Within this post, I consider commentary on the Yukon Government’s advisory services for museum collections. I argue there has been a shift from a service seen as helpful to a service that provides help, which is not necessarily responsive to the Dawson City Museum’s needs.
Author Archives: Robin Nelson
New Article on the Heritage Minutes!
Chris Gunter and I recently published a piece on the Heritage Minutes titled “Producing the Past: The Changing Protagonist of Canadian Heritage.”
Reflection: Students and Employment
In past posts, I discussed student employment programs from the perspective of the Dawson City Museum (e.g., Reduced Student Positions). Within this post, I consider my own experiences as a student employee as well as the student perspectives expressed interviews and archival material for the Dawson City Museum Project.
Loving Dawson: A Poem
In I Love Dawson, I considered people’s affection for Dawson City and how that may have influenced the Dawson City Museum’s development. In this post, I have revisited the data and created a poem.
Reflecting on Indigenous Music in Canada: An Interview with Robin Cisek
One of the central themes discussed during the creation of A Walk-Through Indigenous Memory: A Student Exhibition was maintaining the presence of Indigenous excellence. To honor this theme alongside the exhibit’s central goal of sharing the names and histories of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, I sat down with alt-pop Metis musician, Robin Cisek, to talk about her recent experiences in Canadian music.
Indigenous Excellence: A Re-cap of the 2022 Juno Awards
One of the central themes discussed during the creation of A Walk-Through Indigenous Memory: A Student Exhibition was maintaining the presence of Indigenous excellence. To honor this theme alongside the exhibit’s central goal of sharing the names and histories of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, here is a re-cap of some, but definitely not all, of the Indigenous excellence featured at the 2022 Juno Awards.
Comment Response: The Lord Report
In response to “Territorial Interest and Investment” Paul Thistle (I highlight recommend his blog – Solving Task Saturation for Museum workers) left the following comment: Re: “New Territorial Museum Policy . . . not in place until 1989-1990” section, In this light, I believe it would be worthwhile to investigate the following report & itsContinue reading “Comment Response: The Lord Report”
A Community Hub: The Dawson City Museum in the 1990s
Providing the fourth chronological consideration of the data, this working paper asks – What are some key moments, influential policies, and community activities that defined the Dawson City Museum’s development in the 1990s?
After summarizing the answers and outlining our research approach, we give a short overview of the Museum’s development in the 1990s. We consider significant policies, focusing the importance of intersecting funding mechanisms and celebration funding. Then, a section on community activity describes the significance of private donations and the continued presence of museum workers within the community. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary and research implications.
Research: Alberta Community Museums Policy
The “Dawson City Museum Project” is ongoing. I am working with two Research Assistants to analyze and interpret the data. However, the writing stage can be a bit boring sometimes…. So, I have started a new project!
Broadly, I have an interest in subnational community museum policy. I have researched New Brunswick (NB), Ontario (ON), and Yukon (YK) programs, considering intersections with federal and municipal policies. Currently, I live and work in Alberta and have easier access to archival / library materials on Albertan museums. I am excited to start using these materials to consider the similarities or differences between policies in Alberta and the other subnational governments I have studied.
Territorial Interest and Investment: The Dawson City Museum in the 1980s
Providing the third chronological consideration of the data, this working paper asks – What are some key moments, influential policies, and community activities that defined the Dawson City Museum’s development in the 1980s?
After summarizing the answers and outlining our research approach, I give a short overview of the Museum’s development in the 1980s. I consider significant policies, focusing on territorial investment in the Old Territorial Administration Building and for community museums more broadly with a brief discussion of the role of federal agencies. Then, a section on community activity describes the significance of board and volunteer involvement before considering the Museum as part of the community. Finally, the paper concludes with a summary and research implications.
Museoception 