YCW Internships 2012

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THE NEW GENERATION OF MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS $7.00

LA NOUVELLE GÉNÉRATION DE PROFESSIONNELS DES MUSÉES

T H E V O I C E O F C A N A D A’ S M U S E U M C O M M U N I T Y • M U S E • L A V O I X D E L A C O M M U N A U T É M U S É A L E C A N A D I E N N E

YCW INTERNSHIPS

The new generation of museum pr

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his year, the Canadian Museums Association is working in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage to deliver the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage program (YCW-BCH). This program allows graduates who are unemployed or underemployed to gain meaningful work experience in museums.

Under the 2011-2012 program, eleven lucky interns were hired to work in the museum sector in Canada and abroad. Here are some of their stories.

Kendrie Richardson Campbellville, Ontario

Collections Technician Intern National Army Museum (Waiouru, New Zealand) After graduating from Fleming College’s Collections Conservation and Management program, including a placement at the New Brunswick Museum in December 2010, and then holding a position in the Science and Technology Museum conservation lab, I was offered the chance of a lifetime to work at the National Army Museum. My time at the museum has mainly been spent in the Heraldry department where I have been cataloguing and re-housing parts of the Prisoner of War identity tag collection as well as the Red Cross Society collection. I have recently assisted in the installation of the new medal repository by mounting medals. I have even been able to use my conservation skills to assist various departments in the museum with their conservation needs. So far, my time here in New Zealand has been rewarding and a great experience overall. I am very thankful for the Department of Canadian Heritage, the CMA and the National Army Museum for providing me with this amazing opportunity.

Lianne Maitland Toronto, Ontario

Collections Digitisation and Access Officer South Canterbury Museum (Timaru, New Zealand) Having graduated in June with a Master of Museum Studies from University of Toronto, I was thrilled to be accepted for a six-month internship, beginning in September, at the South Canterbury Museum as Collections Digitisation and Access Officer. I strongly believe in increasing public access to collections and felt this position was an ideal fit.

Two months into my internship, I have learned, and will continue to learn, much about object research, photography, and interpretation to complement skills and knowledge gained with my degree. My focus has been on creating records for NZ Museums, an online database created by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa to showcase local collections. Eventually we hope also to host digital collections and exhibitions on the museum’s own website.

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rofessionals Sarah Gatchell Blackstock, Ontario

Instructor Pickering Museum Village (Pickering, Ontario) In June, I graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Education Degree. I had previous experience working at a museum and enjoyed learning about historical artefacts and events. When I stumbled upon the internship posting for the Pickering Museum Village and read through the requirements pertaining to the job, I was confident that I could complete the tasks while gaining pertinent experience related to my field of study.

During my internship at the Pickering Museum Village, I was responsible for revitalizing the Summer Camp program and implementing a new home school pioneer immersion program. During the weeks of summer camp, I managed a team of camp councillors, planned all camp activities and was responsible for generating a generic schedule to meet the expectations of the Time Traveller Camp. When summer camp ended, I turned my attention to developing, designing, implementing and managing the City’s newly created home school education program. My experience at the Pickering Museum Village has been instrumental to my future teaching career.

Cynthia Guay

Saint-Romuald, Québec Supervisor of educational programs St. Lawrence Exploration Centre (Rivière-du-Loup, Québec) Shortly after completing my Master’s degree in oceanography at the Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski (Rimouski Ocean Studies Institute), the Young Canada Works program enabled me to obtain my first work experience as supervisor of educational programs and interpretation at the Station Exploratoire du Saint-Laurent (St. Lawrence Exploration Centre). This marine environment education centre overlooks the St. Lawrence River estuary from the vantage of Rivière-du-Loup in Quebec’s Bas St-Laurent region. It is managed by the Réseau d’Observation de Mammifères Marins (Marine Mammal Observation Network), or ROMM, an organization dedicated to protecting cetaceans and seals.

In addition to learning a number of concepts related to the management of personnel and of the museum in general, I had the opportunity to build a strong foundation in scientific popularization. In fact, I was in charge of developing a number of educational activities aimed at young people of various ages. I was therefore able to make good use of my ideas and my knowledge of the marine environment. I am confident that this paid work experience helped me to acquire knowledge and skills that are essential for a professional scientist, and that these will undoubtedly make it easier for me to find work in the future. Indeed, following my work experience, the ROMM extended my contract by several months, hiring me in the role of biologist project manager.

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Fiona Wright Toronto, Ontario

Education and Outreach Assistant Carleton University Art Gallery (Ottawa, ON) My internship at the Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) in Ottawa has been an exciting opportunity to apply my degrees in Art History and Curatorial Studies from McGill University and York University, as well as develop valuable skills in a professional gallery environment.

Everyone at the gallery has been very supportive, but they have also given me a lot of independence in my role as the Education and Outreach Assistant. It is my responsibility to design an effective and innovative education program for the gallery that will reach the campus and Ottawa/Gatineau communities. I give specialized tours for classes and work with professors to develop talks and assignments based on CUAG exhibitions. I also organize panel discussions for the shows, which develops my research, communication, and organizational skills, and gives me the opportunity to work with other scholars and arts professionals. I have increased the gallery’s social media presence, and I also collaborate with a variety of student groups to produce a blog, workshops, film screenings, and studio tours. These projects bring students into the gallery to actively respond to the exhibitions.

Throughout my months at the gallery, I have learned firsthand the challenges and rewards of engaging a wide audience in the visual arts, and I know that this internship has given me the skills to continue doing so.

Rachel Bowles

Victoria, British Columbia Collections Assistant Intern Souris Valley Museum (Estevan, SK) I completed my Bachelors of Arts at the University of Victoria in April 2011 and began my internship at the Souris Valley Museum at the beginning of September 2011. As a Collections Assistant, my role at the museum is to catalogue, digitize and photograph the various objects in the museum collection. The main project I am working on is developing a collection database for the museum, which will eventually lead to the delicate task of conservation treatment and re-display of objects.

Other projects I have been able to participate in include a multicultural festival called ‘Collage’, a community quilt show and a silent art auction.

So far, my time at the museum has allowed me to expand my knowledge about collection management and gain a new insight about how small museums function.

Would you like to participate in the YCW program? Read the guidelines at www.museums.ca and apply online at www.youngcanadaworks.gc.ca.

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