BC Museums Association Podcast

Episode 15: Back to School Week

It’s Back to School Week at the BCMA and we’re sharing ideas, tips, and resources for museums as they think about how to continue engaging with schools and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In today’s podcast episode, we’re joined by Tom Searby.

Tom majored in History and English at Wilfrid Laurier University and completed a Bachelor of Education at Nipissing University. He has taught grades 8-12 in Ontario and British Columbia and has also worked as a museum educational programmer at Doon Heritage Village in Waterloo, Ontario. He currently resides in Smithers and teaches Food Studies, woodshop, and senior social studies at Houston Secondary School in Houston BC.

Today Tom will be helping to give a teacher’s perspective on how museums can support schools during the most unpredictable back-to-school season in our lifetimes. 

MuseNews: Episode 2

Welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month we recap some of the latest news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond. Join Ryan and Lorenda as we explore the latest MuseNews!

Featured News:

• Burnaby museum's local Indigenous history guide wins national award 
• Royal BC Museum buys IMAX Victoria theatre
• Heritage and Sustainability Unite at the Potato House

• Maritime Museum of BC Moves Forward with Next Phase of the Pacific Maritime Centre

• Learning language through whispers: Indigenous youth launch ASMR campaign

MuseNews: Episode 1

Welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month we recap some of the latest news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond. Join Ryan and Lorenda as we explore the latest MuseNews!

Featured News:

• New Vancouver museum to highlight Chinese-Canadian history in BC
• After nearly a century, Metis activist James Brady being recognized for his photography
• Penticton Art Gallery hosts first Bob Ross exhibit in Canada
• Most People Plan to Visit Museums Just as Much as Ever and 5 Other Takeaways From Our Survey on Art Engagement Post-Lockdown
• Opinion: Critical thinking, science culture and Canadians' super power against COVID-19
• Several BC museums received a special thanks from the Dorchester Retirement Residence in Kelowna for their special online programs during COVID-19
• Want to start your own Jurassic Park? Over 70 animatronic dinosaurs are going up for auction in B.C.

Episode 14: International Advocacy, a Conversation with Dr. Rob Lennox

Today we're joined by Dr. Rob Lennox to explore the concept of advocacy for the museums and heritage sector.

Rob is a Senior Advocacy Coordinator at the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists in the UK where he undertakes advocacy work to influence policy-makers and maintain relationships with external stakeholders. Rob completed his Ph.D. in 2016 exploring the regulation of the historic environment through government policy instruments and the impact that political processes have on the application of sectoral value-driven visions.

Through his research and work, Rob aims to develop and demonstrate a strategic understanding of the heritage sector and of its political machinations, as well as of conservation philosophy and operations in the planning system.

Outside of his advocacy work, Rob is a keen mountaineer, hiker, and skiier and enjoys birding. As an enjoyer of nature and mountains, Rob has a deep appreciation and interest in British Columbia.

Rob also recommends the following resources for those interested in expanding their advocacy toolkits:

1. Fighting for Birds by Mark Avery (A fantastic book, possibly not packed with directly relevant skills for the budding BC museums campaigner, but it shows the passion and dedication of nature conservation campaigners in the UK and will explain why advocacy is a long game)

 

2. From Voice to Influence: Understanding Citizenship in a Digital Age by D Allen & J Light (There is a lot to learn about 'new' advocacy, and it's developing all around us. But politics is changing all the time. This book looks at how we communicate around political issues and how we translate that into participatory power.)

 

3. Many charities have excellent advocacy resources. There are too many to mention, but The National Council for Voluntary Organisations is a great example from the UK (https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/campaigns) but you may wish to search closer to home.

 

4. Learn from other campaigns! You can look at different organisations, but the Museums Association in the UK has lots of information about past and current campaigns on its website: https://www.museumsassociation.org/campaigns

 

5. Hope For the Future is for a climate change-focused local advocacy organisation! They've got some really clear advice on letter writing and other things (https://www.hftf.org.uk/template-letters)

Episode 13: BCMA and Heritage BC Economic Impact Study Discussion with Accession Consulting

The BCMA and Heritage BC partnered to produce a new study examining the economic impact that museums, galleries, and heritage sites have in their local communities. Accession Consulting supported our organizations in conducting this study and join us in this podcast to discuss their findings and themes that museums and heritage organizations can use to advocate for the important roles they play in communities across the province.

To learn more about Accession Consulting, visit their website. To access the BCMA and Heritage BC Economic Impact Study, please visit our website.

Episode 12: Reopening Conversation with the Bateman Foundation

As museums, galleries, and cultural organizations across British Columbia reopen their doors to the public, we’re checking in with members to see how their first few weeks have gone and to share these experiences with other organizations who are in the process of reopening. Today I’m joined by Sarah Theophilus, Head of Retail & Operations and Courtney Zylsta, Head of Art & Visitor Experience at the Bateman Foundation in Victoria BC to discuss how their organization's June 2nd reopening has gone so far.

Episode 11 - Reopening Conversation with Tammy Bradford from the Creston Museum

On May 20, 2020, the Creston Museum reopened to the public, making it one of the first museums in the province to reopen after the COVID-19 public health orders. To see what their first few days of being reopened were like and how they approached adapting their site to our new reality, today I’m joined by Tammy Bradford, Manager of the Creston Museum.

As museums, galleries, and heritage spaces around the province continue to reopen, we hope to continue recording podcasts to document their experiences and share lessons learned with other organizations who are in the process of reopening. To stay up-to-date with our latest news and member resources, visit our website or follow the BCMA on social media.

Episode 10 - Museums, Libraries, and Digital Preservation with Corey Davis

To explore International Museum Week's theme of #TechnologyMW, we're joined by Corey Davis to discuss digital preservation. 

Corey is the Digital Preservation Librarian at the University of Victoria and Visiting Program Officer at the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL). He has been working in academic libraries for 15 years, most recently as Digital Preservation Coordinator for the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL). He is active in several national preservation efforts in Canada, including as a founding member of CARL’s Digital Preservation Working Group, and as founder and chair of the Canadian Web Archiving Coalition. Most recently, he became Chair of CARL Portage’s Preservation Expert Group.

Music in this episode by Tobu & Itro

Episode 9: OWL You Need to Know Interview with Ryan Hunt

Get to know Ryan Hunt, the BCMA's Executive Director, in this 90-second OWL You Need to Know micro-podcast!

Episode 8: OWL You Need to Know Interview with Daniel Gowryluk

Get to know Daniel Gowryluk, Education Outreach Coordinator and Assistant Curator at the Pacific Museum of Earth, in this 90-second OWL You Need to Know micro-podcast!