January 2012 E-Newsletter

Message from the President of ICOM Canada

Dear colleagues,

First of all, please allow me to extend my very best wishes to you for 2012. I hope that joining forces with your ICOM Canada network will bring you great satisfaction throughout the year as a result of its exchange and networking initiatives.

Among those initiatives, I would like to bring your attention to the fact that this year, in addition to holding its Annual General Meeting on April 25, between 5:15 and 5:45 p.m., an event that will take place during the 2012 Conference of the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), our organization will take the spotlight through a very special presentation. I will have the pleasure, in tandem with Shirley Madill, Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, of outlining the advantages of working within a network and the many benefits of membership in ICOM, in particular ICOM Canada. Furthermore, as always, the ICOM Canada Award will be presented during the CMA Annual Conference. Yet again, major names in Canadian museology are finalists for the award. You should also be aware that ICOM Canada establishes its priorities in line with those of ICOM’s international body, whose 2011–2013 strategic plan is constantly referred to by our national committee’s Board of Directors. Drafted collectively, with the aim of providing support for institutions in meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities presented by a continually changing museum environment, the strategic plan underlies every ICOM Canada initiative. 
  
For the Board of Directors of ICOM Canada, 2012 promises the dawn of a number of collaborative projects. ICOM Canada has decided it will be present at the AVICOM Annual Conference and FIAMP 2012, to be held in Montréal from October 9 to 12, and other joint initiatives are to be anticipated.

Finally, ICOM Canada intends to foster the development of young museum specialists. To allow various members of the new generation of museologists to exchange ideas, ICOM Canada is prepared to set up a financial assistance program that will enable young professionals to attend the conferences or symposia of the international committees when they hold meetings in Canada. Our website will soon provide information about the general rules, application process and deadlines related to this new program, so be sure to visit it regularly to find out more.

2012 Annual General Meeting

April 25, 2012, from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m., in Gatineau, Québec
ICOM, un réseau / How Can We Help? Bilingual presentation by the President of ICOM Canada and Shirley Madill, April 26 at 3:15 p.m.

Call for candidates to serve on the ICOM Canada Board of Directors

The terms of two of the members of the Board will come to an end in 2012, providing an opportunity for those who would like to become more actively and closely involved in the network’s activities.

I would therefore like to invite those interested in serving on the Board to send me a copy of their CV, as well as a brief cover letter explaining their reasons for applying.

Rio de Janeiro 2013

The next ICOM General Conference will take place from August 10 to 17, 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Join an international committee and come share your expertise with specialists from around the world.

International Museum Day

In 2012, International Museum Day will be held around May 18. Every museum in Canada will be invited to create a special event reflecting this year’s theme of Museums in a Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspirations.

Let us know what you are planning for that day and we will promote it on the ICOM Canada website. And be sure to take lots of photos—we will post them on our social media sites and pages so that the entire museum community can share your success.

Manon Blanchette Ph.D.