Textile Workshop March 20th in Brockville

This looks fun:

EVENT – Learn more about 19th-century textiles at Fulford Place

Saturday, March 20, 2010 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with one hour for lunch

In this workshop, Sotheby's-trained instructor Janet Carlile looks at 19^th-century textiles. Learn about samplers and the iconography used on them. Explore early Canadian pictorial wool work. Find out how Irish linen is made – and how to remove stains and care for it. Hooking and hooked rugs, quilts and coverlets will also be examined. You will also discover ways of determining the age of textiles. Each participant may bring one textile item to be appraised.

Janet Carlile has lectured throughout the United Kingdom and Canada. She taught a course at Lancaster University called Artefacts and Implements Relating to Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian Social History. Carlile has undertaken appraisals of government department collections and is an appraiser for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the American Embassy, the House of Commons and has worked for Rideau Hall – the official residence of the Governor General. She has also appeared as an expert on the Canadian Antiques Roadshow.

The cost of the session is $65 per person. Pre-registration is required. Seating is limited. Bring a bagged lunch.

To purchase tickets or receive more information, call 613-498-3003.

Fulford Place – a National Historic Site – is owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust, an agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

For more information about Fulford Place and other Trust activities, call 416-325-5000.

(Posted on: http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_10170_1.html)

Talk on Victorian Costume - Dec 10/09 London Ontario

This looks like fun and free:

Victorian Costume: Demonstration and Talk
Thursday, December 10, 7:30 pm
Lorraine Ivey Shuttleworth Community Gallery

After graduating from the Fashion Arts Program at Niagara College, Karen Harley dedicated 25 years to theatre, working in various venues such as the Stratford Festival and the Grand Theatre. She now teaches sewing, history of costume and textile science in the Fashion Design Program at Fanshawe College. Karen will speak about why people dressed the way they did in Victorian times, and will elaborate upon the styles, influences and attitudes of the era. She will display a collection of Victorian costumes from the Stratford Festival, and will show us what it took to get undressed as a woman in this period.

Admission: FREE

(Source: http://www.museumlondon.ca/d.aspx?s=/Programs_Events/Listen_Learn.htm)

Paper Dolls On Display Are More Than Just Child's Play

This weekend I went on a little road trip to Coopersville – a small city just outside of Grand Rapids. I stopped in to check out a paper doll display set up at the Coopersville Farm Museum. The display case housed what looked like close to 30 or so different paper dolls. The collection is on loan by Jan Harings a local person with a passion for collecting paper dolls. The exhibit is dedicated to a collecting friend of hers, Julie Cain, who recently passed away.

This small sample of her collection is definitely worth seeing. It brought be back as I had forgot how much I loved paper dolls as a little girl. From the display it's interesting to see how different paper dolls were throughout the 20th century. The variety of silhouettes of the paper dolls, some looking like little girls, others like women and the different illustration styles. Having studied clothing history I definitely have a new perception of paper dolls than I did when I was dressing my own Barbie paper dolls in the early 90s! The fashions worn by the dolls show high fashions of various decades and are a great source for tracing trends.

Here are some web links to information on the history of paper dolls:

-The OPDAG (The Original Paper Doll Artists' Guild), "History of Paper Dolls "by Judy M. Johnson

-The OPDAG "Potpourri of Paper Dolls," 2010 Paper Doll Convention Info in Kansas City, MO

-"The History and Charm of Paper Dolls" by Roma M. Welsh

The Coopersville Farm Museum is charming museum with a real community feel. The exhibits are anything from model trains, artwork to historic displays and were created by locals. They are pretty random which is not a bad thing! When you have visited as many museums as I have it’s enjoyable to be surprised when visiting a museum. Next time I go to Coopersville I hope to ride the train which is also run by volunteers - so many volunteers in this city - what a nice community!

The paper doll display is on at the Coopersville Farm Museum until October 24, 2009.

(Photos by me)

ArtPrize - The Real Winner is Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, Michigan is a vibrant place to be! Today I took in ArtPrize. If you have not heard about this event, it is a city-wide art competition where artists have the opportunity to win 250,000. It's the first year running - hopefully it won't be the last as it has brought people out to share and celebrate not just the art but all of the great things this city has to offer: talented people, great restaurants, museums and a lovely downtown waterfront.

Today I saw a giant table and chairs on one of the city bridges by painter Sarah Grant. There is tons of contemporary art throughout the streets and some gems displayed inside various shops/restaurants that are hosting works of art.

This weekend the streets were crowded with people (10,000 apparently!) to see one of the events - the dropping of 100,000 paper airplanes from the tops of building by artist Rob Bliss. He created a rainbow of colorful airplanes flying through the Grand Rapids skyline. Check out the video!

A fantastic event that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is still on until the end of the week so get out and see some art!..It's clear that although this was an artist competition, the real winner has been the city of Grand Rapids - through successfully enticing people to get out and enjoy all the city has to offer.


(Pictures: Top: The Furniture City Sets the Table for the World of Art by Sarah Grant; Below: Project Propagate by Sally England and Nick Stockton)

Hooked Rugs - Upcoming Event

On Wed. Sept. 9 @ 6:30pm at the Textile Museum of Canada Sharon McDonald will be giving a talk on hooked rugs. I just got a preview this morning over coffee and she has some amazing knowledge to share. If you are interested in the hooked rugs, design, textiles or Canadian history more generally this talk should not be missed!

Here is the event information:

Lecture: Hooked Rugs and the Economy with Sharon MacDonald

Wednesday September 9, 6:30 pm

The history of rug hooking in Canada goes well beyond an account of a domestic craft in which decorative and practical furnishings were produced for personal household use. Citing examples that span diverse communities and geographical regions, Sharon MacDonald will explore the fascinating and significant role that hooked rugs have played in the hidden and not-so-hidden economy over the past century.

Cost:

general public: Full-time students Free; Non-members $12
TMC members: Free

Reservation: Not required

Advance tickets may be purchased in person at the TMC’s front desk. Please arrive early, seating is limited.

See ad on the Textile Museum of Canada's Website.

Image from: http://www.netw.com/~rafter4/hooked.htm

Curatorial Assistant - Textile Museum of Canada

Job description:
General Description:

The Curatorial Assistant is responsible for providing logistical, research, administrative and technical support to the Curatorial Department. The Assistant will play a key role in project research, development and coordination, creating planning documents, preparing digital design files, contributing to the maintenance of a data base and the ongoing content development of TMC Web sites. The Assistant will play an important support role in day-to-day office tasks, assisting with written correspondence, business contracts, record keeping and filing. The position reports to the Curatorial Director and works directly with all members of the Curatorial team.

See Full Ad Here
Closes Sept 11, 2009

“Camouflage: From Battlefield to Catwalk” A Must See at the Canadian National War Museum

The pumping music of a fashion runway combined with that of a marching band drew me into the Camouflage exhibit currently running at the Canadian National War Museum.

The themes in the exhibit: Conceal, Distort, Deceive and Disguise explore the different uses of camouflage throughout history. There are a variety of fascinating artifacts to see from historic military uniforms, to cubist paintings and haute couture gowns. Each of the pieces on display has an interesting story to tell. One of my favorites was a pair of sandal boots (1967 Courtesy of the Bata Shoe Museum) that were used for military purposes. The bottoms of the boots are imprinted with an enemies tread (the footprint of the inhabitants rope sandal) so they would leave no print when encroaching on enemy territory - how smart!

I was also impressed with how interactive the exhibit was from a chance to try on military uniforms for different terrain to building your own disguised city. Camouflage is little kid and big kid friendly;)

Having an interest in the history of design I was excited to see this was the major focus of the exhibit. It would have been great to learn more about how successful the use of the camo techniques actually were on the battlefield as some of these inventions on display, although impressive, seemed a bit bizarre (building fake tree structures on the battlefield to hide in?).

It sounds like there has been work done on the exhibit since the first showing at the Imperial War Museum in Britain including some new additions – particularly on aspects of the Canadian history of camouflage. Hopefully these museums will continue to build a base of knowledge on this fascinating subject.

Camouflage is on display at the Canada National War Museum from June 5, 2009 to January 3, 2010. See the website for cost of admission or visit on a Thursday night when it is FREE:) A really great show that should not be missed!

Badges of Honour or Devices of Control? Presenting the Fascinating Debate Around the Nursing Uniform

I recently presented a paper at the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing/Canadian Society of Medical History meeting at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities at Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario (May 23-31, 2009). I have had quite a response to the study so I thought I would share a bit about it for those who were unable to make it to the meeting.

Firstly, how the paper "Badges of Honour or Devices of Control? Nursing Uniforms At Kingston General Hospital" came to be. The Master's in Public History Program at the University of Western Ontario offers the opportunity to work in the public history field for a semester. While enrolled in this program in 2007-8 I was honoured to work at the Museum of Health Care at Kingston as their Dr. Margaret Angus Research Fellow for 2008. I have a personal interest in the history of clothing stemming from my early experience as a student of costume design and a museum curator of costume which I brought to the position. While at the Museum of Health Care (MHC) I spent just over 3 months studying nursing uniforms in the museum collection that were worn by students of the Kingston General Hospital Training School for Nurses in Kingston. The MHC have an extensive collection (and a great new permanent exhibit on the subject of nursing at KGH with lots on the history of nursing uniforms). I also used the archives at KGH located next to the museum. (The photo above was taken of me at the MHC next to one of the museum displays).

The primary sources were very important to me - especially the uniforms themselves and the voices of the nurses that wore them. Talking to graduates of the training school and hearing their opinions on the uniforms provided a great deal of insight for me.

I also read a lot of literature on the subject - I could be found on most days in Queen's University Library with a stack of books on subjects that included clothing and uniform history, medical history, nursing history and of course, the more focused literature on nursing uniforms. I also branched off onto general subjects of feminist and labour history in order to better situate my study and gain knowlege of the various perspectives. What I discovered during my primary research was that there is a lot more to the uniform than being just a form of control for the nurses which was the dominant perspective expressed in the literature I covered. Many student nurses I talked to liked their school uniforms and found them quite empowering. This was the perspective I chose to focus on for my study.

I won't put up the whole paper (as I am still working on fine tuning it - and it's long!) but here is the introduction. My original manuscript (50pgs) is also available at the Museum of Health Care (or through me) - this has also changed a bit. I am happy to answer any questions about my reseach so please feel free to email me: andrea.melvin[at]hotmail.com (replace the [at] with @).

Badges of Honour or Devices of Control? Nursing Uniforms at Kingston General Hospital Training School for Nurses

By Andrea Melvin, Dip. Costume Studies, Hons. B.A. (Dalhousie ‘05), M.A. Public History (Western ‘08)

At the Museum of Health Care in Kingston, Ontario, a collection of nurses’ uniforms from the Kingston General Hospital Training School for Nurses provides an opportunity to study the nurses’ uniforms and the relationships nurses had with them. With nurses and the public frequently visiting the museum to view this collection, however, the garments are far from being simple remnants of historic nursing practice. The question of what they represent – either the oppression of nurses in training prior to the 1970s (which dominates current historiography) or an expression of women’s agency - has no simple answer.

This paper looks briefly at the late Victorian period when the uniform was introduced to KGH, until the 1970s when the uniform became no longer mandatory for nursing schools. I draw on archival sources, oral history and actual nursing garments. In this presentation I argue that there is much more to the uniform than the form of control and oppression it is represented as in literature on the subject.

This literature offers interpretations in the context of Marxist and feminist scholarship that support the view that nursing uniforms were used to oppress nurses in training. James M. Wishart, for instance, likened the student nurses at Kingston General Hospital (KGH) in Foucauldian terms to “trained soldiers,” and that nursing leaders at KGH like Ann Baillie viewed students as merely “material” that filled the uniform.[1] In his opinion, the nurse’s uniform demonstrated one aspect of the rigorous discipline that nurses faced while in training. Historian Kathryn McPherson also viewed the uniforms as a symbol of oppression and linked uniforms to a form of Victorian repression that was led by the professional elite. McPherson explained that nursing leaders, who wanted to maintain a good reputation at their school, used dress codes as a way to restrict the association of nursing students with more liberal ideas on femininity and sexuality that began in the 1920s.[2] Similarly, Janet Muff sees the uniform as a piece of propaganda for nurses intended to keep them dependent upon male hospital administrators and physicians.[3] Finally, Professor of Nursing, Ellen MacFarlane views the uniform as a symbol of “past struggles” in the nursing profession. In particular, she believes that the cap, because of negative historical symbolism and lack of functionality, should be “placed permanently in the archives.”[4] This coincides with the opinions of more recent generations of nurses; appropriate dress has moved away from the importance of symbolism to an emphasis on functional attire, exemplified by scrubs and other forms of casual wear.

These interpretations offer intriguing insights into the imagery of nurses and nursing, but do not explore how the traditional uniform proved advantageous for student nurses. In my findings, the secular nursing uniform has shaped the public perception of the nurse and remained for many years an important form of professional identification for nurses. When nurses recall their experience in hospital-based training, the nursing uniform is inevitably discussed as a central part of their schooling and they often lament the scrubs worn by nurses today as the loss of a valuable professional tradition. By dismissing the important symbolism found in the uniform by those who wore it means that a piece of the nursing experience is lost. The uniform as a method of control and a symbol of empowerment both have validity and there is no doubt that the symbolism of the nurses’ uniform offers many contradictions. This should not overshadow what nurses found empowering about their uniforms and what they symbolized.

In this paper I look at the following three areas: Firstly, from the beginning, how the uniform helped young women maintain their status in society during a time when there were few respectable occupations open to them.[5] Secondly, how it was used to demonstrate internal ranking, similar to military uniforms, and was a basis for measuring professional success and encouraging women to work towards personal achievement. My third point is that throughout the twentieth century, nurses had influence over the uniform they were wearing.

---

[1]James M. Wishart, “‘We Have Worked while We Played and Played while We Worked’: Discipline and Disobedience at the Kingston General Hospital Training School for Nurses, 1923-1939” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 21:2 (2004): 66.

[2] Kathryn McPherson, Bedside Matters: The Transformation of Canadian Nursing 1900-1990. (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996), 165.

[3] Janet Muff. “Of Images and Ideals: A Look at Socialization and Sexism in Nursing,” in Images of Nurses Perspectives from History, Art, and Literature, ed. Anne Hudson Jones. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988), 209.

[4] Ibid., 41.

[5] Irene Schuessler Poplin, “Nursing Uniforms: Romantic Idea, Functional Attire, or Instrument of Social Change?” Nursing History Review 2 (1994): 153-167.

A New Do for VirtualMuseum.ca

Today I took some time to check out the new Virtual Museum of Canada's website which was just released. The site is a tool that not only links visitors to virtual exhibits - which if I recall, was the main feature of the last site - but to actual museums across the country, their websites and educational projects led by museums.

I wasn't able to get one of the new major features working called My VMC which involves creating your own museum space (but I see the site is still under construction). If you are interested in keeping track of what's going on or what's new in your local or favorite Canadian museums this will no doubt be a helpful resource. Another really useful feature was the Teachers' Centre which has a list of lesson plans and projects.

To be honest, I don't remember much about the old Virtual Museum website - I guess that says something! Hopefully this will be a much more useful and rich tool for the public as well as professionals to connect with their museums.

Check it out: http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/index-eng.jsp

Que peut-on apprendre de la couture?

Pendant la fin de semaine, j’ai mené un atelier de couture avec mon collègue au Musée du domaine Billings. A l’atelier nous avons fabriqué un sac décoratif. C’etait pour les enfants âgés de 8 ans ou plus; mais, c’est possible de le mener pour les différents âges. Pendant l’atelier les étudients ont appris l’historie de la couture et ils ont conçu un bricolage à leurs guises. Enseigner aux jeunes personnes aide à développer leurs habiletés à faire le suivant :

1.) la créativité

2.) la patience

3.) la planification des projets

4.) résoudre les problèmes

5.) et écomomiser l'argent chez le couturier!

Pour les autres programmes visité le site internet.

"Wearing One’s Art on One’s Sleeve" Susan North'sTalk in Kingston, Ontario

A talk coming up by Susan North in Kingston, Ontario this Thursday night looks fantastic! I am hoping to get over to it and will report back;) Susan North is a V&A Curator and author of the amazing book "Historical Fashion In Detail - The 17th and 18th Centuries" with Avril Hart. I am sure she has many other achievements but this book, recommended reading for Dalhousie Costume Studies, sits in my library and I love it!

The Costume Society of Ontario has posted the event info on their events page:

February 19, 2009 – 6:26 pm

Susan North, Curator of Fashion 1550–1800, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, will speak at Chernoff Auditorium, Queen’s University, Kingston, at 7 p.m. Thursday 5 March 2009. Her subject will be “Wearing One’s Art on One’s Sleeve: Iconography and Preservation Issues of an Early 17th Century Jacket.”

There will be a reception (cash bar) afterwards for attendees to meet Susan. Contact for special needs: artcon@queensu.ca. Release came via Queen’s Art Conservation Program, contact lm15@queensu.ca, or artcon@queensu.ca.

(Image Note: Men's 18th Century Coat, designed and constructed by the author Andrea Melvin, please email me if you want to use it).

Bringing Dress to Life: Constructing Mannequins for Museum Exhibits

I recently visited the McCord Museum for a colloquium called Bodies on Display in part with the Costume Society of America and alongside the fascinating exhibit Reveal or Conceal?. At the event I learned a new skill through a workshop on constructing mannequins for exhibition. Preparing mannequins was a major task for the McCord's conservators, as almost every fragile textile in Reveal or Conceal? required special considerations for the exhibition (I highly recommend seeing this show by the way, it only runs until Jan. 18, 2009!). The mannequins were made by Caroline Bourgeois who specializes in mannequin making for the museum. Although often a behind-the-scenes activity, the mannequins are part of the visual presentation of the exhibit, so wonderfully crafted, that they could not possibly go unnoticed.

The display of costume in this manner is a complicated beast. Following a talk by the McCord's Chief Conservator, Anne MacKay, it was clear that those involved with the process require a great deal of knowledge about a garment before mounting it. This includes the period in which the garment originated, intended silhouette, method of construction, size and materials. This is important not only for achieving an attractive presentation on a mannequin, but for the long-term preservation of a garment. Mounting it incorrectly ie: a 1920s Flapper dress that has been sewn on the bias with little support on a mannequin can have damaging effects. Mounting correctly, like for instance a corset from the turn of the century, can sometimes help to give shape to a garment that has been lost overtime by sitting flat in museum storage. There are also numerous other considerations including lighting, positioning of the dress stand and length of time exhibited that concern conservators.

The McCord used supplies for building their mannequins similar to those used by a milliner: buckrum, glue, twill tape, wire, nylon boning, hoop steel, stockinette cotton and various other creative materials when required. They recommended buckrum for the main body of the form be black for display purposes to help prevent it from showing in dark exhibition galleries. Also, understructures like petticoats or bustles should be made out of cotton or tulle to create the period silhouette. One supplier which carries many of these materials and that I personally recommend, as I shopped there while a student, is Farthingales in Stratford, Ontario.

I will not get into the "how to's" of construction here, because there are far too many techniques. Below is a list of resources for constructing dress stands that are available online.

Making Mounts from Kent State University Museum:
http://dept.kent.edu/museum/staff/mount.html

A comprehensive bibliography from ARG! Alberta Regional Group of Conservators http://www.cac-accr.ca/english/arg_mann.asp

Image of mannequin from Wiki Commons.

Beyond Enthusiasm...MacKay's "Beyond the Silhouette"

If you are in love with Lucy Johnston’s “Nineteenth-Century Fashion in Detail” (London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2005) like I am, M. Elaine MacKay’s “Beyond the Silhouette: Fashion and the Women of Historic Kingston”( Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Center/Queen’s University, 2007) has brought the study of historic fashion design from the reign of British dress historians to Canada.

This book which was intended to compliment an exhibition of the same name which ran from 22 July 2007-6 April 2008 at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston highlights garments from the Queen’s University Collection of Canadian Dress. MacKay's work stands on its own as a fascinating essay on how by tracing the history of fashion, one can better understand the lives of not only the fashionable elite, but those whose employment relied on the dress-making trade. Filled with beautiful images detailing the meticulous work that went into creating these works of art, this book offers an insightful (and pleasurable) visual history of design.

One of my colleagues popped this book in my mailbox and I am so happy she did! Although, I have to admit I have a bias towards M. Elaine MacKay. She was a fabulous professor of mine at the Dalhousie University Department of Costume Studies and responsible for introducing me to the many sources available for studying historical pattern making. “Beyond Silhouette” is pure inspiration for scholars interested in pursuing the growing field of Canadian fashion history.

***Other interesting connections to this fashion history collection are that Dr. Margaret Angus, a well-known Kingston historian and supporter of local heritage was responsible for gathering the garments during her position as Costume Mistress in the Drama Department at Queen’s University. Dr. Isabel Bader, who also has a passion for historic fashion and her husband Alfred were responsible for supporting much of the curatorial work that has been done on the collection. The Bader’s have provided much support to Queen’s University over the years including the purchase of Herstmonceux Castle which is now the home of Queen’s International Study Centre in the UK. Not far from the castle, the Bexhill Museum of Costume and Social History, which houses another collection of beautiful dress was founded by Dr. Isabel Bader.

The Costume Institute's "Blogmode": A Unique Way to Engage with a Museum Collection

Every so often I check out the online exhibit Blogmode: Addressing Fashion presented by The Costume Institute. It closes soon by the way, so do check it out. It's such an excellent way for the public to engage with a museum collection. Every couple days they post a new garment and a short blurb about the item. It's then open for comments and some like this Jean Paul Gaultier gown get up to 60 comments or so - that's a whole lot of interaction. Comments range from the "GROSS…. I would hate to wear this" sort to those sharing their knowledge on the garments, posing thoughtful questions or even critiquing the "art". Great stuff. I might have to borrow this idea in the future. It's a fabulous idea for a small museum with limited resources wanting to have a presence on the web. Just sign up with Blogger and you have an online collections database!

When I posted this blog it didn't occur to me that there is an actual exhibit at The Costume Institute that accompanied the online version. Here is a tour of that show!

MAY I PLEASE HAVE MY HISTORY BACK? PT 2

To follow up with a previous posting on museums wanting artifacts back, I thought I would post these two really interesting video clips from National Geographic regarding Egyptian antiquities and the Parthenon Marbles. Interesting debates, who do you side with?:


Egypt Wants Treasures Back


Parthenon Marbles Battle

I was not aware of this but there are some pretty amazing history videos on the National Geographic Website under the video of the day section/history.

Thinking Outside the Box: Indigenous Digital Archives

First semester I spent a significant amount of time thinking and reading about the usefulness of digitization for Indigenous societies as a way to manage historic and cultural records. With an upcoming discussion in my Public History class on First Nations involvement in Canadian Museums, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my findings...

Indigenous archives have long been associated with colonization as a reflection of the alienation of knowledge, culture and physical property.1 Like museums, libraries and other cultural institutions, archives face spatial as well as cultural constraints in preserving Indigenous cultural materials, but they are also recognized as being powerful places which house valuable information that for Indigenous societies can help them to "reassert their rights and reclaim the past."2 In recent years, archives have joined communities and other cultural institutions to design new digital technologies to improve archives recognizing that the digital environment offers accessibility and platforms for collaboration which can provide a broader perspective of cultural collections. However, digital technologies, like these institutions, pose a new set of concerns for Indigenous groups and those caring for collections. Here I will take a brief look at three factors which should be considered when planning an Indigenous digital archives.

1.) Accessibility: ensuring that digitization is an appropriate way for communities to have access to their records, either through the Internet or shared computers at community centers.

Computer access for Indigenous communities varies across Canada. Statistically it has been looked it in the context of education, so mainly access has been provided to communities for uses in schools and community centers. Due to geography, some reserves, or more rural areas of the north however still have not been provided with Internet access. In these cases, efforts should be made to provide them with computers or digital surrogates. Telecommunications can offer the opportunity to share culture and history. The negative point remains, however, that Indigenous societies run the risk of being exploited if they do not have control over their involvement with technology which could result in further undermining cultural values rather than empowering. 3

2.) Recognizing that there are limitations to digitization which can be carried over from the physical archives, for example the quality of collections documentation.

The process of archives going "digital" has for many analysts been one that involves rethinking the space in which archives will be presented.4 What seems to be the key difference is that the the physical archive is displaced in favor of digitization which appears as a more ideal alternative which can transcend space and time. Everyday new Internet archives are appearing on the World Wide Web. Some believe that it is merely "old wine in new bottles?"5. Others feel that digitization can make information more available and allows for more dynamic interpretations of data than what is possible on paper. Hypertext for example offers what one historian has described as: "a non-linear narrative, a form that, by providing the reader with multiple links, presented choices that involved him or her in the process of interpretation."6 This is arguably more immediate than the interpretive linking that occurs in a physical archives.

Generally speaking though, an Internet archive must be "defined" before it comes into existence.7 Selection in this space has the power to shape historical memory, so understanding history and culture before presenting archival information on the Internet is vital. The example of Maori Land Court records management illustrates this point.8 This involved the digitization of historical materials that were considered tapu (meaning sacred and forbidden), so access should have only been made available to particular groups instead of being posted on the Internet. This further demonstrates that only Indigenous peoples can decide what approach is appropriate for digital media.

Archivists and historians have important roles to play in historical research and archival practices which are both key components in the creation of digital archives. Past systems of records management pose difficulties as seen in the example of maps, which have been described and understood differently throughout history. This is reflected in the ways they have been recorded and categorized in archives or within different archival institutions.9 For Indigenous peoples this could effect the research of land ownership or genealogy for instance. Answers to the questions: Who created the map? When was it created? When was it cataloged? Where/how was it acquired? help to determine the reliability of records. Challenges with archival practices are not limited to understanding old cataloging systems, but can also be seen in conservation issues whereby maps are too fragile to actually digitize due to their natural curvature or poor condition, making them unavailable digitally and thus, left out of the digital historical record. The limitations of this media are due to circumstances that exist within records management and have carried over into the "virtual" world. These examples demonstrate that physical archives and digital archives both offer very different experiences, but they are by no means completely independent from one another.

3.)Acknowledging that artifacts in their physical form have special meaning in society is important because although digitization can offer improvements in caring for cultural collections, it cannot always replace what objects symbolize in their physical form and the feelings they evoke.

Withers and Grout have stated that: "there remains an emotional and aesthetic relationship between the observer and the original object that the digital image-viewer relationship cannot replicate."10 However, it is possible that digitizing records can support the access, loans or repatriation which bring communities closer to cultural materials. The Indigenous Management Project(IMP) based out of the University of Queensland, Australia with the Museum of the American Indian explores this concept by"enable[ing] traditional owners to describe and conceptualize museum context in their own words and from their own perspectives."11 IMP highlights the possibilities of emerging grid technologies which provide a digital infrastructure that supports communication, collaboration and what the project has termed "digital repatriation" programs. Maori for example require strict privacy laws which the IMP project supports. Access can be maintained through tools, which enable traditional owners to define the specific rights requirements associated with digital objects, for example the tribe or gender. This new programming element is an extremely valuable asset for collections management. Also, IMP has proposed through a digital repatriation program to relocation digital versions back to a local repository because although gaining control over materials may be ideal, actually having the resources to physically care for them has posed problems.12

I could go on forever with this discussion - but I won't! From what I have outlined here though, it is possible to see that there are numerous considerations when designing ways to present and preserve history in digital form. There is a lot to be gained particularly from the collaborative possibilities that go along with computing. However, in a world increasingly shaped by non-Indigenous people and driven by differing value systems and forms of knowledge, it is in the best interest of Indigenous societies to control the degree to which they will participate in the digital medium.

For further information I recommend checking out these projects as well as the citations listed below:

Project Naming (2005-current) based out of Library and Archives Canada which involves the identification of photos dating back to the 1800s in Nunavut. Local youth were hired to take laptop computer with these images to visit elders from communities where the images originated. This project also aimed at strengthening the bond between elders and youth while tackling a major issue with digital accessibility.

Ara Irititja (‘stories from a long time ago’) is a community-based initiative in Australia. The software engineer’s instructions demonstrates the complex considerations for developing this archive. They were to create a database that handles different media, incorporates cultural restrictions, and is easy to use for an audience with limited literacy and often, failing eyesight.

1. Evelyn Wareham, "Our Own Identity, Our Own Taonga, Owr Own Self Coming Back': Indigenous Voices in New Zealand Record-Keeping" Archivaria, no. 52 (Fall 2001): 27.
2. Ibid., 26.
3. Cora J. Voyageur, Telecommunications, Technology and Native Americans: Opportunities and Challenges, Journal of Distance Education, (2001) http://cade.athabascau.ca/vol16.1/voyageur.html (accessed Dec. 7, 2007).
4.Bernadine Dodge, "Places Apart: Archives in Dissolving Space and Time,"Archivaria, no. 44 (Fall, 1997, 118-131).
5.Lilly Koltun, "The Promise and Threat of Digital Options in an Archival Age,"Archivaria , no. 47 (Spring, 1999), 117.
6. Stephen Robertson, "Doing History in Hypertext," Journal for the Association of History and Computing, vol VII, no. 2 (Aug. 2004)
http://journals2.iranscience.net:800/mcel.pacificu.edu/mcel.pacificu.edu/JAHC/JAHCVII2/ARTICLES/robertson/robertson.html
(accessed December 4, 2007).
7.Koltum, "The Promise and Threat,"119.
8.Wareham, "Indigenous Voices," 41.
9.Charles W.J. Withers and Andrew Grout, "Creating a Digital Web-based Map Archive," Archivaria, no. 61 (Spring, 2006), 39.
10. Ibid., 45.
11.Jane Hunter, Ronald Schroeter, Beavan Koopman & Michael Henderson. "Using the Semantic Grid to Build Bridges between Museums and indigenous Communities,"
http://metadata.net/filmed/pub/GGF11_SemanticGrid.pdf (accessed Dec. 4, 2007),1.
12.Ibid.

Remembering Bexhill...

While reading Museum News, I came across an article that made my heart skip a beat. Bexhill Museum of Costume and Social History in East Sussex, UK - which I have not thought about for years, had a large gift of £40,000 left to them by one of their dedicated volunteers, the late Edna North. I not only had the opportunity to visit this quaint little treasure that lies along the southern coastline of England, but volunteer there for four amazing months. Although I haven't been there since 2003, being a fellow volunteer with a special connection to the museum, I was particularly touched by her gesture.

Today I felt the urge to reminisce. Afterall, Bexhill Museum was one of the reasons I became interested in museum work in the first place. In my eyes, what was so striking about the museum was that it was completely run by volunteers who were mainly retired ladies that lived in the town. They were an inspiration in how they poured their blood, sweat and tears into maintaining the museum and for sharing what I like to call their passion for historic fashion.

The museum was quite small in size and was literally just four open rooms that ran a straight line down the building (as you can see from the map on their website).The storage room was closed off by a curtain and there were textile boxes by the dozens just bursting at the seams. I recall the collection of eighteenth-century garments which I admired while helping with an inventory. This included rare examples of baby corsets, mens jackets and breeches as well as the clothing of royalty.

It's amazing to see just how much a museum can mean to a volunteer. It goes both ways in that volunteers really are the foundation of the museum because of the invaluable work they do. By remembering my positive experience at Bexhill Museum, I will never lose sight of this.


Photo: The entrance to the Bexhill Museum of Costume and Social History, 2003, taken by me.

Bringing A Sense of Space to the Discipline of History

While working on research for the upcoming exhibit A Sense of Space: The Blind Culture at the McIntosh Gallery, I experienced the divide between those who are visually impaired and fine arts (or visual arts). Similarly, this also exists with the discipline of history. Both are highly visual disciplines which require sight to read and interpret information. Unless this information has been transferred into audio format or Braille, fine arts and history are completely inaccessible to the visually impaired community.

In the A Sense of Space exhibit, artists move away from traditional museum standards and ways of exploring art mainly by allowing it to be touched (this has been a hot topic of discussion among my classmates). Imagine for instance exploring a famous Monet painting through touch and getting a sense of the artists' style by way of the feel of the brush strokes or following the lines of a classical Greek sculpture to identify the idealized silhouette from that period. This approach bridges a major gap.

But how many visually impaired people study history? I have not personally come across any! This bothers me, because just like exploring art, I know how exciting and rewarding the study of primary research can be and how vital it is to historical analysis. Also, our society does not always consider the issues that visually impaired face in academia such as having Braille sources available along with other tools such as magnifiers for reading. In the case of libraries, understanding that it can take longer for visually impaired patrons to read books, meaning they require longer loan periods is just one of the many practical details.

According to Student Development Services at University of Western Ontario, there are 5 students who are completely blind and many others who have different levels of visual impairment at the school. The university assists these students in a number of ways from having textbooks transcribed into Braille (which has to be planned a year in advance), proctoring examinations or providing access to adaptive computer technologies. Fortunately, popular screen readers for those with visual impairments such as JAWS (Job Access with Speech) appear to be more easily available than they once were.

Access to computers and the Internet has opened many doors. However, the same old story of the rapidly changing computer technology poses problems. For instance, although JAWS reads most PDF’s, some older versions are still inaccessible for tagging which is a great tool for visually impaired, so these require OCR. Refreshable Braille displays are another excellent tool for computer usage as they allow for the user to become familiar with the screen formatting through a machine that translates computer information into raised dots. It puts into words details like windows or sidebars which can get complicated with new types of computer programs. This is typically used along with a screen reader.

Although these systems will face challenges, there have been some great innovations in this field of communications and design which are providing the visually impaired with valuable tools of access. I predict we will see a new community of historians in the near future who will bring along with them dynamic ways of seeing and interpreting history. So let us keep up the digitizing and move over to make some space!

Interested in exploring new ways of seeing? Check out A Sense of Space: Blind Culture which runs from March 6-April 6 at the McIntosh Gallery located on the University of Western Ontario campus.

The Modern Museum: Caring for Collections and Cultures

In Museology class last week we discussed the issue of loaning museum objects to indigenous and special interest groups for important occasions, ceremonies or other specific uses. One student in our class questioned this suggesting that there was a risk that just anyone might decide they wanted to borrow museum objects (I think the example given was a classic Rolls Royce of which we would all enjoy taking a spin). Another student focused on the conservation problems, as it goes against what museums have traditionally stood for - collecting and caring for treasured historic materials for the future. I wanted to take the chance to discuss this further, as it is not a question that is only stumping our class, it's part of a much larger discussion on the role of the museum, specifically in the area of collecting.

While working at Puke Ariki caring for their European textile collection, I experienced how sensitive historic objects can be to physical risk. Textiles particularly require special care; cotton gloves are worn to prevent oil from damaging them over a long period, a temperature-controlled environment and handling considerations - often being carried on trays to not break the aging fibers. All this and more is important for the long-term preservation of the object. Museum conservator Miriam Clavir has explained this controversial loan activity as one of the biggest challenges facing conservators because many of them see objects as their "fundamental clients." Also, the idea that conservators see their role as being one that facilitates the long-term preservation of objects for future generations, not necessarily for current-day use.1 I would argue that a move from this direction is inevitable because museums are no longer viewed or exhibiting materials in the same context as they once were - places where history that is "over and done" is maintained. Museums contain materials that are living history; some artifacts are still central points of reference for particular groups of people and desired for usage.

I think the major issue here is that there has to be flexibility within the museum collection policy to make decisions on when this type of loan activity is appropriate. In New Zealand, Maori work much closer than indigenous peoples in Canada, mainly because the Waitangi Treaty has granted Maori ownership rights over their taonga (meaning all material and non-material, heirlooms, significant places and geneology). They are involved in the collections process and making these decisions, seeing it from both a conservation standpoint as well as the present-day needs. If museums deny people the right to objects that originated with them, most importantly the objects lose meaning or connection to their history and secondly, it is more than likely that the objects will be removed. Like the example of New Zealand, museums need to collaborate right from the beginning with indigenous and other groups who are looking to reconnect with their history and culture using objects. It's really just the way of the future and it's how museums do it that counts.

Source:
1. Miriam, Clavir, "Reflections on Changes in Museums and the Conservation of Collections from Indigenous Peoples," Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, vol. 35, no. 2 (Summer, 1996), pp99-107.

Notes on Images:
The image of the wood-carved face was taken while in New Zealand in the city of Wanganui. I can't remember if I took it or my friend Sarah Patterson (if so, thanks Sarah). It was located outside in a public space, I don't know anything about the provenance - but it's quite striking. If anything, for the sake of this discussion, it's an example of a carving that needs some serious conservation treatment or it will be damaged by the weather beyond repair.

The second image is of a Maori cloak. I came across this example on the Hallie Ford Museum website which I hope they won't mind me using. It was woven by Kahutoi Te Kanawa in 1989, an accomplished NZ weaver who has named the cloak Korowai: Nga Taonga Tuku Iho. It toured with the NZ museum exhibition, The Eternal Thread. Cloaks are of great interest to me not only because they require impressive traditional weaving techniques called whatu but like other types of taonga, it is believed that they embody ancestors. So one can see why it would be of interest to wear these as link to the past - we can relate to this connection as like having an ancestor at a wedding, graduation, celebration, etc. If they are restricted to only a museums use, their original purpose is lost.

MAY I PLEASE HAVE MY HISTORY BACK?

"Chinese antiquities at ROM under renewed scrutiny," published in the Globe and Mail on Saturday January 19 looks to the recently released book: "Cross Culture and Faith" written by Linfu Dong and published by the University of Toronto Press. It traces the story of the Chinese antiquities that were "secretly spirited out of China by a Canadian missionary" and further states that it "provoked mounting resentment in China, where many people are angry that foreign museums amassed fabulous collections by scooping up vast amounts of ancient Chinese treasure when the country was weakened by civil wars in the 1920s and 1930s."

The story of museums collecting international materials is a greatly contested issue with repatriation being considered at the forefront. Although the article explains that the Chinese government is not asking for the materials back, there has been a recent uproar among special interest groups to have these antiquities returned to their homeland.

The Globe and Mail has chosen to focus on the unethical manner in which the collection was formed. There are still other sides to this story that should be considered. Regardless of what, how or why these artifacts ended up at the ROM, the artifacts still have a history of their own and different perspectives should be acknowledged.

The first, which probably doesn't need to be explained in too much detail is that of the society in which the antiquities were removed from. It is clear that the loss can be deeply distressing as artifacts are part of China's history and were crafted by their society. Getting materials back where they can be managed and studied by the descendants of the makers can be a rewarding cultural experience which supports China's rich history.

Another side which should not to be forgotten is that of the ROM. This museum provides extensive information on it's collection and for many visitors interested in Asian history in Canada, access to a collection that has been well taken care of and researched since it was acquired in the 1930s is of great value. A 2001 study by Stats Canada "Chinese Canadians: Enriching the Cultural Mosaic" by Chu, Tran and Flanders has shown that Chinese Canadians make up the largest minority group in Canada with most residing in the Toronto and Vancouver areas. It might be worth asking Chinese Canadians if they would like to have more input in the future of this collection, afterall, this collection is a link to their homeland too.

Although it was highlighted in the article that some of the artifacts were "smuggled" out of China, history does work in mysterious ways, and the odds of these antiquities being destroyed during the Chinese civil war was possible. Sometimes, looking back, although decisions were made for reasons we might not presently agree with, they end up protecting important treasures that could have been lost forever. Maybe continuing to look ahead at the continued preservation of these materials is what is most important.

So, it is possible to see, that during a time when many are looking to museums and asking them: May I please have my history back? there are tough decisions to be made. But artifacts, like the museums that house them, do not have a static history. Museums are looking at new ways to connect their artifact collections to those who they originated with (and putting a great deal of funding into this area I might add). Digital repatriation projects are being used in countries like Australia and New Zealand, setting new standards for connecting indigenous societies to their material history. As well, the USA and Canada are offering exhibitions in collaboration with different cultural groups, offering them support to present their history. This leaves me to conclude with the other big question... are these efforts enough?