Celebrating Nonprofit Appreciation Week

The Ontario Museum Association has made recommendations to Ontario's Budget 2023 for our museum sector in a submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs:

1. A Digital Response Fund (valued at $10 Million over three years)
2. Increased support for community museums by $10 Million per year to reach 300 communities across the province
3. Property Tax Exemption—all museums need a consistent property tax exemption
4. Infrastructure Recovery Fund—$10 Million—to build capacity post-COVID

Read OMA's submission HERE.

• Step One: Find the contact information of your MPP HERE
• Step Two: Download OMA's pre-written member letter to your MPP HERE.
• Step Three: Email your letter to your MPP! Use our pre-written email.
  • cc The Honourable Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport (email: minister.lumsden@ontario.ca) and The Honourable Michael Ford, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism (email: michael.ford@ontario.ca)
  • cc the OMA (email: community@museumsontario.ca)

A new recognition of Ontario’s nonprofit sector based on legislation to recognize nonprofit workers and organizations by the Government of Ontario, Bill 9, Nonprofit Sector Appreciation Week, 2021.

"The third week in February each year is proclaimed as Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week"

It celebrates the vital role nonprofits and workers play in creating and maintaining healthy, vibrant and inclusive communities in Ontario.

1. Nearly 850,000 nonprofit workers are dedicated to serving, connecting, and supporting all Ontarians.
2. Ontario’s 58,000 nonprofits help to create healthy and thriving communities, and contribute $65 billion to the economy.
3. The innovative ways nonprofit workers support Ontarians with creative, local solutions.

Join the conversation and amplify messages HERE.

 
Wednesday February 22, 2023
11:00AM - 12:30PM ET
Online

There are simple steps we can take today to make our online communications more accessible for those of all abilities. Join us on Wednesday, February 22 at 11am ET when our speakers will take us through how to increase the accessibility of websites, online exhibits, online programs and social media to ensure that digital transformation also builds greater inclusion. 

Speakers:

• Shelley Boden works as an independent access consultant ‘joining the dots’ and working with organizations, digital developers and test participants with access needs. Over a 30-year career-span, she has developed a unique perspective on museums, access and all things digital.
• Francis Tomkins (they/them), Tangled Art + Disability, is an accessible communications professional, accessibility consultant and arts educator based in Toronto.
• Sean Lee (he/they), Tangled Art + Disability, is an artist and curator exploring the assertion of disability art as the last avant-garde. Sean is also an independent lecturer, speaker, and writer.

Positing that museum funding should be reformed with the same rigor as other museum practices, this presentation invites attendees to reflect on their own institutions and to imagine what fundraising frameworks might look like when they exist not only to serve the institution’s operations, but are an integral part of its mission.

Watch the recording HERE.

Each February, Ontarians are invited to participate in Heritage Week. This week provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the vibrancy of the heritage and culture sector in Ontario. Many community objects, collections and stories are preserved and interpreted in museums and heritage buildings. Museums build strong communities, making them vibrant and vital places to live, work, visit & invest!
 

1. Invite your MPP to visit your museum! Tell them why you celebrate heritage and how it enriches your community. Use our letter template HERE. Find your MPP HERE. Be sure to CC the OMA at community@museumsontario.ca (Christopher Shackleton) on your email.
2. Engage through social media! Share graphics and messaging. Be sure to tag us @MuseumsOntario and use the hashtag #ONHeritageWeek and #MuseumsConnectON. Don’t forget to tag your local MPPs. Find your MPP on Twitter HERE. Find information on sample posts and corresponding graphics in our toolkit.

Learn more in our Ontario's Heritage Week Toolkit HERE

Online
February 27-28, 2023
10:00am - 5:00pm ET

The 2023 National Conference is inspired by and in support of the CMA’s recent report, Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums, which centres the activation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Canadian museum practice.

This conference seeks to deepen understanding of the report by actualizing its recommendations in museum practice, and by determining as a sector how we can build on our work and continue prioritizing Indigenous self-determination in Canadian museums and abroad.

Learn about speakers and programming HERE.

• Youth-inclusive strategies and tactics that can be applied across all HR stages
• New and improved job postings that will better attract next-gen talent using the HireNext Job Posting Assessment
• An expanded network of like-minded individuals facing similar HR challenges

This is an interactive webinar where participants are encouraged to contribute and engage! Who should attend:

• Those with accountability for some aspect of human resources in their organization (e.g., HR Managers, HR Specialists, Recruiters, etc.)
• Those hiring for entry-level roles

Tuesday March 7, 2023
2pm ET

In this free webinar, subject matter experts Megan Conway, President & CEO of Volunteer Canada, and Bruce MacDonald, President & CEO of Imagine Canada, will discuss what’s transpired over the past few years and look ahead at ‘what comes next’ for volunteering and civic engagement. Organizations of all sizes will learn about changing trends and fresh perspectives that can help them think about their own strategies for running a volunteer program.

Read more and register HERE.

Perth Campus.(in-person)
April 26 – April 29, 2023
Cost of the course is $625 + HST
Instructor: Marcus Letourneau

This intensive 4-day course is designed for those interested in the theoretical and practical aspects of heritage conservation planning in Ontario. Study a variety of topics including the history, legal aspects, and evaluation processes in heritage planning. The course also covers how to integrate concepts of sustainability, accessibility, practical management challenges in the field, and changes following the adoption of Bill 108. Learn through lectures, readings, in-class and online activities, discussions, group work, and walking tours. Suitable for all knowledge and experience levels.

Read more and register HERE.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in museums has been a topic of much discussion and speculation in recent years. From virtual tour guides to digitization projects, it seems that there is no limit to the potential uses of AI in the museum sector. However, it is important to approach the subject with a critical and reflexive mindset, taking into account both the potential benefits and potential drawbacks of using AI in museums.

It is also worth acknowledging that having an AI write this introduction may feel like a well-worn cliché. While the use of AI in museums is a relevant and important topic, it is important to be mindful of the ways in which AI is being used and to consider the potential consequences of these uses. With these considerations in mind, this resource outlines the potential uses and impact of AI in museums.

Read more HERE.