Build A Virtual School Program

2022 is the Ontario Museum Association’s 50th Anniversary, and we are so thrilled to welcome members back to both an in-person and online conference this year! 

This year’s theme is Changing Directions: Practice over Permanence. This theme embodies the changing nature of museums and focuses on what museums are currently doing, rather than what they might do in the future.

Free workshops - held on Zoom

Wednesday June 8, 2022 at 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET
Asynchronous school programs
Wednesday June 15, 2022 at 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET
Synchronous school programs

Join Christina Sydorko, Educational Program Coordinator at the Oil Museum of Canada NHS, as she takes you through the tips and tricks for creating asynchronous and synchronous virtual school programs that meet teacher needs and your museum's goals.

Registration is limited to 50 participants per session.

The workshop is part of the Small Bytes initiative. Small Bytes: Supporting Digitization in Ontario’s Smaller and Rural Museums is an initiative of the Ontario Museum Association (OMA) funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Find out more about the initiative HERE.

On May 25, 2022, the OMA presented the webinar "Virtual School Programming - Decision Making for Small Museums," with Christina Sydorko, Karen Taylor and Michael Furdyk.

The webinar is part of the Small Bytes initiative. Small Bytes: Supporting Digitization in Ontario’s Smaller and Rural Museums is an initiative of the Ontario Museum Association (OMA) funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage. Find out more about the initiative HERE.

View the presentation slides and other resources HERE.

The Canadian Canoe Museum sustained damages during a severe thunderstorm on May 21st that affected Peterborough and surrounding areas. In addition to the loss of power, the Museum and Collections Centre was significantly affected by the storm. No staff, visitors, volunteers, canoes, kayaks, or artifacts were injured or damaged.

To ensure enough time for disaster response, emergency repairs, cleaning, and restoring the galleries, the Museum will temporarily remain closed until Saturday, June 4th.

To support the Museum, please consider donating HERE.
Read more HERE.

"The Uxbridge Historical Centre is closed until further notice due to extensive damage from the storm. We will keep everyone updated. Everyone is safe and we are working to address our recovery."

The Township of Uxbridge declared a state of emergency shortly after the storm passed on May 21st. The town is continuing to assess the damage and get help to those who need it.

To support the Historical Centre, please consider donating HERE.
Read more HERE.

Hutchison House Museum re-opened for in-person services on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The City of Peterborough declared a local state of emergency four days after a massive storm system on May 21st. The storm continues to cause extreme pressure on City of Peterborough public works, forestry, and waste collection services.

To support the Museum, please consider donating HERE.
Read more HERE.

The election in what’s colonially known as Ontario, is approaching. Political parties across the province are making their campaign platforms public and showing Ontarians which issues they believe are most important. But are certain communities being left out of the discussion? Future of Good asked 14 leaders from organizations that serve rural communities in northern and southern Ontario, the territory of Indigenous peoples such as the Anishinaabeg, the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, and more, for their thoughts.

Respondents explained which social issues they thought were missing from the various parties’ current election platforms, as well as which issues the party that comes into power should focus on post-election. Here’s what they had to say.

OMA Council Secretary Michael Rikley-Lancaster provided a comment for this article

Read more HERE.

ONN is surveying the nonprofit sector, to reach nonprofits, charities, social enterprises and grassroots groups across Ontario, subsectors and missions. In partnership with l'Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario, ONN has engaged Community Researchers to evaluate the impacts on staffing and volunteers, financial health, and the extent of increased or changed demand on organizations. Help ONN collect data to tell the story of what the sector is experiencing.

Complete the survey HERE.

A new group of heritage advocates, in consultation with Black Lives Matter (BLM) London, the London Black History Coordinating Committee and the Congress of Black Women’s London Chapter, hope to relocate the chapel to Fanshawe Pioneer Village so that restoration work can begin.

“We want to make sure we move this chapel soon,” explains Steering Committee Member Carl Cadogan. Reaching two-thirds of the fundraising goal in just a matter of months has kept momentum going behind the project.

Read more HERE.

The next national Culture Days celebrations will take place September 23rd through October 16th, 2022. Join the three-week celebration and participate in thousands of free arts and culture events happening across Canada. Culture Days offers free resources to support event and community organizers in the successful planning, promotion, and evaluation of their Culture Days events.

Read more and download resources HERE.

This award-winning film was created by the accomplished team at Mountain Goat Film Company and was supported by the Town of The Blue Mountains. The Apple Harvest film was launched in October of 2021 for The Blue Mountains Apple Harvest Festival. It follows a year in the life of an apple and the many hands and resources it takes to bring the apple to your table.

Watch the film online HERE.
Read more HERE.

As museums across Ontario face the challenges of reopening safely and renewing relationships with your communities, the OMA is here for you. The OMA successfully advocated for federal emergency support funding through the Museums Assistance Program, the early and streamlined release of Community Museum Operating Grant (CMOG) funds in 2020 and 2021, and for an additional $2 million to support digital activities during pandemic closures. Your support, participation, and membership make our work possible.

Representing the interests of over 700 museums, galleries, and heritage sites across the province, the OMA offers regular webinars and professional development opportunities and resources for pandemic recovery. An OMA membership connects you with our network of over 1000 members, provides you with the tools and resources that support your professional practice, and keeps you informed of breaking news about funding opportunities and policy changes via the ONmuseums weekly newsletter and timely eNews alerts.

If you are already an OMA member, thank you! Please renew your membership when you receive an email reminder.

If you are not yet a member, please consider an individual, institutional, or commercial membership for yourself, your colleagues, or your institution. You can find information about member categories and benefits on our website.

You can make a donation to the OMA on our website or through Canada Helps. Every contribution adds to the collective strength of our sector. You can help us build a more resilient museum sector. Thank you for your support!