2008 AWARDS
Award of Distinguished Service
R. Alan Douglas, Stephen Inglis, Ivette Raymond, Barry D. Till
Fellows
The title Fellow of the CMA is the highest distinction awarded by the CMA. This year Joanne DiCosimo and Jann L.M. Bailey were named Fellows of the CMA.
Joanne DiCosimo Jann L.M. Bailey
ICOM-Canada
Annette Viel
Committed human being, daring museologist, respected professor and grand ambassador of Canadian museology, Annette Viel has played a major role in the development of numerous concepts, such as that of “the spirit of the site” as a repository of cultural heritage, a concept first developed in France. Annette Viel has had a determining influence on the transfer of museological knowledge and expertise between Canada and the world. Through her numerous publications, her open attitude, her determination, and, above all, her great generosity, she has brought people together and made connections. Annette Viel is a museologist at the Museum national d’histoire naturelle (Paris). She also worked for many years for Parks Canada, particularly on the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park.
Museums and School Partnership Award
Drumheller Composite High School
Launched in the fall of 2005, the Palaeontology 15 course at Drumheller Composite High School (AB) has continued to develop thanks to the invaluable collaboration between teachers at the secondary school, officials from the Golden Hills School Division #75, and staff of the Royal Tyrell Museum. Originally introduced as a pilot project, the course has continued to be offered every semester. It has been expanded to two other schools, and plans are currently underway to make it available in all Alberta school divisions. Using the resources of the Red Deer River Valley, the course explores the history of life on earth, biodiversity, and ecology. This project will certainly give young people a taste for palaeontology and geology.
2008 CMA AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Conservation
Canadian Museum of Civilization Researchers at the National University of Ireland Museum in Galway sent a rare 19th century Canadian birchbark canoe to specialists at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (Gatineau QC) for restoration. Every day, visitors could watch the restorers at work on the six-metre canoe. The Conservation Treatment of an Early 19th century Maliseet Canoe demanded painstaking work and a partnership between Canadian, Mi’kmaq, and foreign specialists. The restored canoe was returned to Ireland in spring 2008.
Education
McCord Museum of Canadian History With a single click, visitors to the McCord Museum of Canadian History (Montreal QC) have access to more than 135,000 digitized artefacts from the McCord’s collections and seven partner museums in five provinces, thanks to the online resource Keys to History. This visionary model also includes a host of related information organized by topics, games, and virtual exhibitions.
Honourable Mention Education
MacKenzie Art Gallery
The Urban Outreach Program project of the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina SK)
received an honourable mention.
Exhibitions
Canadian War Museum Developed by the team at the Canadian War Museum, Afghanistan: Glimpse of War offers a look into the ongoing story of the war in Afghanistan and examines Canada’s role, with the help of photos and films by two Canadian journalists. Reports attest to the human experience of war and are fleshed out with a selection of personal artefacts.
Honourable mention Exhibitions
Royal BC Museum, Susan Marsden of the Museum of Northern BC, andthe Project Team
The exhibition Treasures of the Tsimshian from the Dundas Collection organized by
Grant Hughes of the Royal BC Museum, Susan Marsden of the Museum of Northern
BC and the Project Team received an honourable mention. (See the January issue
of MUSE!)
Facility Development and Design
Baird Sampson Neuert architects The French River Visitor Centre is a remarkable example of effective integration with its environment. Designed by Baird Sampson Neuert architects, the new visitor centre at the French River Provincial Park (ON) harmoniously links centuries-old objects with modern visualization techniques while respecting the strictest environmental standards. The project also integrated contributions from local Aboriginal, Francophone, and Anglophone communities.
Management
Reynolds-Alberta MuseumIn October 2006, the Reynolds-Alberta Museum (Wetaskiwin) undertook a year-long investigation into the museum’s products, services and organizational systems. The results of the Reynolds-Alberta Museum Investigation Project concluded that the site had become more “tourist attraction” than “museum.” The museum acted quickly to improve its planning to reclaim its original role.
Honourable mention Management
The Bytown Museum
The Bytown Museum (Ottawa ON) received an honourable mention for its project:
Bytown Museum 90th Anniversary Renewal.
Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History
With limited resources, Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History, designed a highly effective range of marketing tools to highlight the 15th Anniversary of Pointe-à-Callière. For instance, The Great Blog invited Montrealers to write what they had done on May 17, the museum’s anniversary.
Publications
Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History The book The St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Corn People, published by Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History (QC), synthesizes the research carried out by Roland Tremblay over several years. The well-illustrated texts by Tremblay and his 17 collaborators invite the reader to discover the First Nations encountered by Jacques Cartier when he sailed up the St. Lawrence in the 1530s and 1540s, but who had disappeared by the arrival of Samuel de Champlain, two generations later.
Research
Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and HistoryDiscoveries about Fort Ville-Marie, Birthplace of Montreal, a project of the Archaeological Field School of Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History (QC), allowed archaeologists to unearth the remains of Fort Ville-Marie, built in 1642, and the residence of Louis-Hector Callière, built in 1695. The discoveries were presented to the public during open-house activities.
Volunteerism
Joan McKim
Joan McKim is a determined, dedicated, generous, and remarkably efficient woman. A recipient of the Order of Canada in 2002, she has accomplished an admirable feat of cataloguing for the McCord Museum of Canadian History (Montreal QC). Over a period of 25 years, she produced 20,000 descriptive files, catalogued 37,500 artefacts, described 10,000 drawings at an intense pace of 100 per week, and digitized nearly 30,000 recordings. And her work is not yet complete, as this energetic 95-year-old volunteer is still pursuing the colossal task from Toronto (ON).
