BC Museums Association Podcast

For the third episode of Queer(y)ing Museums, we were thrilled to have Carmel Tanaka, founder and Executive Director of JQT Vancouver, and Alysa Rutenberg, Archivist at the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC, join us to chat about the BC Jewish Queer and Trans Oral History Project. 

In part one of this two-part episode, Carmel and Alysa discuss the intergenerational and community engagement aspects of their project, advice for other institutions/organizations who might be interested in engaging in similar work, and more. 

You can find out more about the BC Jewish Queer & Trans Oral History Project here: https://www.jqtvancouver.ca/jqt-oral-history-bc

To learn more about JQT Vancouver: https://www.jqtvancouver.ca/

To learn more about the Jewish Museum & Archives of BC: https://jewishmuseum.ca/about/ 

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

Featured news for April 2022:

• BC Chinese community raises more than $50,000 for burned Lytton museum | Vancouver Sun

What does Earth Day mean to you? Are climate conversations part of your personal or professional lives? How do you contribute to climate action already taking place in your community?

The heritage and culture sector is privileged to support research, education, and action against climate change. This Earth Day, the BC Museums Association has invited some in our sector and the community at large to share, inspire, and help educate us all on the importance and interconnectedness of climate and the cultural heritage sector.

In this episode, hear how The Potato House Project integrates sustainability into their work and the importance of community for the success of their organization.

Music courtesy of Chad Crouch, The Sound Of Picture Production Library.

What does Earth Day mean to you? Are climate conversations part of your personal or professional lives? How do you contribute to climate action already taking place in your community?

The heritage and culture sector is privileged to support research, education, and action against climate change. This Earth Day, the BC Museums Association has invited some in our sector and the community at large to share, inspire, and help educate us all on the importance and interconnectedness of climate and the cultural heritage sector.

In this episode, hear how RAVEN approaches work with Indigenous communities and how these relationships influence how they discuss the environment.

Music courtesy of Chad Crouch, The Sound Of Picture Production Library.

In the second episode of Queer(y)ing Museums, BCMA’s Desirée Hall and Tanya Pacholok chat with Amelia Smith, a transgender lesbian emerging museum professional who holds a Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto.

In this episode, Amelia shares with us about her approaches to exhibition design and community engagement; how cisgender privilege shows up in museum spaces and in how we talk about trans histories; thinking about audience engagement and who we are designing exhibits for, and more.

Amelia's work seeks to bridge the gap between transgender studies and queer museology. Upon finding little addressing this topic, she took it upon herself to create it. Her website "Not Your Average Cistory" has grown into a home for exploring the various ways that museums can be viewed through a transgender lens. Check it out here:  http://www.notyouraveragecistory.com/

If you would like to take action against the anti-trans bills that Amelia mentions in this episode, the American Civil Liberties Union is doing great work to fight for the rights, health, safety, and wellbeing of trans people in the midst of ongoing anti-trans legislation: https://www.aclu.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/transgender-rights

References in this episode:

Framing Agnes

Nina Simon, The Participatory Museum https://www.participatorymuseum.org/

Mary Weissman

Clare Sears

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

Featured news for March 2022:

• Chilliwack Museum sets high water mark with opening reception of Qoqo 

Welcome to Queer(y)ing Museums: a BCMA Gender & Sexuality podcast series! In this podcast, we seek to deepen the discussions begun in the Gender & Sexuality Inclusion Toolkit, and highlight great work being done around the province and beyond.

In this first episode, BCMA’s Desirée Hall and Tanya Pacholok sit down (virtually) with MMBC board member Jelena Putnik and Executive Director Brittany Vis to discuss the Maritime Museum of BC’s upcoming exhibit, “Queer at Sea: Tales from the 2SLGBTQ+ Community”. Jelena and Brittany share the inspiration for the exhibit, what they’ve learned about relationship building and community-centred exhibits, addressing homophobia, and more. 

“Queer at Sea: Tales from the 2SLGBTQ+ Community” will be open to the public 17 May 2022 and run for the duration of the summer. You can find more information about how and where to find the exhibit here!

The BC Museum Portraits Project is an audio interview and photography initiative that will result in an online archive of the ‘institutional memory’ of the Province’s museums and archives. We’re excited to preview this new collaboration between Spencer Stuart and the BC Museums Association on our website. In this episode, Spencer interviews Deborah Griffiths, Executive Director of the Courtenay and District Museum and Paleontology Centre

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

Featured news for February 2022:

• Victoria museum requests stories from queer maritime workers to include in exhibition | CBC News

The BC Museum Portraits Project is an audio interview and photography initiative that will result in an online archive of the ‘institutional memory’ of the Province’s museums and archives. We’re excited to preview this new collaboration between Spencer Stuart and the BC Museums Association on our website. In this episode, Spencer interviews Alyssa Gerwing, Executive Director of the Sidney Museum and Archives.