CMA Fall activity update

We’ve had a busy and rewarding autumn, highlighted by an in-person board retreat, the release of our major report on Indigenous self-determination in the museums sector, and by the opportunities we’ve had to finally meet face to face once again with colleagues from across Canada.

The Release of Moved to Action

On September 27 we released “Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums.” The report was undertaken at the request of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 to bring museum policy in Canada in step with the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The 128-page report, which has inspired some of the content in this issue of the magazine, was developed under the authoritative guidance of the CMA’s Reconciliation Council and with contributions from many professionals and groups.

“Everyone at every level can contribute to their museum’s implementation of UNDRIP,” the report states. “Think of the sector as an ecosystem, with each person having something to offer. Read on, listen, and work diligently from a place of humility, knowledge, and confidence.”

The release generated a host of positive media responses, with national and regional digital, radio and tv news coverage.

“The Canadian Museums Association is calling for legislation, money and a cohesive national strategy to support Indigenous-led reconciliation in the museum sector,” the Canadian Press and CBC reported. “Canadian museums have been painfully slow to return the millions of Indigenous cultural objects and human remains in their collections – and Indigenous communities need tougher laws and federal funding to speed the process,” wrote Kate Taylor in The Globe and Mail.

We featured the report at recent conferences, including a preview at the virtual portion of the Alberta Museums Association’s annual conference just prior to the official launch of the report.

We were also active on the ground in Edmonton, AB at the physical conference in September. Keynote speaker Armando Perla, vice-president of the CMA’s board of directors and chief curator of Toronto History Museums, considered, “The Human Cost of Decolonization.”

We also sponsored the session “Incorporating Reconciliation and Inclusion at Historic Forts,” led by Allison Graham and Nicole Henbrey of Fort Calgary.

As well, we took the report to Winnipeg, MB, where we attended the Manitoba Museums Association’s annual conference in October and presented a session focused on the governance and engagement sections of the report.

While in Winnipeg, we were fortunate to connect with CMA Board Director Dorota Blumczyńska on a visit to the Manitoba Museum, where she is CEO. CMA Reconciliation Council member and Senior Director at the Manitoba Métis Federation, Grant Anderson, took us on a tour of the impressive Métis National Heritage Centre site, which is to be housed in the historic Bank of Montreal building at the corner of Portage and Main—an example of reclaiming colonial spaces for Indigenous communities.

We were also able to visit and connect with staff at Qaumajuq (Winnipeg Art Gallery), the St. Boniface Museum, Seven Oaks Museum and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Overall, it has been impressive and informative sharing the report and hearing the positives responses from communities across the country.

Activities with the Board of Directors

Shortly before the release of the Moved to Action report, we had the opportunity to welcome our board members to our new headquarters in downtown Ottawa for some strategic development.

At this board retreat and planning session in September, our directors mapped out innovative ways to enhance advocacy, networking and building capacity for small museums. They also squeezed in a visit to the Bytown Museum, which sits snugly between Parliament Hill and the locks on the Rideau Canal.

Photos from the CMA Board Retreat open house, hosted at the CMA’s new office space at 130 Albert Street in Ottawa, ON. From left to right: Senior Manager of Policy ad Research and Special Advisor to the CEO, Dnyanesh Kamat with board directors Dorota Blumczyńska and Madeleine Smolarz; the CMA Board of Directors talking before sitting around our boardroom table.

Inspired by our commitment to transparency, many Board members shared their experience on social media.

“Building community starts in-house and change is only possible when we become the change ourselves and model it for our community,” wrote board member Pailagi Pandya on LinkedIn. “Strategic planning is done right when it starts with an acknowledgement of the harm caused by museums and a way forward that encompasses building a better and safer future with our communities for all!”

Finally, to close out the conference season, several CMA Board members participated in the Ontario Museum Association’s conference in Hamilton in November.

The OMA’S theme was Changing Directions: Practice Over Permanence, and CMA board director Dorota Blumczyńska offered the opening keynote on the topic of “Leadership and Uncertainty.”

CMA President Heather George was a panelist in two sessions, including “Honouring Our Roots: The City of Hamilton’s Indigenous Landmarks and Monuments Review,” as well as “Prioritizing Relationships: Practical Strategies for Community Building in Museum Management, Exhibitions, Policy and Programs,” where she was also joined by CMA Board vice-president Armando Perla and Director Sam Cronk.

Finally, Madeleine Smolarz, our newest director, also served as a panelist for a session on mentorship and peer support.

Looking forward to 2023

We would like to thank everyone that has taken the time to review the Moved the Action report, has hosted us, and engaged us in wonderful conversation. With more travel opportunities and a bright new outlook for the Canadian Museums Association, we look forward to connecting with even more of you in 2023! M

Photos from our site visits in Winnipeg (clockwise from top-left): Manitoba Museum; Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, site of the Association of Manitoba Museums conference; display from Seven Oaks Museum; underground at the Qaumajuq Visible Vault.