at the age of 10, when she set up a dinosaur museum in her parents’ basement. Currently, she is a Master of Museum Studies candidate at the University of Toronto. Jennifer’s research interests include museum interpretive planning and difficult history presentation in cultural intuitions. She is the former interpretation coordinator for two Winnipeg historic sites, where she coordinated the education and public programs. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism and history from Carleton University.