BC Museums Association Podcast

Join our host Lorenda and SGaan Kwahagang James McGuire, Guest Scientist and Indigenous Fellow in Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History, and Jessica Strayer, NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Administrative Manager at the Fowler Museum - UCLA, for this continued conversation on NAGPRA. This follow-up episode deepens the discussion by highlighting the voices of those directly engaged in repatriation efforts and the importance of centering Indigenous perspectives, focusing on lived experience, ongoing challenges, and the work still to be done.

This NAGPRA series underscores how repatriation is not a one-time event but a continuous responsibility and accountability. Museums are encouraged to critically examine their roles in truth-telling, relationship-building, and consent-based curation.

Resources: 

• BCMA Podcast: NAGPRA and Consent-based Curation
• BCMA Podcast: NAGPRA In Theory, In Practice
• Candid Actionable Reconciliation Resources (CARE!)
• BCMA Indigenous Culture & Heritage Resource Portal
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
• BCMA WhAi

Join our host Lorenda and Jessica Strayer, NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Administrative Manager at the Fowler Museum - UCLA, as they discuss the realities of working with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Explore how this legislation impacts museum practice and what it means for institutions committed to respectful collaboration with Indigenous communities.

This conversation highlights the ongoing work of repatriation, including challenges and successes, and emphasizes the need for museums to prioritize accountability, truth-telling, and relationship-building. Museums are encouraged to reflect on how their organizations approach consent, responsibility, and respect. 

Get to know Jessica: 
Jessica Strayer is the NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Administrative Manager at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. She implements NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA daily and facilitates Tribal consultation and repatriation. She also works with international Indigenous communities regarding access, repatriation, and relationship-building. Jessica earned her BA with a double major in History and Archaeology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2018. She recently earned an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has archaeological field, laboratory, research, and curation experience, and has built a career in the repatriation field. Jessica is passionate about returning Ancestors and belongings to their home communities, as well as implementing ethical collections management practices rooted in Indigenous cultural care protocols.

Resources: 

• BCMA Podcast: NAGPRA and Consent-based Curation
• Candid Actionable Reconciliation Resources (CARE!)
• BCMA Indigenous Culture & Heritage Resource Portal
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

 

 

 

In this episode, Jazmin and Madison sit down to chat with friends and collaborators Veronica Buck and Marilyn Maychak. 

Veronica and Marilyn share about their varied careers in education and arts and culture, as well as how they met, and a new podcast they're launching together soon.

We also chat about the connections the two of them see between Inuk and Black cultures, and the ways they hope to see intercultural solidarity when fighting discrimination and oppression.

If you enjoy this episode, stay tuned for the launch of Marilyn and Veronica's podcast- coming later this year!

*Please note that there was some background noise that could not be edited out of this episode. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope that you still enjoy the great conversation.*

Join our host Madison and the creatives behind the CBC Gem docu-series Not Your Butter Chicken for a conversation about culture, community, food, and migration.

This was originally recorded as a live podcast event over Zoom on June 2, 2025. During the recording, references are made to episodes from the doc-series as well as the trailer (links below).

 

About our guests:

Shiva Reddy is a food and wine expert and a sommelier at Michelin-starred Burdock and Co. She is recognized for her work at Vancouver’s top restaurants and bringing a fresh, innovative voice to the food and wine industry in Canada.

Priyanka Desai is a Mumbai-born, award winning broadcast journalist turned documentary filmmaker who has directed and produced television documentary shows in India and Canada. Her works are currently available on TELUS Originals, CBC Gem, APTN, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and AMI. She also sits on the board of Hot Docs and is Co-Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada - Northwest Chapter.

 

Relevant Links:

• Trailer: Not Your Butter Chicken
• Website: Not Your Butter Chicken
• Watch the docu-series on CBC Gem

Missed the recording live? No worries, you can still listen now! In this podcast, we discuss Nina’s work (and insights) on building brighter futures with her communities within the arts and heritage sector.

Nina’s dedication to advancing heritage arts through belonging, adaptation and respectful representation of living cultures is carried through her multifaceted work and roles in the sector. Nina sits on the Advisory Council for the BCMA, is a globally acknowledged curator, artist, and the founder of the Bandish Network.

 

 

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

May 2025 Stories:

• As Hudson’s Bay bids farewell, Indigenous groups call for transparency in artifact auction
• New Lytton Chinese History Museum rises from the ashes - Bella Coola News
• News Release: Vernon Public Art Gallery Announces $1,000,000 Donation
• Royal BC Museum launches music exhibit on change and resistance
• B.C. Aviation Museum is booming since the arrival of the Martin Mars
• Recognition Awards honour societies, organizations, Individuals

If you have news you want to share on this program, please email us at bcma@museum.bc.ca

BCMA thanks Digital Museums Canada for their sponsorship.

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

April 2025 Stories:

• German artillery from First World War piece found buried at the PNE | Vancouver Sun
• New Terry Fox exhibit to open in the Canadian hero's hometown
• Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford names new executive director
• Health-care providers to prescribe nature-inspired art for wellness at Vancouver Art Gallery
• Public access to Hudson Bay Company artifacts 'absolutely crucial,' Manitoba history prof says | CBC News
• Royal BC Museum sets a new course to share stories of Chinese migration - Greater Victoria News
• Museum of Vancouver's new CEO heralds conversations and community to engage visitors
• Britannia Mine Museum featured in latest episode of 'The Last of Us'

If you have news you want to share on this program, please email us at bcma@museum.bc.ca

Join our host Lorenda and Dr. Will Atlas, Salmon Watershed Scientist, for a conversation about SalmonVision. In partnership with Indigenous communities, SalmonVision harnesses the power of AI for salmon monitoring and conservation. Explore rivers, waterways, and an ethical side of AI. 

Resources:

• SalmonVision
• Wild Salmon Center
• Pacific Salmon Foundation
• First Nations harness power of AI to monitor wild salmon stocks in B.C. | CBC News
• Using AI to track salmon could be a ‘game-changer’ | The Narwhal
• Restoring Indigenous fish weirs in B.C. | The Narwhal
• Artificial Intelligence, Meet Indigenous Fishing Technology - Wild Salmon Center

 

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

March Stories:

 

• West Van purchases Horseshoe Bay's Boathouse restaurant for new art museum 
• Summerland museum shares history Irish settler who helped develop the irrigation system - Penticton News - Castanet.net
• Kelowna Museum exhibit highlights Japanese Canadian dispossession
• The Whalers Washing House finally coming home - rabble.ca
• Possible 25 per cent tariff on books could kneecap local retailers 
• Horn heist: B.C. train museum gets railroaded by targeted thefts | CBC News
• Hundreds of items returned to First Nations in Vancouver Museum’s ongoing repatriation process
• Outdoor exhibits reopening at Vancouver's Science World with gardening robot, more 

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

February Stories:

• Nanaimo Art Gallery's new exhibit explores unexpected outcomes
• Barkerville Heritage Trust secures 7 more years running the historic site
• Surrey artist takes aim at Trump, Musk, Bezos with provocative paintings

• Exploration Place, BC Bob launch partnership for fundraiser

• ‘This is reclamation’; Tk’emlúps Kúkpi7 Casimir discusses historical designation for former residential school site
  
• Toddler's $4k offer ends apple pie bid war in support of Salmon Arm heritage site