News – Archives
COVID-19 Update for Membership Renewals and Applications
Because of the current lockdown restrictions in Ontario, renewals and new member applications received by mail cannot be processed at this time. Renewals or applications sent by e-mail will be processed, but please have patience as there may be some delays. Stickers for new and renewing members that have not yet been distributed will not be mailed at this time. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.
ICOM Canada 2020 Board
Meet the 2020 ICOM Canada Board of Directors! Get to know the members of the ICOM Canada Board by reading their bios and short interviews below. Additional Board bios and images will be added throughout the summer. Leah Best (BC) Head of Knowledge, Royal British Columbia Museum ICOM Canada Director (2019-2020), Secretary (2020) Image: Royal BC Museum Leah coordinates the research program at the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) and manages a curatorial team of 8 historians and scientists. Her recent projects include the curatorial coordination of the museum’s upcoming exhibition, Orcas: Our Shared Future, acting as curatorial liaison in Guatemala for last summer’s exhibition, Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises, and the co-curation of the exhibition, Broken Promises: The Dispossession of Japanese Canadians with the Nikkei National Museum. Her background includes a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Toronto and several positions as curator and [...]
ICOM Canada Proposal to Postpone Museum Definition Vote
On August 19, 2019, the ICOM Canada Board of Directors sent the following proposal to Ms. Suay Aksoy (President, ICOM) and Mr. Peter Keller (Director General, ICOM). The proposal echoes and supports other invitations to postpone the Extraordinary General Assembly, namely calls from the ICOM Europe Regional Alliance. RE: ICOM Canada Board of Directors Proposal for Postponement of ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly, September 7, 2019. WHEREAS, ICOM MUSEUMS MUSÉES CANADA (ICOM Canada) represents a dedicated group of Canadian museum professionals and scholars who are passionate about museums and international networking; WHEREAS, the ICOM Kyoto 2019 General Conference plans to adopt a new museum definition at an Extraordinary General Assembly scheduled for September 7, 2019; WHEREAS, many national and international ICOM Committees have put forward an invitation to postpone the ICOM Extraordinary General Assembly in order to continue, with the National and International Committees, the reflection on a new museum definition; [...]
ICOM Canada Museum Definition Submission
The ICOM Canada national committee has proposed a revised museum definition as part of the ongoing ICOM Museum Definition project. The proposal definition includes modifications to the current definition: “A museum is a non-profit, permanent, dynamic and responsive institution in the service of a living planet. It is a public place that welcomes all people, fosters cooperation, cross-cultural exchange and public understanding of human and environmental interdependence. The museum acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits arts and cultures, the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study, enjoyment and the promotion of social and climate justice.” ICOM Canada's proposal reflects discussions and research conducted by the ICOM Canada Executive Board and ICOM Canada member feedback received in April, 2019. The Board submitted the proposal in both French and English to ICOM Executive Board in Paris on May 2, 2019. View the full ICOM Canada [...]
Towards a Revised Museum Definition
The ICOM Executive Board has noticed a change in museums. "Over recent decades museums have radically transformed, adjusted and re-invented their principles, policies and practices, to the point where the ICOM museum definition no longer seems to reflect the challenges and manifold visions and responsibilities. ICOM has invited its members and other interested parties to take part in creating a new, more current definition. Members, committees, partners and other interested stakeholders have already contributed and continue to participate in the development of potential alternatives for the museum definition, with the goal of compiling changes and recommendations in time for the 25th ICOM General Conference, which will take place in Kyoto, 1-7 September 2019. The ICOM Canada executive Board is proposing a modification to the current ICOM definition of a museum. Please download the Proposed Definition of Museum Submitted by ICOM Canada below. Proposed Definition of Museum Submitted by ICOM Canada [...]
Access in Museums in South Asia: Publication from the Commonwealth Association of Museums
The Commonwealth Association of Museums has released a new publication titled Access in Museums in South Asia: Learning from the Commonwealth Association of Museums' Regional Workshop 2016, in partnership with the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust. The report was published on Saturday, 3 December 2016, International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). Edited by Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Catherine C. Cole and Giles Tillotson, the publication is the outcome of a collaborative workshop on 'Access in Museums in South Asia' that was held in the City Palace in Jaipur in March 2016, which brought together a variety of museum and heritage professionals. The publication includes the 'Jaipur Declaration on Access to Museums' which was first issued at the end of the workshop, and practical advice and suggestions on how to become more inclusive as a museum professional and institution, and is intended as a resource to use as well as [...]