INSIGHT
W INT E R 2 0 2 0
WHAT’S
MOUNTING MASTERPIECES
MODERNIZATION IN ACTION
THE FINAL FRONTIER
Behind the Scenes of Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing
New Collections and Research Building by 2024
Insects in the Marine Environment
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
F E AT U R E
Mounting Masterpieces
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F E AT U R E
Modernization in Action
F E AT U R E
The Final Frontier
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The Royal BC Museum is located on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations). We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on this territory.
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F E AT U R E
By Any Other Name Fine Feathered (Fossil) Friends G O I N G D I G I TA L
Building a Global Catalogue Collaboration Through Digitization Connecting VO L U N T E E R P R O F I L E
Remembering Marguerite Gayfer Back on Tracks Gift Guide PA R T N E R S H I P P R O F I L E
Black & McDonald What’s On Calendar Meet the Team
WHAT’S INSIGHT
Dear Friends, Erika Stenson E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F
Jennifer Vanderzee M A N AG I N G E D I TO R
Irvin Cheung GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Annie Mayse E D I TO R
Shane Lighter P H OTO G R A P H E R
Melanie Grisak P H OTO G R A P H E R
C O N T R I B U TO RS
Chris Adams, Dr. Victoria Arbour, Lauren Buttle, Dr. Henry Choong, Dr. Joel Gibson, Holli Hodgson, Janet Macdonald, Lou-ann Neel, Rachel McRory, Erika Stenson, Dr. India Rael Young
Over the years, the Royal BC Museum has built its vision on the single purpose of enhancing our understanding of British Columbia. It is a vision that builds on our strengths: outstanding collections and archives, imaginative scientific research, and great social responsibility. Our strategic plan aims to modernize all aspects of the museum with facilities that grow our expertise further, and it provides a radical rethink of how we make collections and archives accessible to audiences across Canada and around the world. Key to this strategy is our new Collections and Research Building, which will give our collections and research a greater public face, appropriate for the increasing importance of understanding the living landscapes and cultures of the province. Now more than ever, scientific research is understood as vital to our health, well-being and economic survival. The new building will be located in the city of Colwood in Greater Victoria’s Westshore community, in an area called Royal Bay. Its proximity to the sea will allow both museum sites to be joined in the future by water transport. Royal Bay is the site of an ancient landscape where a great glacial lake, formed by melting ice, burst through to the sea— a relic of another age. It was here, during a gravel mining operation in 1963, that the mammoth tooth now in our collection was found. As the first inhabitants walked across this landscape, they must have marvelled at its power and majesty. Thousands of years later, Canadian artist Emily Carr spent two summers, in 1935 and 1936, contemplating this very landscape. Her sketches form an important part of our collections. There is no question about the significance of this area. This is a vision of great substance supported by detailed delivery plans. Work will begin on site in 2021 and will be largely complete in 2024. Thank you for all your support.
Yours,
Professor Jack Lohman, CBE Chief Executive Officer, Royal BC Museum
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F E AT U R E
MOUNTING MASTERPIECES BEH IND T HE S C E NE S OF
At the centre of any museum is its collection. Two of the main responsibilities of a museum are to provide access to that collection and to preserve it for future generations. An exhibition can be an excellent opportunity for both. By Lauren Buttle Archival Conservator
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he current exhibition, Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing—French Modernism and the West Coast, and its accompanying show, Everyday Emily Carr, include 27 works of art on paper from the Royal BC Museum’s collection, including some of Carr’s lesser-known paintings and drawings. This exhibition offers the public an opportunity to explore, in detail, an interesting transition in the style and approach of the artist. It also gives me, the conservator, the time and resources to upgrade the artworks’ mounts. These mounts are made from high-quality paper board, known as mat board or mount board. They keep each work flat and safe within its frame while it is on exhibit and protect the work while in storage.
WHAT’S INSIGHT
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(above) Paper conservator Lauren Buttle and collection manager Lesley Golding mounting works of art on paper. (far left) Visually positioning Eagle Post at Yan (PDP00637) within its mat before adhering it in place. Unfortunately this work was ultimately cut from the exhibition list. (left) Paper conservator Lauren Buttle, mounting works of art on paper.
Mounting might not be something you notice about a work of art in the gallery— actually, the fact that you don’t notice it is usually a sign of good mounting—but these mounts are performing a critical preservation function before your eyes. As paper degrades, it becomes acidic. As it becomes acidic, it starts to yellow and become brittle. Archival quality mount board is made with materials known as “buffering agents” that slowly react with the acidic byproducts of deterioration in the paper support. This reaction helps to neutralize the pH and keep the paper support healthy and bright for longer stretches of time. Poor-quality mount boards are made with inexpensive, acidic
Even the highest-quality mounts start to get a little tattered over time, and the buffering agents that chemically neutralize the effects of deterioration start to deplete over the decades. This is why an exhibition provides a great opportunity to refresh the mounts, both for a better viewing experience and for optimal long-term stability. paper pulp and have the opposite effect: they accelerate deterioration and cause additional staining and discolouration. So the next time you’re getting a work or a certificate framed, remember: mounting is not neutral. If you’re framing something of great value to you, go with the good stuff!
The Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing— French Modernism and the West Coast exhibition is on now until January 24, 2021.
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F E AT U R E
BY ANY I OTHER NAME Reviewing and Revising Artwork With Outdated Titles By Dr. India Rael Young Curator of Art and Images
n recent years, museums across Canada and the United States have been grappling with legacies of racism within their cataloguing practices. When I first arrived at the museum, just over a year ago, Paintings, Drawings and Prints collection manager Lesley Golding brought to my attention that many artworks in the collection bear outdated and offensive titles. I had just completed a project with Princeton University Art Museum to reimagine how they catalogued Indigenous belongings from the Northwest Coast, and I was eager to tackle similar work here. Revising artwork titles is now one small part of a monumental project to review and revise outdated and outright derogatory terms used in cataloguing at the museum and archives. We’re only in the initial phase, which includes consultation with community partners, reviewing departmental standards and writing policy. With thousands of relevant records from Indigenous Collections, Human History and the BC Archives, the project will take a few years to unfold.
As we began to prepare for opening of the Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing exhibition, our new project was quickly put to the test. Many of Emily Carr’s representations of Indigenous people and places have been given titles that use outdated and sometimes offensive terms. How can we change our practices before we’ve consulted with communities and written new policy and procedure? Then again, how in 2020 can we continue to use derogatory and outdated terms? If you move through Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing with a keen eye on artworks in Royal BC Museum collections, you may note we’ve made some changes.
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WHAT’S INSIGHT
Emily Carr, Gamlakyeltxw (Miriam Douse), a Chief of Gitanyow, 1928. Watercolour on paper. PDP00629.
This painting, Gamlakyeltxw (Miriam Douse), a Chief of Gitanyow, now on exhibition in the final Carr gallery, provides a glimpse into the process of revising artwork titles that will inform current and future cataloguing practices. We begin by asking ourselves, how can an artwork title provide respect to the people or communities represented? We research what can be known, and we invite relevant parties to shape our research. The online catalogue record notes that the archives created the title Mrs. Douse, Chieftainess of Kitwancool around 1961. So why do we still use the term Kitwancool? Is “chieftainess” an appropriate term? Can we know Mrs. Douse’s first name? In 1991, hereditary chiefs, including direct descendants of Mrs. Douse, reclaimed their community’s name, Gitanyow.1 Researching on the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs website, I came across a seemingly unrelated document, “Gitanyow Stewardship Guardians: Developing a Framework for Environmental 1
Monitoring and Compliance in the Gitanyow Lax’yip.” Gamlakyeltxw (Miriam Douse) and her daughter, Lisee’iw (Margaret Good), are shown in a photograph from 1910 and represented in the document as guardians of Gitanyow’s laws, rights and lands. The woman in the photographic and sketched portraits could not be more alike. I emailed Gitanyow, and Miranda Marsden, in consultation with today’s Gamlakyeltxw, Wil Marsden, was happy to confirm the identity of Miriam Douse in Carr’s portrait. The new title will be added to the catalogue record as the museum moves through the larger process of revisions. The title may undergo further revisions in future consultations with the Douse family and the hereditary chiefs at Gitanyow. The BC Archives database returns 140 records that include the term Kitwancool. Each one merits the same care, attention to research and community consultation as Emily Carr’s portrait of Gamlakyeltxw. In this first phase of the project a small cohort of volunteers are working to research 530 other artwork titles that require redress in the Paintings, Drawings and Prints collection. Their work will help the museum determine the scope, resources and paid consultations required to complete the museum-wide project, which will affect thousands of records.
BC Geographical Names, “Gitanyow.” Accessed September 20, 2020.
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F E AT U R E
September 18, 2020, was a historic day for the people of British Columbia. The BC government announced that it will construct the new Royal BC Museum Collections and Research Building (CRB) in Colwood at the Royal Bay community development. This announcement comes as the culmination of over 15 years of work by an army of people who are passionate about the Royal BC Museum.
By Erika Stenson Head of Marketing, Sales and Business Development
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n eight-acre piece of land was purchased in September for the new 14,000-square-metre facility. The new CRB will house the BC Archives, provide state-of-the-art collections storage, and include spaces for the Collections and Knowledge departments, Learning programs and community engagement. It will also house more than seven million artifacts!
Only one per cent of the Royal BC Museum’s vast collections are currently accessible to the public. Increasing public access to more
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of the collections is one of the principal goals for the museum modernization project, along with securing a safe environment for the collections. The planned CRB will include a new approach to accessible storage, setting a new standard for the democratization of collections and raising the bar for care, conservation and research. Accessibility will be taken to a whole new level of participation and interactivity in what has traditionally been seen as the sole domain of the specialist curator, archivist or collection manager. The space will facilitate
WHAT’S INSIGHT
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Lisa Beare, Florence Dick from Songhees Nation, Royal BC Museum board chair Daniel Muzyka and MLA for EsquimaltMetchosin Mitzi Dean stand on the Colwood site where the museum’s new Collections and Research Building will be built.
MODERNIZATION IN ACTION
New Collections and Research Building by 2024
an approach that will encourage visitors to become citizen scientists. Learning access spaces will be programmed for learners to explore aspects of collections, conservation, collections care and research. These spaces will correspond to the different collection categories in adjacent spaces, allowing the public to encounter the mysteries of behindthe-scenes work done by museum staff. Areas within the CRB will allow for digital engagement and a deeper dive into collections data and research, whether during the visit or later, after the visitor has gone home. The public will also be able to add their own user-generated content; for example, an Indigenous community member could augment collection data with their own stories, photographs or video (see “Repatriation Through Digitization” on page 16).
By bringing all the collections disciplines together into a new, purpose-built research facility, we will create an environment for interdisciplinary work to thrive. We are looking forward to inviting community into the building as active co-curators, engaged researchers and knowledge-keepers. This focus will bring a new dynamic to the work of the museum and archives and will create a powerful platform for teams to work alongside communities in developing new contexts for and new understandings of the collections. This past October, crews began preparing the site for construction with surveying and earthworks. The BC government has also posted a request for qualifications to invite interested parties to communicate their interest in and qualifications for the project. A shortlist of up to three proponents will
be invited to participate in the request for proposal stage of the competitive process in 2021 for the facility design and construction. This is the first phase of the Royal BC Museum Modernization Project. The main museum and public galleries on Belleville Street will remain downtown. We are currently working with the BC government on a plan to redevelop the current museum space downtown and will announce those plans in 2021. We are excited about what the future holds, and we look forward to sharing more with you, and hearing from you, in the coming months.
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LOOKING
AT
THE
BIG PICTURE
McAbee Fossil Beds is a Provincial Heritage Site located east of Cache Creek, British Columbia.
Museum Purchases IMAX Theatre
By Erika Stenson Head of Marketing, Sales and Business Development
As part of our long-term planning to modernize the Royal BC Museum precinct, the museum purchased the IMAX Victoria from Destination Cinema Inc. in August 2020. By bringing IMAX Victoria under museum control, we ensure that the potential redevelopment process for the Belleville site won’t be impacted by a private lease agreement down the road. The BC government and the museum are working together on the plan for the future museum facilities.
FINE FEATH
In the meantime, we are happy to have the IMAX staff, annual pass holders and visitors as an official part of our museum community. IMAX will continue to show the documentary features and Hollywood films visitors have come to expect, and the overall experience will remain largely unchanged. “This is an exciting step for the Royal BC Museum’s modernization,” said Professor Jack Lohman, museum CEO. “Bringing IMAX Victoria into the museum operation opens up more educational opportunities as we work to update the museum.” Now that the province is in Phase Three of recovery planning for the COVID-19 pandemic, the IMAX theatre is open with enhanced safety measures, including a maximum capacity of 50 visitors.
To see the IMAX film schedule and book your tickets visit rbcm.ca/imax.
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McAbee Fossil Beds Kamloops Vancouver Victoria
WHAT’S INSIGHT
By Dr. Victoria Arbour Curator of Palaeontology
HERED (FOSSIL) FRIENDS Digging Into the Secrets of the Leahy-Langevin Collection
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n 2017, the Royal BC Museum palaeontology collection received more than 18,000 fossils from the 53-million-year old McAbee Fossil Beds site, near Kamloops.
Donated by the Leahy and Langevin families and representing years of work by the late John Leahy and David Langevin, these fossils were formed in an ancient upland lake during a period of time called the Eocene. It was a time of high temperatures worldwide, with forests covering what is now the Canadian High Arctic. Eocene fossils are of great interest to scientists studying the effects of climate change and how warm global climates influenced the
evolution of plants and animals. The fossils from McAbee include beautifully preserved leaves and flowers, abundant insects of all sorts, rare spiders, crayfish, fish and even bird feathers. Getting these fossils packed up and brought safely to the Royal BC Museum was a herculean effort orchestrated by former palaeontology collections manager Marji Johns and former objects conservator Kjerstin Mackie. But the story doesn’t stop with the arrival of the fossils at the museum—in fact, it’s just the beginning! Since joining the museum as the new curator (continued on the next page)
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(above) Palaeontology volunteer Dazhong Huang unwraps fossils from the Leahy-Langevin donation, placing them onto a foam-lined cabinet drawer. (centre) Delicate feathers from the McAbee Fossil Beds are preserved on small slabs of rock and stored in the Royal BC Museum’s palaeontology collection. (right) Alexis Bazinet, NSERC Undergraduate Research Award recipient, analyzes microscopic features of fossilized feathers from the Leahy-Langevin collection at her home in Prince George. Photograph courtesy of Adrienne Fortsch.
Thank you to the Leahy and Langevin families for this extraordinary contribution to the Royal BC Museum and the people of British Columbia.
of palaeontology in 2018, I’ve been working with museum staff and volunteers to make these specimens accessible for scientific research and to share their stories with the people of British Columbia. Over a dozen volunteers in the palaeontology collection have helped us unpack each individual fossil from its protective wrapping paper and bubble wrap, carefully placing the fossils into foam-lined drawers in cabinets. Former contract collections manager Jaclyn Richmond and contract conservator Katie McEvoy spent countless hours entering data for each specimen into a spreadsheet, giving each fossil its own unique catalogue number and recording who collected it and where it came from. Volunteers diligently painted small white lines onto the edges of the fossils, preparing a spot for Jaclyn and Katie to write these catalogue numbers in special archivalquality ink. Each box of fossils contained an interesting mix of plants, fish, insects and more. In the palaeontology collection, we organize our fossils by geological age and biological taxonomy, so that researchers studying plants can find the plant fossils quickly, those studying fish can find the fish fossils
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quickly, and so on. Sorting through more than 18,000 fossils is a time-consuming process, and here volunteers came to the rescue again. First, all of the plants, insects, fish and feathers were sorted into their own drawers and cabinets, and then the volunteers began learning how to identify the many different plant species found at McAbee. Drawers of gingko and redwood leaves, pine needles, flowers, seeds, cones, and more began to fill up, and I was continually impressed with the good humour and curiosity of the palaeontology volunteers in taking on this huge task. Identifying fossils isn’t always easy, but there were always interesting problems to solve and things to discover! The last of the Leahy-Langevin collection fossils were unpacked on February 14, 2020, just a few weeks before the museum had to close its doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. By that point, volunteers had contributed over 900 hours to processing the collection! Although the museum closure meant we had to pause projects like sorting the fossils, it didn’t mean work on these fossils stopped completely. Instead, the focus shifted to studying some of the fossils in the collection in detail.
WHAT’S INSIGHT
Fossilized wings, including feathers, from RBCM.EH2017.050.0024, a relative of modern loons and part of the Leahy-Langevin collection of fossils from the McAbee Fossil Beds.
By measuring the size and spacing of feather barbs and barbules, Alexis hopes to discover more about the ecology of the birds that made the McAbee Fossil Beds their home 53 million years ago.
Enter Alexis Bazinet, a recent graduate of the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria. Alexis received a prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Undergraduate Student Research Award to work with me at the museum during the summer of 2020. Originally Alexis was going to work in the collection, assisting with sorting and cataloguing fossils and studying fossil feathers. COVID-19 meant we had to pivot quickly to find a way to do this work safely—and that meant remotely.
I am looking forward to eventually welcoming back our volunteers, students and researchers to continue the work on this important fossil collection. There are still thousands of fossils to catalogue, and lots of work to identify and sort not just the plant fossils, but the insects (of which there are many!) and fish. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what we can learn from the Leahy-Langevin collection, and there are undoubtedly many new species and interesting scientific discoveries to be made using these fossils!
Alexis and I have spent the summer investigating the beautifully preserved fossil feathers in the Leahy-Langevin collection—a great fit for my background in dinosaur anatomy and diversity, since birds are the feathery descendants of dinosaurs! Feathers are delicate and rarely fossilize, but we have nearly 150 feathers in the collection. As far as I know, this is the largest number of fossil feathers from a single palaeontological site anywhere in North America. But what species of birds are represented by these isolated feathers? We only have two partial bird skeletons from McAbee in the collection: a small perching bird and something that might
be a very ancient loon. But there were surely more types of birds in British Columbia 53 million years ago. Tiny features of feathers—little branching pieces called barbs and barbules—can provide some clues, since barb and barbule sizes and densities are distinct for different kinds of birds. At the museum, using a powerful microscope with a built-in digital camera, I’ve photographed many of these feathers at high magnification. Then, thanks to the internet, I can send these photos instantly to Alexis at her home in Prince George, where she can measure and analyze them using special image-analysis software. Our feather study is still ongoing at the time of this writing, but Alexis has already found that many of the isolated feathers from McAbee share more in common with birds that would have been living in trees, like sparrows and warblers, than with aquatic birds like ducks or loons. This is a surprising result, since we expected to find more aquatic birds in an ancient lake deposit! Hopefully, as Alexis continues to crunch the data, we’ll be able to find out even more about the biodiversity of Eocene birds in British Columbia.
The McAbee Fossil Beds is a protected Provincial Heritage Site and is managed by the Bonaparte Indian Band. Fossils cannot be collected from the site without a permit from the Fossil Resources Office of the Heritage Branch. Research funding was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Learn more about the McAbee Fossil Beds on the Learning Portal at
rbcm.ca/fossil-finds.
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Oedoparena larva in a barnacle test. Photograph courtesy of Cara Gibson.
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WHAT’S INSIGHT
F E AT U R E
THE
FINAL FRONTIER Insects in the
Marine Environment
Dr. Joel Gibson Curator of Entomology Dr. Henry Choong Curator of Invertebrates
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nsects are the most diverse group of animals, accounting for about 80 per cent of the world’s species. They seem to be everywhere, from inhospitable hot spring environments to the frozen tundra to our immediate surroundings—as you read this, it is likely that there is more than one insect sharing your space with you.
But despite their abundance and success in exploiting almost every ecological niche, insects are limited to approximately 30 per cent of the Earth’s environments: the terrestrial sphere. Oceans and seas account for the remaining 70 per cent, but they are largely devoid of insects. Given their tenacity, why is it that insects seem to have failed to colonize the marine environment? As the museum’s curator of entomology (Joel) and invertebrates (Henry), we explore this question in our joint research on flies, beetles and barnacles on British Columbia’s shorelines. What we found was a vastly more complicated picture than the one we expected, and it has to do with the insects’ life cycles, their interactions with non-insect marine organisms, the ever-shifting nature of the shoreline environment and how scientists study marine insects. Using natural history collection specimens, in-field observations and molecular analysis, we generated new locale records and natural history data for seven insect species found on Vancouver Island’s beaches and shores over several years (2017–19). All seven species are associated with barnacles along the Pacific coast of Canada, the United States or Japan. In particular, the larvae of Oedoparena (Diptera: Dryomyzidae), known as barnacle flies, prey upon barnacles, yet little is known about their life cycle relative to the barnacles. (continued on the next page)
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(left) Joel Gibson and Henry Choong at the shoreline in Parksville, Vancouver Island. Photograph courtesy of Cara Gibson. (right) Joel Gibson collecting insects using a pooter. Photograph courtesy of Cara Gibson.
To investigate the relationship between the insects and barnacles, we collected barnacle samples from various natural and artificial hard surfaces, such as rock outcrops, pilings, boat ramps and breakwater structures. Back at the Royal BC Museum, the collected barnacles were dissected and examined under a microscope for taxonomic identification and to determine the presence of insect larvae, pupae and pupal cases. Adult insects at the beach were also collected, using sweep nets and more specialized equipment such as an aspirator (or “pooter”). It turns out that insects have not failed at all; rather, they are remarkably successful at exploiting novel niches in a harsh and often hostile environment. Insects breathe. One limiting factor to the success of insects in the marine environment is the ability to withstand periods of immersion. Barnacle flies manage to complete their larval and pupal stages by selecting barnacles that occur in locations optimal to the survival of the larvae and pupae during periods when the barnacles are submerged or exposed. Our research also shows that there may be more insects that can be considered “marine” than previously thought. Most entomologists define marine insects as species that spend at least one of their developmental stages in an ocean habitat. Others consider insects to be secondarily marine if they must feed, either as larvae or adults, on other (non-insect) marine organisms. But our work has shown that even when taken together, these definitions still underestimate insect species that have specifically adapted to the marine shoreline ecosystems. Our observations of other species of flies and beetles found at shorelines, some of which prey on barnacle fly larvae, show that the definition of marine insects should be extended to include habitual
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predators of other intertidal insect species. We therefore propose that the definition of secondarily marine insects can be expanded to include those which do not necessarily feed directly on marine organisms, but whose life history is nevertheless intimately tied to marine organisms. This sort of research, being conducted at the museum every day, allows us to understand the diversity of life on British Columbia’s coasts and how future changes on those coasts could impact thousands of unique species. We are publishing the results of our investigation in an upcoming issue of the journal Canadian Entomologist under the title “New Range Records and Life History Observations of Insects (Diptera: Dryomyzidae, Chironomidae; Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Associated with Barnacles (Balanomorpha: Balanidae, Chthamalidae) on the Pacific Coast of North America and Japan.”
G O I N G D I G I TA L
WHAT’S INSIGHT
By Chris Adams Information Systems Analyst
BUILDING
Contributions to International Biodiversity Research
A GLOBAL CATALOGUE (above) Data map displaying the collection location of our specimens shared through GBIF. By sharing our catalogue data, we contribute to global understanding of biodiversity. Photograph courtesy of © OpenStreetMap contributors and © OpenMapTiles, GBIF.
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here is little doubt that human behaviour has shifted in response to COVID-19, but it remains to be seen how this will be reflected in our natural world. Understanding the magnitude of the changes will require knowledge of past conditions. Natural history collections occupy a special niche in biodiversity science. Our collections reach far back in time, providing us with details on where specimens were collected. With this information, we can study snapshots of British Columbia’s ecosystems back to the early 1800s. This historical baseline contains a wealth of information for researchers—provided they are able to access the data. In the past, that may have required visiting the museum in person or having specimens sent out by mail, but modern networking technologies have created new opportunities for access. Two years ago, the specimen catalogues for botany, herpetology and invertebrate zoology were published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. GBIF is a network of data providers who are dedicated to the common goal of open data. There are millions of records spanning all continents and taxonomic groups, and it is all freely
available for anyone to use. The ecological history in the museum catalogue has been put into the global context, creating new opportunities for understanding and enriching our knowledge of the environment. The data we published in GBIF has already been used in more than 70 publications investigating questions around conservation, climate change, evolution and genetics. There have also been a few unexpected uses, such as modelling the terraforming of Mars. That’s the exciting prospect of open data; it is impossible to predict the creative ways that people will engage with it. The collections have grown since we first published data in GBIF. New specimens have been collected, and additional details have been added to the catalogue as we digitize field notes, labels and other information sources. By aligning with international standards as we bring this information into the database and online, we ensure that our records can be shared with the scientific community around the world. COVID-19 may have limited in-person access to our specimens, but by sharing our records online, we create new opportunities for people to connect with our collections.
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Indigenous Collections Safeguarded and Ready for Sharing
COLLABORATION
THROUGH DIGITIZATION By Lou-ann Neel Acting Head of Indigenous Collections and Repatriation
Over the past three years, the Indigenous Collections and Repatriation department (ICAR) has been steadily working on a range of digitization activities, including the digitization of the audio and video collection.
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arlier this year, 16,000 photo cards were added to the Royal BC Museum’s online database. Until now, these photos were only accessible during in-person visits. Over the years, community members from Indigenous communities across the province had added written notes to the back of the photo cards, piecing together the history of each photo. To preserve this work, the front and back of each card was scanned, making it possible for community members to view and learn from the existing notes. And since the photos are now stored in an online database, community members can continue to add additional information about each photo.
The Indigenous Repatriation Handbook was published by the Royal BC Museum in 2019.
In addition to the scanning and digitizing of the photo collection, the ICAR audio collection is also in the process of being digitized. The audio collection comprises recordings collected over the past 60 years—including linguistic recordings (i.e., language lessons), recordings of feasts and potlatches, and interviews with fluent speakers from a wide range of First Nations communities in British Columbia. In addition, there are recordings created by researchers studying in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, ethnology and linguistics. Of the 4,000+ audio recordings, 2,329 have been digitized so far, and the remainder will be digitized once copyright and access rights are cleared with the individuals who created the recordings. While this is a significant milestone in our work to digitize the audio and photo collections, there is still much to be done.
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WHAT’S INSIGHT Brian Seymour, collections manager showing select items from the Indigenous collection.
Over the next three years, ICAR will finish digitizing the remaining audio and photo collections. We will also start to work on digitizing film and analogue video, as well as any written documentation related to these resources. As the collections are digitized, we will develop plans with the communities represented in these audio recordings, photos, films and videos to ensure any access to or use of these resources aligns with the applicable articles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This is important work, as the Province of British Columbia enacted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act in November 2019. This declaration calls on all government departments and agencies to develop action plans that enable UNDRIP to be implemented. This work is also extremely important in terms of the Royal BC Museum’s work in repatriation. Audio, photo, film, video and document collections represent both tangible and intangible cultural property that is as much a part of the repatriation process as other cultural treasures currently housed and cared for in the museum. As collections are digitized, ICAR will be working closely with Indigenous communities and the museum’s Learning department to identify resources that can support learning activities hosted by the museum. This is part of our commitment to implement UNDRIP as part of
our ongoing school programs, public education, visitor programs and activities. ICAR has also supported this commitment by partnering with the YVR Foundation’s Arts Scholarship program, providing artist-research time for recipients of YVR scholarships who are seeking to study specific works. In 2019, ICAR and the Learning department expanded on this work by embarking upon a special project to increase access to the Indigenous collections by inviting Indigenous artists to spend time at the museum over the summer months. This project enabled artists to work on their respective arts projects, demonstrating a range of artistic practice including carving, painting, beading, wool weaving, cedar-bark weaving and more. While artists were on site, they could arrange time to take a tour behind the scenes and study specific historic and contemporary artworks. There were plans to continue this project in the summer of 2020, but because of the onset of COVID-19, these plans were postponed. They will resume when it is safe to do so. Since it is anticipated that COVID-19 will continue to impact access to the Indigenous collections and galleries at the museum, ICAR has been working on revised action plans that we anticipate will provide continuing access to the collection while generating new creative opportunities for museum and community collaborations. (continued on the next page) W I N TER 2020
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In addition to video footage provided to First Nations communities, copies of the videos will remain with the Indigenous Collections. The benefits of this work are two-fold: first, the community will have footage that can be used for their own cultural education and community history programs; and second, the museum will retain a copy to serve as a back-up for the community and also to record the museum’s work in repatriation. An added benefit of this particular initiative is that it supports training and added experience for Indigenous videographers within each community and the Royal BC Museum alike. We are excited about this interim solution, and we anticipate this becoming part of our ongoing practice, even once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
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A small selection of the 16,000 photo cards that were digitized this year. 1. Musqueam woman spinning goat wool. Coast Salish. Northwest Coast. 1915. Newcombe collection. PN00083. 2. View of Ahousat village. Nuu-chah-nulth. Northwest Coast. 1914. Unknown collection. PN02398. 3. Indigenous man fishing for salmon with purse net near Spuzzum in 1926. Coast Salish. Unknown collection. PN06764.
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One such example is the way we are now working with First Nations that are involved in the BC Treaty Process. Prior to COVID-19, First Nations involved in the treaty process would arrange to tour the Indigenous collections in person to view cultural property that would be part of their respective treaty agreements. As we are unable to host large groups for the foreseeable future, we are embarking upon a video-visit approach that will see each of the identified items recorded on video and shared with the First Nation. This will enable the First Nation to share the videos with Elders, youth, artists and negotiators.
We are also excited to begin work on creating a website version of the Indigenous Repatriation Handbook. The work has commenced and the site is expected to be available on the Royal BC Museum website by early 2021. The new online version of the Indigenous Repatriation Handbook will enable community stories of repatriation to be shared, as well as other information and resources requested by museums around the world. Over the next three years we will continue with our digitization work, and while COVID-19 restrictions are in place, we will be developing community outreach activities through various online tours, webinars and other dynamic updates to the ICAR page on the museum’s website.
WHAT’S INSIGHT
By Janet MacDonald Head of Learning
Creating a Learning Culture Through Participation and Outreach
Creating and sustaining authentic community connections is essential in our line of work—now more than ever! As many of you know, we have suspended our on-site programming for the foreseeable future and have shifted to the online realm. We are forming deep digital bonds with learners of all ages from far and wide, even beyond our expectations. The following update from our respective office computers and home laptops will give you a sampling of the myriad initiatives underway. (continued on the next page)
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(left) Behind the scenes of the creation of the Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing exhibition virtual tour with Kiriko Watanabe, Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Curator of the Audain Art Museum, and Kathryn Bridge, Curator Emerita of the Royal BC Museum.
(below) Liz Crocker, Distance Learning Program Developer, works with a variety of content specialists and support staff to deliver virtual learning programs.
SHARED LEARNINGS
VIRTUAL TOURS: INSIDEOUT
As a result of pandemic measures, BC Indigenous communities cannot access the museum and collections in person (see “Collaboration Through Digitization” on page 16). This challenge offered up an opportunity to experiment with a new way of connecting. As a useful first step in preparing for repatriation of belongings to home communities, we began a digital pilot program. Our Indigenous Collections and Repatriation colleagues facilitate virtual visits with cultural belongings currently housed in the collections. Options for viewing include livestream connections that are simultaneously recorded and on-site video productions— both are available to the nations involved for study and sharing at home. Time has now been set aside in the Distance Room schedule each month for this program.
Yes, the museum is open to the public—albeit at limited capacity, to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit. But the demand for more digital content in programs has increased substantially as teachers, parents and adults turn to online content to stay connected to the museum. Our distance and online learning program is one that fits our provincial mandate well, increasing access and reaching as many British Columbians as possible. We have begun an intense period of capturing video tour content that can be enjoyed far and wide. Armed with lighting and 360° cameras, video production folks are gearing up to film aspects of our core galleries and the new temporary exhibition Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing—French Modernism and the West Coast.
As we go to press, kids are back in school, but unfortunately not back at the museum! So, we’re gearing up for a digital field trip season instead. Videoconferencing technology, cameras and lighting combine to allow us to deliver live, interactive, curriculum-linked sessions, as well as to connect online learners with each other across the province and around the world. For those of you who are teachers or have teachers in your lives, check out our online learning offerings at rbcm.ca/digitalfieldtrips.
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SILVER LININGS We have taken advantage of this time to think more broadly about how best to provide a selection of resources that can support a wider audience across our diverse provincial spectrum. In fact, the Learning team has come to the realization that silver linings do exist in these challenging times—if we are creative and nimble enough to listen and respond to our audience’s needs and interests. These initiatives will continue into the future, providing an even greater service than we could have imagined a mere eight months ago.
VOLUNTEER PROFILE
WHAT’S INSIGHT
REMEMBERING
Marguerite Gayfer 1927 – 2 019
A Volunteer Family Member from the Greatest Generation
By Holli Hodgson Volunteer Services Manager
Marguerite Gayfer joined our volunteer family in 1991 and was actively contributing to the museum’s work until December 18, 2019, the day before she passed away. For more than 28 years, she supported multiple areas of the museum and gave more than 5,000 hours of her time. After retiring from a teaching career, Marguerite supported the on-site delivery of school programs through our Learning team. She took pride in this role, teaching thousands of students over the years. A lifelong learner who loved sharing her knowledge with adults and children, she was a gallery animator for almost every visiting exhibition during her tenure and many of the core galleries. Any opportunities that involved engaging with visitors and creating memorable experiences were a perfect match for Marguerite. Marguerite was a pleasure to know, and she was adaptable to any situation she embraced. As part of her goal of being open to new opportunities, she assisted with special events, worked in the Royal Museum Shop and was a museum host. Marguerite was a great planner and a natural leader, which further benefited our community and volunteer family. She served three terms as president of the Learning Team Association (now the Volunteer Association).
(above) Professor Jack Lohman, CEO, presenting Marguerite with her 25-year service pin in 2017. (left) Marguerite shown in Old Town, in the Becoming BC gallery, where she spent many years engaging with our visitors.
TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE
MARGUERITE GAYFER FUND please contact Randy Gelling at 778 678 3653 or rgelling@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
In recent years, Marguerite provided significant support with the operations of our volunteer library lounge. She made everyone feel welcome and created a warm and inclusive gathering place. Volunteering was only one part of her active life. When she wasn’t contributing time to our museum community, she enjoyed quality time with family and friends, sang in a choir and travelled. We were honoured when Marguerite’s family reached out to our Advancement department to plan a memorial fund in her name: the In Memory of Marguerite Gayfer fund. She had a strong connection and deep appreciation for the museum, and her family felt this would be a significant way to honour her. Marguerite was the most senior member of our volunteer family, as well as part of the greatest generation (born 1901–1927). We are truly appreciative of everything Marguerite contributed to our organization, and we thank her family for supporting her legacy of volunteer work.
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Map of the Railway Belt, NW971-24 C212d.
Canadian Pacific Railway construction, d-01440.
Rediscovered Land Records from BC’s Railway Belt
BACK ON T TRACKS
The BC Archives holds millions of records, so occasionally items are “rediscovered.” The Kamloops Government Agent land records (series GR-0522) are one such case. The archives has held these records since the 1960s, but somehow they were never processed by staff. Now, thanks to months of hard work from the BC Archives Government Records team, these records are finally accessible.
By Rachel McRory Government Records Archivist
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he records cover 100 years of land use history in the Kamloops area, from 1877 to 1977. There are over 47 linear metres of records and maps created and used by the local government agents. These agents were important figures in the early colonial history of British Columbia. They were often the only government representatives in an area, so they took on many different roles. This included the work of land agents, who documented all uses of Crown (publicly owned) land. Kamloops is an interesting area of British Columbia for land records because it was part of what is known as the Railway Belt. Building a railway to connect British Columbia with the rest of Canada was a key part of the Terms of the Union, by which British Columbia became a province of Canada in 1871. The terms included the transfer of the Railway Belt land to the federal government. This was a 40-mile-wide piece of provincial Crown land stretching from the Rocky Mountains to
Port Moody. The land was used for construction of the railway; the sale of some of the land to settlers helped finance its construction. Unfortunately, British Columbia’s vast, mountainous terrain and a variety of political factors led to delays. The Railway Belt was not transferred to the federal government until 1883, and the exact northern and southern boundaries of the belt were not confirmed until 1895. This situation was confusing for both settlers and government officials. It was often unclear if the provincial or federal government controlled a piece of land. In 1895, settler D.A. Wright attempted to receive the title for the land he had applied for. Told that the Provincial Land Agent did “not have the power to grant this,” he appealed to the Dominion Land Agent, who wrote, “I cannot at the present time explain how this manner is to be straightened out.” It was unclear
WHAT’S INSIGHT Canadian Pacific Railway construction, i-30820.
Receipt for an application to acquire federal Crown land, file 21-2330.
if Wright’s land was inside the Railway Belt or not. Wright was simply advised to “wait a little time”—as were many others in a similar state of limbo. Canadian Pacific Railway construction began in 1881 (eight years behind schedule). It was completed on November 7, 1885. The Railway Belt was only transferred back to the province in 1930, after decades of negotiation. The complex administration of this land means records were created by both provincial and Dominion land agents. Each government used very different file and survey systems in administering the land. Together the records document changing government administrative practices and priorities over time. Far more is recorded than the ownership and use of particular pieces of land. Holdings include personal records of land owners, such as letters, military discharge papers and the naturalization papers of immigrants who were not British citizens. There are many other kinds of records as well, from geographic and environmental data to leases for almost every available natural resource, including grazing land, timber, water, petroleum and mining claims.
Sketch map of a pre-emption claim, file 7-4430.
There are also many records about Indigenous peoples in the area. Some document overlapping land use and conflict with settlers. No treaties were signed for the lands in the Railway Belt, and the creation of reserves was painfully slow, often at great disadvantage to Indigenous peoples. These records help to paint a picture of the history of the Kamloops area. Reading them can teach us about everything from land management practices to the attitudes of the people who lived there. Each file provides specific examples of how settlers and Indigenous peoples used land. This detailed information is useful in land claims and genealogy research alike. These records, like many other government records, include a treasure trove of information just waiting to be explored. W I N TER 2020
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Mammoth Mask Exclusive to the Royal Museum Shop. $16.50–$18.00 per mask
Spirits of the Coast Orcas in Science, Art and History Edited by Martha Black, Lorne Hammond and Gavin Hanke with Nikki Sanchez. $29.95
Support Your Museum
Make a donation in someone’s name.
GIFT GUIDE SHOP ONLINE AT
rbcm.ca
Whether you’re shopping for a history buff or nature lover, an intrepid outdoor explorer or armchair adventurer, we have something for everyone this holiday season.
IMAX Victoria Annual Pass
Aliens Among Us
Your ticket to travel the world! $55.00 per person
Invasive Animals and Plants in British Columbia By Alex Van Tol $19.95
Digital Field Trip Can’t get here in person? Book a staff-led virtual experience! $99.00 per program 24
PA R T N E R S H I P P R O F I L E
Black & McDonald
Emily Carr in England Edited by Kathryn Bridge $27.95
Since 2010, Black & McDonald has been a proud partner of the Royal BC Museum, supporting it both with charitable contributions and as their in-house facility management provider.
Royal BC Museum Membership Share your museum experience with someone lucky in your social bubble. $30.95–$125.90 per membership
Black & McDonald is proud to support the Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing exhibition.
Set of Four Mugs These fine bone china mugs depict four of Emily Carr’s most memorable paintings. $55.00 per set
Black & McDonald is an integrated, multi-trade service provider that safely delivers high quality construction, facilities management and technical solutions. We are a family-owned and -operated company with over 5,000 employees working out of more than 30 offices across North America. We provide maintenance, operations and support services to facilities in both the public and private sectors, totalling over 200 million square feet, including highly sensitive environments such as museums and galleries. An outsourced facilities management partner can act as an extension of the existing in-house team with specialized expertise and support services, including energy and sustainability services. Black & McDonald is pleased to support the Royal BC Museum with both our professional and charitable work.
W I N TER 2020
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WHAT’S
ON
EXHIBITIONS
WINTER 2020
For a full listing of what’s happening at the museum visit rbcm.ca/calendar
ONLINE RESOURCES NEW iNaturalist
We are excited to welcome the online community to take advantage of iNaturalist as a tool for citizen science, collaboration and knowledgesharing. Please tag our profile @RBCM in your observations! Explore now at inaturalist.org
This Week in History
Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing
Take a fresh look at Emily Carr. Today she’s beloved as a Canadian icon of arts and letters. But first, she broke all the rules.
On now until January 24, 2021
Learn more at rbcm.ca/emily
Peer Into the Past
This pop-up gallery in Victoria’s Fan Tan Alley showcases Chinese Canadian history.
On Now 103–3 Fan Tan Alley Learn more at rbcm.ca/chinatown
This weekly series is back for its ninth season. Every Wednesday on CHEK News, or see past episodes online. Explore now at rbcm.ca/twih
Orcas: Our Shared Future
Learning Portal
April 16–December 31, 2021
The Learning Portal is a dynamic online resource designed to engage learners of all ages. Explore now at rbcm.ca/learning
Dive deep into the stories and science surrounding the orca, apex predator of all oceans. Surface with a new understanding of how orcas and humans are connected. Learn more at rbcm.ca/orcas
THE POCKET GALLERY
A Tale of Two Families
Discover the stories of two families—one Chinese Canadian, the other French Canadian— who built lasting legacies in British Columbia beginning in the gold rush era.
On now until January 31, 2021 26
WHAT’S INSIGHT
PROGRAMS Christmas in Old Town
Take in the sights and sounds of Christmas long ago. Visit the wood-cobbled streets lined with festive garlands and see the shops decked in seasonal finery.
November 28, 2020 – January 9, 2021 Digital Field Trips
We’re back to offering digital field trips to schools and learners of all ages. Learn more at rbcm.ca/digitalfieldtrips
RBCM @Home Series
Join us each week for a new theme! Free online program through Zoom. Carol Along with the Carillon December 1 | 12:00–12:30 PM Emily Carr Christmas December 8 | 12:00–12:30 PM In Search of Woo December 15 | 12:00–12:30 PM
Healthy lifestyle: What does it really mean? Do you define health as a purely physiological state or does your definition encompass a more holistic view of overall health? There may be activities you can incorporate into your routine to benefit your wellness. To learn how our health courses can help you attain your goals, visit: continuingstudies.uvic.ca/lifestyle
RBCM @Home Kids
Join us for an online playdate every Wednesday at 11:00 AM for a visit with members of the museum staff and families from across British Columbia.
RBCM @Outside
Follow along at home as museum staff lead you through outdoor spaces every second Wednesday at 2:00 PM. Learn more at rbcm.ca/calendar
WINTER HOURS Museum Galleries
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00 AM –6:00 PM Closed Wednesday
Royal Museum Shop Open 11:00 AM –4:00 PM Or shop online at rbcm.ca/shop
Learn more at rbcm.ca/hours
Sequoia Coastal Coffee
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9:30 AM –4:30 PM Sat, Sun 10:00 AM –4:30 PM Closed Wednesday
IMAX Victoria
Films run from 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM Closed Wednesday
Your ticket to travel the world Just
52
$
.38
*
Unlimited entrance to traditional films - both 2D & 3D $ .50 6 admission to Hollywood Feature Films ($7.50 3D)
IMAX® is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation. *Includes many benefits, does not include GST.
See all the benefits and get yours today at imaxvictoria.com W I N TER 2020
27
Welcome Randy Gelling, philanthropy manager (left), and Bhumika Kamra, membership and marketing coordinator (right), to the team.
MEET THE TEAM
Welcome to the New Philanthropy Staff
By Erika Stenson Head of Marketing, Sales and Business Development
The advancement team at the Royal BC Museum has been considering how to serve you better. With the pressures of COVID-19 affecting all of our lives and impacting the museum and archives’ ability to welcome you in person, we’ve made a lot of adjustments in order to continue to share British Columbia’s histories with our communities. With that in mind, we have a couple of new faces to introduce you to. Randy Gelling, Philanthropy Manager
Randy joined the museum in September and has jumped right in to learn about what we do and how we can serve you better. He has a passion for culture and believes that museum supporters’ needs come first. With a background in communications and fundraising, he’ll be the first to tell you his job is to help match your charitable interest and passions to the needs of the museum and archives. Randy joins us from the Banff Centre, where he supported donors as development officer.
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PLEASE
DONATE TODAY!
Your gift will help care for and share the collections you love. Thank you for your donation.
YES!
I would like to make a tax-deductible gift to the Royal BC Museum in the amount of:
$35 $50 $100 $500 $1,000 Other $ ______________ GIFT TYPE
One-time
Monthly
Your gift supports all of the Royal BC Museum’s endeavours, including education, research, conservation, caring for the collections and exhibit development.
YOUR INFORMATION NAME ADDRESS
GET IN TOUCH Randy Gelling 778 678 3653 donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca rbcm.ca/support
CITY
PROVINCE
POSTAL CODE
TELEPHONE
I am a current Royal BC Museum member. I would like to learn more about leaving a gift in my will for the Royal BC Museum. Please contact me to confirm that my wishes can be honoured. I have named the Royal BC Museum in my will. Bhumika Kamra, Membership and Marketing Coordinator
Bhumika is here to support your membership needs. She has extraordinary expertise and experience, including an MBA from UBC, a law degree and extensive experience working with not-for-profit organizations. We know you’ll be just as excited as we are to have her on the team. Randy and Bhumika will be getting to know you over the next few months, and they would be happy to hear from you, so give them a call or email! We want to thank you for your continued support of the Royal BC Museum. Every gift, every membership, can help build and care for the collections, support special exhibitions and deliver innovative learning, research and conservation programs.
PAYMENT DETAILS CREDIT CARD
Visa
MasterCard
American Express
CARD NUMBER EXPIRY DATE (MM/YY) NAME ON CARD SIGNATURE
Cheque (please make payable to the Royal BC Museum) Please return to our box office along with your donation, or mail to:
Royal BC Museum Attn: Philanthropy Department 675 Belleville Street, Victoria BC, V8W 9W2
Thank you for your support. For more information Phone: 778 678 3653 Email: donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca rbcm.ca/support The personal information collected on this form is collected under the authority of Section 4 of the Museum Act (SBC 2003, c.12) and will only be used to maintain our donor list, issue tax receipts, publicly recognize your donation and provide you with information on current events/exhibitions. If you have any questions about your privacy, please contact the manager of Information and Privacy, 675 Belleville St., Victoria, BC, V8W 9W2; privacy@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or 250 356 0698.
RBCM Corporation Business No. # 88032 1807 RC0001
PM42265026
COVER IMAGE Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing is on now until January 24, 2021. Get your timed ticket at rbcm.ca/emily
$3.95 100%
GIVE THE GIFT OF WONDER Gift a Royal BC Museum Membership Members receive unlimited access to galleries and feature exhibitions including:
Emily Carr: Fresh Seeing On now until January 24, 2021
Orcas: Our Shared Future April 16–December 31, 2021 Purchase today at rbcm.ca /join
675 Belleville Street Victoria, BC V8W 9W2 250 356 7226 1 888 447 7977 royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
