[Bcma-l] War Museum - Autonomy in research and interpretation for educational institutions?

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 11:43:54 -0700

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I believe that an educational institution is usually accountable to its
funders and is not really autonomous. Any granting agency or benefactor
has its things they want to fund. If you don't want to do those things,
then of course you don't have to ... but you also don't receive their
funding.=20

=20

A city museum is accountable through the administration to its City
Council which in turn is accountable to the citizens. Such a museum
might wish to address issues of racial prejudice for example in that
city, but the reality is that they might not be able to do so in the way
that staff might want to. Sometimes it is in the timing. The Vancouver
Museum now has an exhibit about the Japanese in Vancouver but the issue
of the forced evacuation in 1942 could not have been addressed by them
at the time. Even a museum of an educational facility (e.g. MOA) might
face censorship if staff decided in the name of educational freedom to
address a very controversial and emotional topic. Sometimes it is
self-censorship - reading the situation and realizing that discretion is
the better part of valour sometimes. On the other hand, a Museum
Director could stick their neck out.

=20

Colin MacGregor Stevens,

Manager,

New Westminster Museum and Archives,

302 Royal Avenue,

New Westminster, BC,=20

V3L 1H7

=20

Phone Office:    604-527-4639

Work Cellular : 604-830-6965

Fax:                  604-527-4641

E-mail: cstevens@newwestcity.ca=20

Web Site: www.newwestminster.ca=20

=20

-----Original Message-----
From: bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
[mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca]=20
Sent: September 1, 2007 2:23 AM
To: bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Subject: Re: [Bcma-l] War Museum

=20

This is an important issue and all of us as museum professionals should
be concerned.   Irregardless of the source of funding we need to be
autonomous in the research and interpretation that we offer as an
educational, not a political, institution.

James Tirrul-Jones
Railway and Forestry Museum

=09
	=20
=09
	=20
	I believe that BC Museums  and CMA should lend what little
weight they have in support of the War Museums  independent ability to
present history.
=09
	The idea of political and  single interest groups lobbying in
such a case is reprehensible, and I believe  we should make our views
known.
=09
	In a land where people  died over the issue of free speech,
where is it, and where is the free [and  independent prerogative] in
doing our job objectively?
=09
	Our museum was subjected  to such pressure and caved in due to
an in-camera meeting by our city council,  which went on to dictate as
to what we could or could not exhibit. No members  of the public or
delegations were allowed to debate such an important  issue.
=09
	To our shame,  we accepted their ultimatum in, but it still does
not destroy the  principle and concept of museum independence,.
=09
	Our alternative  would have been to close the museum.
=09
	This is an important  issue and I am surprised that I have not
heard any pronouncements about this  by our museum organizations.
=09
	Are we too busy planning  conferences and workshops and patting
ourselves on the back to pay attention  to such an important issue?
=09
	Larry A. Ewashen, Curator  & General Manager
	The Doukhobor Discovery Centre
	112 Heritage Way,  Castlegar V1N 4M5
	1-250-365-5327
	www.Doukhobor-Museum.org <http://www.Doukhobor-Museum.org>
<http://www.Doukhobor-Museum.org> =20

=20

=20

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<div class=3DSection1>

I believe that an educational =
institution
is usually accountable to its funders and is not really autonomous. Any
granting agency or benefactor has its things they want to fund. If you =
don&#8217;t
want to do those things, then of course you don&#8217;t have to &#8230; =
but you
also don&#8217;t receive their funding.

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

A city museum is accountable =
through the
administration to its City Council which in turn is accountable to the
citizens. Such a museum might wish to address issues of racial prejudice =
for
example in that city, but the reality is that they might not be able to =
do so
in the way that staff might want to. Sometimes it is in the timing. The =
Vancouver =
Museum now has an =
exhibit about
the Japanese in Vancouver<=
/font> but the issue of the forced evacuation in 1942 could not =
have been
addressed by them at the time. Even a museum of an educational facility =
(e.g.
MOA) might face censorship if staff decided in the name of educational =
freedom
to address a very controversial and emotional topic. Sometimes it is
self-censorship &#8211; reading the situation and realizing that =
discretion is
the better part of valour sometimes. On the other hand, a Museum =
Director could stick =
their neck
out.

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<div>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Colin MacGregor =
Stevens,</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Manager,</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>New Westminster Museum and =
Archives,</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>302 Royal =
Avenue,</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>New Westminster, BC, =
</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>V3L 1H7</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Phone Office:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
604-527-4639</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Work Cellular : =
604-830-6965</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Fax:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
604-527-4641</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>E-mail: <a
href=3D"mailto:cstevens@newwestcity.ca">cstevens@newwestcity.ca</a> =
</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 color=3Dnavy face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;color:navy'>Web Site: <a
href=3D"http://www.newwestminster.ca">www.newwestminster.ca</a></span></f=
ont><font
size=3D2 color=3Dnavy><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> =
</span></font></p>

</div>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DTahoma><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original =
Message-----<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> =
bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca
[mailto:bcma-l-admin@museumsassn.bc.ca] <br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> September 1, 2007 =
2:23 AM<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> =
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Bcma-l] War =
Museum</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D3 =
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

This
is an important issue and all of us as museum professionals should be
concerned. &nbsp;&nbsp;Irregardless of the source of funding we need to =
be
autonomous in the research and interpretation that we offer as an =
educational,
not a political, institution. 
 
James Tirrul-Jones 
Railway and Forestry Museum

<blockquote style=3D'margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>

&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp; 
I believe that BC =
Museums &nbsp;and
CMA should lend what little weight they have in support of the War =
Museums
&nbsp;independent ability to present history. 
 
The idea of political =
and &nbsp;single
interest groups lobbying in such a case is reprehensible, and I believe
&nbsp;we should make our views known. 
 
In a land where people =
&nbsp;died
over the issue of free speech, where is it, and where is the free [and
&nbsp;independent prerogative] in doing our job objectively? 
 
Our museum was subjected =
&nbsp;to
such pressure and caved in due to an in-camera meeting by our city =
council,
&nbsp;which went on to dictate as to what we could or could not exhibit. =
No
members &nbsp;of the public or delegations were allowed to debate such =
an
important &nbsp;issue. 
 
To our shame, &nbsp;we =
accepted
their ultimatum in, but it still does not destroy the &nbsp;principle =
and
concept of museum independence,. 
 
Our alternative =
&nbsp;would have
been to close the museum. 
 
This is an important =
&nbsp;issue
and I am surprised that I have not heard any pronouncements about this =
&nbsp;by
our museum organizations. 
 
Are we too busy planning
&nbsp;conferences and workshops and patting ourselves on the back to pay
attention &nbsp;to such an important issue? 
 
Larry A. Ewashen, =
Curator
&nbsp;&amp; General Manager 
The Doukhobor Discovery Centre 
112 Heritage Way, &nbsp;Castlegar V1N 4M5 
1-250-365-5327 
www.Doukhobor-Museum.org <a =
href=3D"http://www.Doukhobor-Museum.org">&lt;http://www.Doukhobor-Museum.=
org&gt;</a>

</blockquote>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D3 =
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D3 =
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

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