Archive for the ‘collections’ Category

Hello from Goulbourn! My name is Elise Anderson, and I’ve had the opportunity to work as the Collections Intern this fall through the Capital Heritage Mentorship Program.

Today I’m going to give you a preview of one of the projects I’ve been working on: the Children’s Toy Collection Virtual Tour!

As the holiday season begins, we thought it would be fun to show you what kinds of toys would have been given as gifts in the past. In the virtual tour, you can explore each shelf of our collection from your own home.

Our goal was to make this tour as interactive as possible! You’ll be able to click on the toys to learn more about them, play games, watch videos, and enjoy other exciting activities.

For example, one of the objects in the tour is a Canadian winter themed Snakes and Ladders game. Not only can you learn about the history of the game (hint: it’s ancient!), but you can actually play the game for yourself!

I don’t want to give away too much, but my absolute favourite object of the collection is a 1960’s Barbie doll. She’s similar to the Barbie dolls I grew up with, but with a Jackie Kennedy Onassis inspired bubble cut hairstyle. You’ll also be able to watch the original ad for this doll to see more of her wardrobe. I love that she is a fashion time capsule!

Barbie as seen in the Children’s Toy Collection virtual tour.

I want to thank the Goulbourn Museum and Collections Officer Sarah Holla for the opportunity to work with this incredible collection. It was so much fun bringing these objects to life in digital form!

I can’t wait for you all to experience this collection and I hope you enjoy the virtual tour

Click here to explore the tour.

The Museum is excited to announce a new series “WHAT’S IN A NAME.” In this series Museum staff will explore the story behind names that appear throughout Goulbourn Township.

Our first topic: A Transparent Look at Sir Henry Goulburn and Slavery.

Staff are actively conducting research and gathering knowledge and diverse perspectives on the subject of Sir Henry Goulburn. We are looking forward to sharing the results of our research and hosting an in-depth discussion.

Watch for updates on our blog and social media.

Summer Seekers is a virtual weekly program where we encourage children to explore how people their age lived and played in Goulbourn 150 years ago! Each Monday, join us for a new set of activities, from games to food to crafts! You’ll have the chance to earn prizes while you learn some cool new skills!

Summer Seekers is filled with opportunities to try fun activities and learn new skills. Our digital badges will help you track your accomplishments as you go–and give you the chance to earn prizes!

Each week, you can earn badges by completing certain activities or challenges! When you complete a challenge, simply fill out this form to request your badge. The Museum will deliver all badges for the week by email every Friday. You can download badges to your computer or, if you create an account on Badgr, store them in a personal “digital backpack.”

The best part? For every FIVE badges you earn, you will receive a prize in the mail! The Museum will contact you when you become eligible for this offer.* You can collect up to THREE prizes over the course of the summer.

Kits Club Members will also receive a 50c credit on their membership card for every badge they earn! For more information on how to become a Kits Club member, email info@goulbournmuseum.ca. 

*Offer is available to residents of Canada only.

For more information about the Summer Seekers program, watch the video above! If you have any questions, email register@goulbournmuseum.ca

Please join us in welcoming our three summer employees: Ashley Wong, Enya Barbeau, and Nigel Klemencic-Puglisevich. They officially started on May 19th and although we have yet to meet in person, they have already become invaluable members of our team!

ASHLEY WONG
I’m excited to join the Goulbourn Museum team as the Collections Assistant this summer! As an archaeology student, I hope I can learn more about the behind-the-scenes action that goes into interacting with artefacts!

I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Archaeology and East Asian Studies, with a minor in Linguistics. I’ve had the privilege of volunteering in the university’s archaeological lab, handling artefacts from Wadi Ziqlab, Jordan, and so in my time as Collections Assistant I want to learn more about the life of artefacts in a museum versus the life of artefacts in the lab.Down the line, I also hope to further my technical skills to continue into museum work or pursue life as an archaeologist. I will be returning to Toronto in the fall to continue my studies but I hope to make the most out of my time here at the Museum!

ENYA BARBEAU
I’m thrilled to be joining the Goulbourn Museum team this summer as the Programming Assistant. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree with a Double Major in History and Visual Arts from University of Ottawa and recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies.

My background lies in heritage interpretation and programming. I spent three years developing and delivering public programs for the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum in Ottawa.
In the past two years, I have also had the privilege to work with cultural institutions like the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Museum of Contemporary Art, and Canadian Women in Film Museum in the areas of collections management, visitor research, and exhibition development.

When I’m not eating (and sleeping and breathing) all things museums, I enjoy learning about the past through books, podcasts, and television show binges. I also keep up a creative practice in painting, drawing, and other visual art forms.

I look forward to planning virtual and on-site activities that engage the Goulbourn community. Here’s to a fun-filled, if unusual, summer season!

NIGEL KLEMENCIC-PUGLISEVICH
I’m so excited to be joining Goulbourn Museum this summer as the Museum Assistant! I’m currently attending Carleton University for a BA in History and Greek & Roman Studies with minors in Medieval Studies and Islamic Studies. I’ve worked for years in local history institutions in Ontario and am excited to experience Goulbourn Museum and all the former township has to offer, even during this complicated time of social distancing. I hope during my time working with the museum that I’ll get the opportunity to learn more about museum operations and management as well as historical research.

I grew up in Bowmanville, Ontario where I was lucky enough to work with Clarington Museums & Archives for over four years. From there, I began working with more local museums and exploring my love of history further. Upon moving to Ottawa, I began to once again work in museums and further developed my love for this industry. I hope after my degree to move to Malta and take my love of history to a graduate level.

In my spare time, I work mostly on researching my family histories from Malta, Constantinople, England, Slovenia, and Croatia. I also enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, and painting.

I look forward to the summer I’ll be spending with Goulbourn Museum and learning so much from the staff and community!

We are challenging YOU to get silly and recreate old photos of Goulbourn Township!

The photos (below) depict families from as far back as the 1800s.

HOW IT WORKS: Once you’ve chosen a picture, use your imagination to recreate the scene with the people, props and pets you have at home!

Click on the thumbnails below to take a closer look at the photos and find the perfect one to replicate. To keep the challenge fresh, a new series of photos will be added each week.

Participants can share their masterpieces (in either colour or black-and-white) on social media with the hashtag #YoreYourselfChallenge, and tag the Museum. Photos can also be emailed to info@goulbournmuseum.ca. Submissions will be compiled into a gallery that can be viewed on the Museum’s website and social media.

Have fun!

The Museum is looking for three post-secondary students for the following summer positions:

Collections Assistant: Duties include working with the collection, cataloguing artefacts, supporting research requests and daily operations.

Program Assistant: Duties include the delivery and development of public programs and events, and visitor experiences.

Museum Assistant: Duties include facilitation of visitor services, operational administration and to support ongoing daily operations.

• All Candidates require excellent English language skills and computer competency. Successful candidates will have a background in museum studies, art history, library and information studies, business, education, marketing, graphic design or a similar field. French is an asset.

• Positions are dependent on funding and run for 16 weeks at $15.00 per hour for 37.5 hours per week. Work includes weekends and statutory holidays. There is no public transportation to the Museum site.

• To apply, email a cover letter and resume (PDF format only) to tracey@goulbournmuseum.ca by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 30, 2020.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, job descriptions may be altered to accommodate the Museum’s needs as employees work from home. Additional requirements will include internet access and personal electronic equipment; including a personal computer and smart phone both with audio and video capabilities. 

Goulbourn Museum is sharing images of early life in Goulbourn Township and challenging families to use whatever they have in their homes to recreate the photos.

“People are cooped up right now so we’re encouraging them to have a little fun with history by reinventing pictures of the past,” says Museum Manager and Exhibitions Curator, Tracey Donaldson. “We’re calling it the Yore Yourself Challenge.”

The photos depict residents of Goulbourn Township from as far back as the 1800s.

“Once you’ve chosen a picture, use your imagination to recreate the scene by using the people, props and pets you have at home,” says Donaldson. “We’re excited to see some modern interpretations of these photos.”

Click on the thumbnails below to take a closer look at the photos and find the perfect one to replicate. To keep the challenge going, a new series of photos will be added each week.

Participants can share their masterpieces (in either colour or black-and-white) on social media with the hashtag #YoreYourselfChallenge, and tag the Museum. Photos can also be emailed to info@goulbournmuseum.ca. Submissions will be compiled into a gallery that can be viewed on the Museum’s website and social media.

Have fun!

We had so many great entries in the “My Family Is…” Exhibit Contest! Thank you to everyone who participated! Our winner is……the Hambly family from Stittsville!

Their exhibit was a true family affair with contributions from parents Mandy and Rob, their children Jack and Lucy, and a special appearance from Shirley “Nana” Hambly who was interviewed in England. The video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/VJXmsuWnvYE.

“We hope you like our exhibit that tells family stories and favourites from grandparents to grandkids in England, America and Canada,” Mandy wrote in her submission.

“We enjoyed unearthing old photos and sharing laughs and history with each other. What a great week – stuck at home! – to work hard on a project that honours our family by illustrating what’s unique about “us”.

Goulbourn Museum’s Education Officer, Sarah Catterall says the Hambly’s exhibit showed attention to detail and had a fantastic blend of artefacts, photos, texts, and video. “The winning “My Family Is…” exhibit clearly demonstrates family working, creating, and learning together- both near and far,” says Sarah. “Well done to the Hamblys!”

To take a closer look at the photos from the Hambly’s exhibit, please click on the images below.

Stay tuned for more fun at-home activities to be announced next week!