The museum was once run by Robert Stuart, a history buff with an extensive collection he displayed as a museum. Since his death, his daughter Deirdre, has been selling items of the collection via eBay, and is actually attempting to sell the entire collection .

The veterans are angry because they never intended these items, including dress, weapons, medals, etc., to be sold to profit the museum or its owner. Unfortunately, these donors never signed any donor agreements, Deeds of Gift, or loan agreements. Without written documentation indicating otherwise, it seems that they simply gave it to the museum without any conditions.

Generally, when a donation is made to a museum, the donor is asked to sign receipts, Deeds, and indicate if they would like to have it returned if the museum no longer has a use for it. Collections are dependant on these documents, if they are not signed the museum can only assume that the artifacts in question were simply handed over.

Having worked in a similar type of collection at the Canadian Air and Space Museum, I tried to make sure that donors signed the necessary forms and indicated their intentions for the items. Many times the donors never returned their Deeds, other times they came back without any indication of their wishes (The form had three choices for if the items could not be used by the museum: return to donor, sell to help the museum, or deaccession and destroy). And what of all those “donations” which were just left on the front step of the museum without any idea of who left them there?

Being a collections worker, or at least trying to be, I am on the defensive. People should sign the forms and let the museum know – on paper! – what they would like done with their artifacts. If they can’t be bothered to do so, that is unfortunate. The article indicates that documents were never signed because the donors trusted Mr Stuart. Trust is not a reason to ignore legalities. Take marriages for example: I’m sure husbands and wives trust each other – but they still sign pre-nups.

That being said, I’m not really on the side of the Museum either. This Ms Stuart comes off as being a real piece of work who is simply trying to profit from her father’s collection. The things she says in this article are so unprofessional and really do not help her win over opinion in the “museum fight”. She is quoted,

“If you didn’t put it in writing, you pretty much gave it to us,” she says. “Like, hello? How stupid are people. We’ve had this museum for 33 years. It’s ours.”

Really? Her attitude is terrible and that she called these veterans stupid is just repulsive. Not everyone knows the ins and out of donating items to a museum. It’s hard to say if the museum even offered the chance for forms to be filled out.

This museum seems kind of shady in the sense that these donors apparently had no idea of donation protocol, is selling off its entire collection, and was privately run by a man and then his daughter. It seems like Mr Stuart was a reputable man, unfortunately this is not the case for his daughter. There are many private collections and private museums, but they don’t all take advantage of their objects.

This is going to make things difficult for many museums who have military based collections. Do you think veterans and their families who read about this are going to want to donate their items? Of course not. Items are going to be kept in the family, stored in damp attics/basements in acidic cardboard boxes and kept together with staples and scotch tape.

Thanks to people like Ms Stuart, many of these treasures will never make it to a museum where they can be preserved and everyone can enjoy them.

But here I am, ready to comment on some museum things.

New Museum in Berlin, focuses on Nazi HQ – This museum sounds like it could be a good experience for those interested in WWII and the Holocaust. There is a lot of focus on all the bad things the National Socialists did and their fascist personality. Regardless of how terrible this group was, they are still fascinating. For a group to rise to so much power, to do so many things (good or bad), and to do it all with such efficiency is hard to comprehend. A lot of people find them especially bad because of the systematization of their terror, but what a feat. There was obviously a lot of hard work that went into their actions. The Holocaust was not simply mindless murdering of every non-German in sight.

Laser Surgery for Artifacts – I was glad to read in this article that laser treatment for paintings, sculptures, and other museum objects that need cleaning has been in use for a while. If this was a new thing, I’d be wondering why that technology hadn’t been in use sooner. It’s pretty cool though. Lasers can remove very thin layers of dirt, grime, or unwanted coatings.

Visitor Numbers Up, Operations $ down in US – This article in the LA Times goes into a bit of detail about how even though museums are having more visitors walk through their doors, the poor economy has not helped to bring in revenue used for operating costs.

I’ve followed the story of what will happen to the historic airfield in Edmonton since the announcement of its closure. I’m really happy about this article, which indicates that some thought is going into making this site a “mall of museums”. It sounds like the idea is to have a variety of local museums increase their available space and visitor potential by moving to the airfield. The history of the community, ranging from the fur trade to aviation, could be displayed in one convenient site. I would bet that visitors would be really interested in that.

I visited this site in Edmonton last summer during my visit. I think it is a great use of the space, especially since the Alberta Aviation Museum is already there. Frankly, it didn’t seem like there was much going on in that area, so maybe a huge heritage complex would be ale to bring something to that part of town. And since Edmonton is a pretty big city spatially, and their transit system isn’t so great – especially for tourists, it would be swell to visit multiple museums without having to travel to and fro across the city.

It will be interesting to know how this will unfold, if the proposed idea is approved. Who would be in charge of the “mall”? Would there be a common board of directors? It would also be really interesting to see what sort of programming is developed ; the potential for cross-museum programming would be tremendous.

Follow a Museum on Twitter Day: Twitter users from all over decided to follow museums February 1. Twitter proves itself to be an effective marketing tool.

The Art Gallery of Alberta is trying to figure out how to charge an affordable admission while still making enough to cover operating costs. How high are admissions going to be to cover the $88 million renovation?

A couple of museum directors place Super Bowl wagers, betting art masterpieces, for Sunday’s big game.

Oddly enough I was reading the January 2010  issue of the National Geographic Magazine, read it here, this afternoon which featured an article on some Chinese afterlife and appreciation rituals for ancestors of generations past. There was a photo of the terracotta warrior and my co-worker and I commented on how neat they are and how swell it would be to see them. Then I came home and found this article, about how they’re coming to Canada.

It will be interesting to see how this exhibition is going to be displayed. There are SO many of these warriors. How many will come? Will they be displayed in such a way that you can see some individually, and appreciate how no two warriors are similar, or will they be displayed as a whole, such as the dome display in the photograph in the CBC article.

I’m really looking forward to seeing this exhibition. I don’t really know where I will be when they come around but since they’re showing in four Canadian cities, coast to coast, I’m sure I’ll be able to see them somewhere. Victoria, Calgary, Toronto or Montreal – who knows!

There are plenty of things plaguing the Royal Ontario Museum and with the announcement of the current CEO’s departure last Fall, many are hoping the new Chief will be able to pull the Museum out of its various ruts.

Until reading this article I was not aware of the issues the ROM is facing. Financial issues are common around all museums so that wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but this is the ROM.Which means that its getting quite a bit of funding from several different areas: various levels of government funding, high profile donors, and revenue generated by the ticket sales – especially for the blockbuster exhibitions. With all the big exhibits passing through (the Dead Sea Scrolls most recently) I was a bit surprised to learn that visitor rates are approximately four to six thousand lower than hoped for. Perhaps it is due to the considerable admission fees. $22 for an adult, not including any special exhibitions.

It isn’t just the business end of things that need improvement. As the article explains, the ROM displays its artifacts in a Victorian style, a Pitt-Rivers type of exhibit space. What this means is that cases are FULL of artifacts with very little to explain what they are, how they were used, or what their historical significance is. Unless one is already knowledgeable about the context of the artifacts it is very difficult for visitors to understand and appreciate the displays. This is very frustrating and eventually will discourage them from visiting again. This is the problem I face while visiting art galleries. Art is displayed on the walls with a little card that notes the title, artist, date, and medium. If I knew more about the piece, or at least a hint at what it might be about, I would be able to enjoy and appreciate it a lot more. With art you can at least look at it and try to figure out the metaphor, historical artifacts are not nearly as cooperative.

The article also talks about what type of person should be selected for the job: a museum person or a business person. It difficult to say who would do a better job of managing the Museum but at this point the issues facing the ROM seem to be more on the business end. Perhaps if the museum can stabilize its finances and get people coming into the museum, and maybe even coming back, then the museum professionals will be able to revitalize the policies and procedures, freshen things up a bit, and write some labels for the cases on display. To this end I personally believe that a business person, perhaps with experience in arts and heritage, would be the best bet for the development of the museum.

That being said, I need to visit the ROM immediately.

It wouldn’t be a January 2010 post if I didn’t mention something about the massive earthquake that rocked Haiti last week. It’s really amazing how much coverage this is getting, and some of the things that are being discussed in the media. Everything from government, whats going to happen to the nation of orphans, and even some things about Haiti’s cultural treasures.

I was browsing through The New York Times Sunday afternoon and came across an article talks about just that. Most people just know Haiti as a corrupt and severely impoverished half-brother to its neighbour the Dominican Republic. Aside from all that Haiti has a very rich history and a unique culture. This article touches on some of its finer points; like being the first independent black nation – after a revolution staged by slaves. It’s a pretty amazing place.

The article talks about the great things that were destroyed: such as the artifacts and cultural treasures at the National Palace, which was quite literally flattened, and important pieces of art. It also talks about the museums’ and galleries’ collections which may have survived. The Haitians hold out hope for the National Museum and National Archives and some monuments around the country. There is also concern for artifacts and documents that were kept in homes rather than museums and libraries.

My high school always participated in fundraisers to help Haiti build schools and churches. I learned quite a bit about Haiti during those times and even though I don’t know that all the funds raised by my peers and I went to the people we intended it for, I’m glad I was able to help then since I’m not really in a position to do so now.

King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs was a fun and informative exhibit which fed the public’s obsession with Ancient Egypt. There were a lot of spectacular artifacts ranging from statues of various pharaohs to the treasures found within the tombs of the great kings. Unlike some exhibits which feature artifacts from the ancient world, these were well lit, highly visible and great to look at. The exhibit offered some information about the lives of the pharaohs, their families and their servants. It was nice to learn something about less popular people in Ancient Egypt. There was less about Tut than I was expecting, but after learning about Tut and the other pharaohs it is easy to understand why that was done. Tut did not accomplish great things while in power and his early death resulted in a tomb which would have been far less magnificent than that of the kings who lived full lives.  The inclusion of the other pharaohs gave the exhibit more substance and a lot more background on the role of pharaoh. Without them the exhibit would have been quick and boring. The introduction to the exhibition by Harrison Ford then walking through tomb doors was easily my favorite part, along with the video clips and images of the uncovering of Tut’s tomb.

Now onto my critique.

First off, I have to say that while it was disappointing that King Tut himself or his sarcophagus wasn’t physically in the exhibition any responsible visitor should have been aware of this prior to arriving at the AGO. It’s not difficult to read the exhibition description. There is no need to get frustrated and flip out when you get to the end of the exhibit and you haven’t seen “anything”. Teachers should have explained this to their class prior to their visit so there wouldn’t be so much anger afterward. It doesn’t help the museum industry stay away from stereotypes of being boring or just full of “dumb” artifacts. There was a station at the end of the exhibition where kids could draw a picture of their favorite thing about the Tut exhibit. Many of them just had comments such as, “Its boring and Tut wasn’t even here.”

I was also finding that the exhibit had a lot of signs and labels that were really high on the wall, which made it difficult to read. Even the sign which directed visitors into the gallery was too high. In fact, it was so high that I didn’t even see it and had to ask for directions on how to get into the gallery. Throughout the exhibit there were signs at the tops of the cases which were impossible to see if you close enough to see the objects inside. To counter this there were labels inside the cases. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because there are so many visitors passing through the exhibit the high labels make it so that you can read it while you wait behind someone to see the object. It was actually really helpful, although still a pain in the neck unless you’re more than five feet away.

I also noticed a few things such as labels not being straight or vinyl lettering starting to peel off. Those only irritate me because I’m aware of them. A common visitor wouldn’t have noticed, or cared.

Now a brief review of the AGO as a whole.

This place needs signs! It was really difficult to guide oneself around the galleries without getting lost or passing through the same spaces multiple times. After doing the Tut and surrounding exhibits (second floor) we decided to follow up with the first floor. That was fine and dandy however it was extremely difficult to find a way to the fourth and fifth floors,  contemporary art, even with a map! After circling the gallery a few times we finally asked a security guard who directed us to an elevator. We viewed the galleries and then could not figure out ow to use the stairs to get down. Turns out they were blocked due to the Tut exhibit and then we had to locate the elevators again.

Other than that the gallery was pretty predictable. Loads of Canadian art. Tom Thompson. Contemporary art. I’m not the biggest art fan. If there isn’t a message or metaphor or historical/religious event being depicted I really have a hard time appreciating it since I simply “don’t get it” so a lot of time I was just cruising through not really paying attention. I’m a horrible visitor in that respect. I’m either a read everything and take my time or a cruise through and take it all in as quickly as possible.

I did love the galleries on Northern European/Netherlands art, since thats one of my favourite genres, and the one with the ship models. I also really loved the “open storage” of Inuit Art. I couldn’t figure out how to get closer to it but I could see it from the glass wall in the ship gallery and that was great even on its own. I’m glad that was included, but its unfortunate that there wasn’t a space devoted to Inuit art in the Canadian galleries.

I’ve returned from my hiatus and I am ready to blog. While I was working like a crazy lady, visiting friends and family and trying to enjoy the season some major things have been happening in the museum world.

First, the CMC strike has ended! A quick rundown what went down December 15 can be found here, a press release by the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Basically the grievances raised by the workers of the CMC were addressed and both parties came to an agreement which now says that indeterminate employees  in their contract will lose their jobs because of contracting out; job security provisions which will allow the museum to minimize job loss; seven new positions which are to be filled internally; the possibility of full and part time positions to become indeterminate; and maternity/parental leave allowances in accordance with the Quebec legislation on the matter.

While I had never really been a supporter of the strike, I can empathize with where the workers are coming from. I was just bitter that these service type jobs are getting a higher priority than jobs to be occupied by museum professionals. It would be nice if something, like a strike but perhaps not as dramatic and chaotic, could bring attention to the fact that there are many professionals who cannot even find short term contracts let alone permanent jobs. A strike over job security at the service level is insulting to the professionals and educated individuals who work retail at sporting goods shops and can barely pay bills. Regardless, the agreement that both sides came to are great. Both sides are happy and there are no ridiculous provisions. Mostly I’m just glad that its over.

More information about the CMC strike and the negotiations can be found at the Public Service Alliance of Canada website.

Also in the news since December:

• Boeing tests out a new aircraft that is pure AWESOME. 787 is finally flying! It’s a humongous light weight “Dreamliner”. Boeing also considered producing a short range aircraft, the 787-3, but has since dropped that idea because there were not many orders for it being placed. According to some, this is good news. More information on what is going on at Boeing can be found here.
• Museums in France strike over job cuts and are forced to close their doors. CMC is not the only one dealing with job security issues.
• More museum news from around the world can be found at the Global Museum.

That is all for my recap of the end of 2009.

Next week I am finally going to see the King Tut, the Golden King and Great Pharaoh exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. It is going to be grand. I’ll be writing a little review of the exhibit, and of the AGO experience, following my visit. I also plan on visiting the Royal Ontario Museum, now featuring Fakes and Forgeries: Yesterday and Today, and the Ontario Science Center, currently showing Body Worlds and Story of the Heart, in the near future.

The holidays are here and its been difficult to find time to blog about things going on. I’m currently working retail, like a madwoman, and will be visiting family and friends over the next few weeks. All of this is keeping me busy, busy.

When I find some time I would like to blog about a few things:

• CMC Strike
• Strikes in France
• New Boeing 787 roll out
• Kingston Penitentiary Museum

Cheers and fun holidays.