DOCENT GENERAL MEETINGTK Boardroom 2nd Floor

November 21, 2016, 9:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.MINUTES (DRAFT)

Attendance: Docents: 34; Guides du ROM: 2; Emeritus: 1 Trainees: 0; TOTAL: 37

l. Welcome and Call to Order : Chair Doug called the meeting at 9:45 and warmly welcomed everyone on a wintry day.

II. Approval of Agenda

Moved by: Joelle

Seconded by: Mari

Carried

III. Approval of Minutes of October 17, 2016

Moved by: Corinne

Seconded by Rosalyn

Carried

IV. Business Arising

a) Extra MH Tour in summer Extra MH Tour at 10:30 am daily To apply June 15- Labour day inclusive

Doug shared the Executive’s recent decision to proceed with adding an extra tour at 10:30 during the peak summer months. This will help take the load off the 11:00 a.m. tour. If the numbers are excessive for this new time slot tour, visitors can be politely advised of the next one, keeping it to a manageable number. This would bring our daily tour total to 6.

b) Entering extra volunteer hours

Doug explained the reasons to be diligent in completing this task each month. We are an added value for the ROM. The extra hours are a measure of our worth. Using a figure of $30 per hour, it amounts to $3,452,000.00. As a result, the ROM can manage with fewer staff. It was suggested that docents make a

habit of entering hours for the preceding month when they are already on the website to sign up for the new month’s tours.

ACTION: All docents should endeavour to complete this task monthly.

b) Christmas Schedule

This schedule has been clearly explained in other reports, and tours are already assigned.

V. Reports (Please see the APPENDIX below for reports and discussion.)

a) DMV Board Report, Bayla Balabanb) Vice Chair Report, Mari Silversteinc) Secretary Report, Valerie Faircloughd) Past Chair, Joelle Guidini-Raybaude) Scheduler Report, Marc Croteauf) Treasurer/ Statistician Report, Marc Croteaug) Accessibility Report, Dawn Jamiesonh) Education Report , Marg Bush, Johanne Caulfield:

i) New Format for MH Tours

The new Museum Highlights Tour Guidelines, devised by Margaret, Johanne, Mari and Doug, have been posted. Their aim is to offer more flexibility in our tours. This pilot project will be reviewed again next year.

Following up on her search for historical material related to our 50 th anniversary, Margaret read the Docent Minutes from 1966, in which docents were referred to by their marital status! It was quite an eye opener, revealing the “10 to 1” talks, offered to the public at 12:50, as well as 15 tours that docents offered to the public.

ii) Early Years of the Docent Committee, Barbara Chisholm

Margaret introduced our Education speaker, Emerita docent Barbara Chisholm, who entertained and enlightened us further by sharing her personal reminiscences of the early days of the DMV. We were all mesmerized by her stories, and especially astonished to learn that tours of the Chinese section cost the visitors $15!! We all would like to express sincere thanks to Barbara and to Margaret for organizing this fascinating talk. (Barbara’s full script will be attached to these Minutes when the electronic version becomes available. Secretary will let you know when that happens. You will want to read it again!)

DISCUSSION

It was agreed that there is a need to create a category for “Docent History” on the website.

ACTION: Margaret will continue her quest of assembling what she can find buried in the nether reaches of the DMV Volunteer Centre.

VI. New Business

a)Emergency procedures for Tour Cancellation

There were two emergency situations recently when stricken docents were unable to deliver their scheduled tours. Doug reviewed the Emergency procedures, as outlined in the Handbook under “group tour procedures”. Five hours’ notice is needed in order to deal with the situation. (It is acknowledged that this may not always be an option.) In case of an emergency, contact any member of the Executive, or a friend that can do this for you. The Executive member will then go to the “short notice list”, soon to be updated, and phone possible replacement docents. If a substitute is unavailable, the Lead Concierge will be contacted, and the tour cancelled, with notification added to the public tour sign. Group tour cancellation is more complicated, and a substitute will be found, using a staff facilitator if necessary.

ACTION: (Not to “Tempt Providence”, but it would be a good idea to have an Executive phone number or two handy in your wallet!)

b)Time Restrictions for Docent Participation

Doug drew our attention to the clause in the Handbook that states that no tour shall be given after 8:00p.m. Following a recent meeting with ROM staff this clause is now under discussion. However, ROM requirements for “spot tours” for corporate evening events have been extreme recently, with the latest request being for 5 docents from 6:00 -10:00 p.m. While it is understood that docents should try to participate and meet the needs of ROM Hospitality, the question of the appropriate use of our time, expertise and energy came into question.

DISCUSSION: several docents recounted their recent Chihuly exhibition evening “spot tour” experiences. Others recounted experiences with previous blockbusters. Several were negative but not all. There often seems to be little consideration given to coordination of the scheduling of Docent tours with the scheduling of reception and dinner for the groups. Sometimes they coincide, meaning the docents are waiting in the exhibition with no clients. When clients are ready for the tours, docents have already reached the end of their shift time

and left. Security personnel are present in the exhibition until 10:00 p.m., meaning the clients do have access to the exhibition. It was acknowledged that for a social function there can be no “set rules” about when clients visit the exhibition.

James asked if feedback was being given to the ROM. Mari stated that “long term talks” with Connie re group tours are needed.

Marguerite inquired about the revenue to the DMV.

ACTION: Vera and Doug will check the formula for fees, especially when there are 1000 participants, as will be the case on December 1. Vera, Doug and Mari will discuss the situation further, later today.

c) Docents giving private tours

It was drawn to our attention that some docents have been giving personal private tours for substantial groups of visitors. Doug drew our attention to the fact that this is neither appropriate nor allowed. Group tours must go through ROM Group Sales, with payment of the appropriate fee. We can give private tours to family or friends not exceeding 5 in number.

d) Sandra made a plea for proportionate gender equality in volunteers for the Evaluation Committee.

e) Rosalyn read a prepared statement (see below) titled: THE CASE FOR AN EXPANDED ROLE FOR EMERITA/EMERITUS DOCENTS

Sadly, we’re losing a steady number of veteran docents to retirement each year. Some are undoubtedly content, perhaps even relieved, to step away from their ‘jobs’ after many years of dedicated service. But I believe others might be glad of the opportunity to stay connected in a more direct way than is open to them at present.I feel a good argument can be made for taking fuller advantage of the valuable experience and talents these docents have to offer. This could be done by allowing those who wish it to participate in more museum interpretation roles than they’re currently permitted to perform.At present, this cohort may fill certain administrative executive and advisor roles, and take part in Alzheimer’s and tactile events (with appropriate training and preparation). Yet some retirees still feel capable of conducting tours of specific galleries and/or special exhibitions, and would welcome the opportunity to do so.For some, the physical demands of walking the entire museum have become too onerous; for others, family or personal issues make it difficult for them to undertake a full docent tour load. Since they cannot be successfully vetted for Museum Highlights tours, as mandated in the Docent Bylaws, they do not qualify for active status and are therefore not authorized to lead gallery, special exhibition, or private group tours. No accommodation is made for their specific circumstances.

It’s been argued that touring blockbusters and other special shows is a ‘reward’ for fulfilling the day-to-day duties of an active docent: a privilege that must be earned. But I would counter that these retirees have more than paid their dues over the years. If they still feel willing and able to undertake these challenges – and of course can be successfully vetted for the specific task, as every docent must be – they should be permitted to do so.Along with benefiting these particular individuals, I believe such a change could enhance an already-stimulating docent experience through the continued presence of experienced and committed volunteers.

Respectfully submitted,Rosalyn WosnickNovember 21, 2016

Discussion:

Joelle spoke in favour of an “a la carte” Emeritus status tailored to suit the individual.Margaret pointed out that we have been flexible in the past, citing Sheila’s return to active status on a temporary basis for A Third Gender.Mari suggested that more flexibility in the new guidelines for MH tours might enable a more suitable tour for some.Joelle suggested that Emeriti might be more interested in specific gallery or special exhibition tours, where greater flexibility is possible.Barbara Chisholm felt that more specific galleries would be closer to the heart and area of knowledge. 1 or 2 galleries might make Emeriti want to come back, rather than General tours.Lynne highlighted mobility issues that some Emeriti might have, and raised the question of whether taxis might be provided for them.Doug felt more discussion was needed and the idea could be worked on.Marc raised the hypothetical scenario of the impact if 15 Emeriti chose to do this. Too many docents?Roz stated that right now it is all or nothing. Limits could be established. New rules could be devised.Margaret suggested there be a “time served” requirement for this special status, e.g. 10 years as a docent.Mari suggested an Executive “task force” be established to brainstorm ideas.

ACTION:

Doug declared that the Executive will work on this. Much discussion will be needed.

VII. Adjournment: was declared by Doug at 11:50 a.m.

NEXT DOCENT GENERAL MEETING: Monday, January 16, 9:45 TK BOARDROOM, 2nd floor.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

“The DMV values all its members and recognizes the right of each to be treated with respect and courtesy without abuse, harassment or discrimination”

11:00 a.m. Education Portion

Guest Speaker: Ian Nicklin, “Why Bennu – A journey to the origins of the Solar System”

Anica Miter warmly welcomed our guest speaker, Ian Nicklin and gave us information on his background. Ian’s interest in rocks, starting as a five year old, has served him well, and his depth of knowledge impressed us all. He focussed on what Bennu means and why it is important. We learned the origin of its name, after the Egyptian deity because its shape reminded a grade 3 student of a heron, or the Bennu bird. Acronyms are used frequently by NASA, including the name of the probe, OSIRIS Rex, and one in particular was quite amusing: HOG: “Hollow Organic Globules”! Ian left time for questions “because he knows our group”, and we did not disappoint. When Mari asked Ian what he would want visitors to hear from us about Bennu as part of a tour, he responded: Why it is important; Canada’s involvement; The ROM’s involvement in analysis of the data. Doug thanked Ian on our behalf, whereupon Ian commented that we’re his favourite group to give talks to because we’re always so interested and enthusiastic! Yes! We rock!! (oops!)

Once again, our thanks go to Mari for organizing such an interesting and relevant speaker. We are so fortunate to have these opportunities for education that we can share in a meaningful way with our visitors.

APPENDIXROM DOCENT GENERAL MEETING, NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Consolidated Reports and Discussion

DMV BOARD REPORT Submitted by Bayla Balaban

November Board Report

1. On October 26 a Town Hall meeting was held with Josh Basseches as speaker. He entitled his talk “ROM in Context”. He wanted to know how the ROM fit into the North American landscape of Art and Natural History Museums. He found

we stand about 12th among the 40,000 Art and Culture museums in North America. We are number 3 in volunteer hours, about 114,000 hours donated. We stand at number 12 for staff size, about 360. That is very small for a museum of our size. Josh made mention of the fact that the only way the museum can function with such a small staff is because of the dedication of our volunteers.

2. Sandy Bourne reported on museum attendance. So far this year our attendance is 25% above projections. The ROM has had 752,262 visitors so far this year, 70% of the way to our goal of 1.075 million. There was a significant increase in the number of visitors using City Pass vouchers. The “Tattoos” exhibit had ll6 754 visitors, 37% above projections. School group attendance is 21% above last year. Gallery attendance is 12% over last year and 44% ahead of forecast. Programs attracted 50,000 people, 66% above forecast.The Welcome Project: The plan is to re-open the Queen’s Park entrance. July is the target date for the opening.

3. ROM for the Holidays: Runs from Dec. 26 – Jan. 8. The museum will be open from 10 until 7 most days. On Dec. 31 the museum will close at 5:30 so the staff can prepare for our first New Year’s Eve party. It will run from 9:00 pm until 2:00 am. The Chihuly exhibit will be open during the party.

4. Run for the ROM: Very successful. The total amount raised was $51,500. Most of this was raised by the Friends groups. FCC raised $8,000.00, Textiles and Costume raised $3,000.00, Palaeontology, Earth and Space Sciences raised $9,176.00 and BWC raised $9,110.00. An addition $6,780.00 was added to each of the BWC and Palaeontology totals as Susan Horvath, ROM Governors, split her donations between the two top Friends groups.

5. Blue Whale: Will be in the main exhibition hall. Interactive and immersive activities (you will be able to go into the mouth of the whale!). There will also be lots of graphics and videos. The marketing title is: “Out of the Depths: the Blue Whale Story”. There will be a speaker’s series starting in January. Discussions are ongoing regarding Docent participation.

6. Santa Claus Parade: The ROM will have a dinosaur float again this year.

7. First Magnitude Deadline: November 18.

8. Personal Hours: Please put your extra hours on the website. They are very important in understanding just how much time is donated to the ROM every year.

9. The docents have a new computer and the DMV has a new laptop! The accessibility buttons into the DMV lounge have been repaired.

Respectfully submittedBayla Balaban, Second Vice-President

VICE CHAIR Submitted by Mari Silverstein:

Vice-Chair report, November 2016

Attended a meeting with Connie MacDonald (VP, Programs), Vera Hall, Doug Gibson to discuss various topics re Group Sales/Group Tours:

The ROM plans to eventually replace existing headsets currently used in Blockbusters with newer/better-performing technology. The existing headsets will not be removed until replacements are secured. There's no deadline for this

Group Sales and Docents are reviewing and updating "Procedures for Docent Led Tours"

We raised the issue of self-guided tour groups who pay the group rate for admission, then wish to take free Docent tours. Connie will talk with Group Sales to make sure they clearly communicate to self-guided groups that free Docent tours are not part of the package they get with their group-rate admission price

We agreed to brainstorm ideas for some potential future theme tours which would be sold through Group Sales

Syrian newcomer tours have been a huge success with visitors. Originally the sponsor asked for four tours in the first year. By popular demand, they have recently asked for tours in December and January.

Lead trainer report:

No report

SECRETARY Submitted by Valerie Fairclough:

I received a very gracious letter of resignation, dated October 17, 2016 from Heather Ballon. She will fulfill her scheduled tours to the end of November. As of December 1, 2016, she wishes to continue to be associated with ROM Docents as Emerita. The Executive voted unanimously to grant Heather Emerita status commencing December 1, 2016. We are all very grateful for her many years of dedicated service to the DMV and to the ROM and now officially consider Heather as a ROM Treasure! Thank you, Heather!

PAST CHAIR Submitted by Joelle Raybaud:

No report

CHIHULY CHAIR REPORT Submitted by Joelle Raybaud

CHIHULY EXHIBITNOVEMBER REPORT

Our tours are still successful with interesting questions and warm thanks at the end of them, plus regular positive feedback.The attendance is good, with a big number of group tours.

I would like to mention that there are no headsets for the evening tours.

At the request of the ROM Staff, we will offer two tours per day (excluding Saturday and Sunday), at 1pm and 3pm during the Christmas Holidays, December 26 th-Friday 6th. All slots have already been taken.

Thank you to our very dedicated Chihuly Docents.

SCHEDULER Submitted by Marc Croteau:

- ROM for the Holidays runs from Dec 26 to Jan 8 inclusive.- Last regularly scheduled docent tour 3:00pm Fri Dec 23- First regularly scheduled docent tour 11:00am Mon Jan 9- Chihuly tours 1:00 and 3:00 pm running from Dec 26 - Dec 30 and Jan 2 - Jan 6

14 "Museum Highlight" tours converted to "Museum Highlight - New Docents" tours in January, beginning Jan 9th.The same number will be scheduled in Feb.

Currently, all Chihuly tours to the end of the show have been filled.

STATISTICIAN ANDTREASURER Submitted by Marc Croteau: - stats. report already posted to website for Nov meeting (also posted to docent meeting for Nov)- of the 56 Active Docents that give regular tours, only 4 have offered less than 14 tours to date.  On average, at the end of Oct, each docent should have offered about 14 tours.  The "Docent Statistics" report records the YTD totals for all regularly scheduled tours + group tours + Spot Tours

ACCESSIBILITY Submitted by Dawn Jamieson:

All is running smoothly.

EDUCATION Submitted by Margaret Bush and Johanne Caulfield:

The educational “spot” talk at the November DGM will be given by Barbara Chisholm on the early years of the Docent Committee. A meeting of Section Administrators will be held (DV) in the TK boardroom, following the General Meeting.  Marc Croteau will be a guest, advising on uploading material to the website.

Barbara Chisholm’s Address:

Hello I am Barbara Chisholm and I joined the Docent Committee in ancient times – 1977. In anticipation of our 50th anniversary I was asked to either remind or freshly inform you about our history. However this is not a chronological account – that will be produced when the Docent archives are unearthed. Rather it is a series of disjointed personal reminiscences - so don’t hold your breath waiting for the links.Nevertheless, a little background might be helpful.

In 1957, 3 University of Toronto graduates members of a Study group approached the Director Dr. Heinrich, asking if they could be of service - not as white gloved, hatted fundraisers, which was the primary purpose of most Women’s Art Organizations at that time, but as Girl Fridays in the curatorial departments. Dr. Heinrich said yes and after recruiting 9 other friends the ROM Members Committee was born. One of their first tasks was to make dust covers for the rare books in the Far Eastern Library.

In 1958, hearing about an upcoming exhibition entitled “7 Centuries of English Silver”, the members came up with the idea of offering tours to the public. Thanks to the MVC’s silver-tongued first chairman, Joan Randall, management agreed but more importantly the European curators agreed to train them. Although not officially recognized as such, that was the impetus for later establishing the Docent Committee.

Evidently the public responded with great enthusiasm and asked for more. The curators were pleased but desperately busy and simply unable to give public tours. Again the Members came up with an idea – 10 to 1 talks. These would be offered once a week with a target audience of the neighbouring office and retail workers. “Have a bite and explore the ROM”. Again the volunteers received training from the curators and the 30 minute talks covered 6 galleries including such favourites as the Lohan, the Totem Pole and Dinosaurs.

In addition the overworked Education Department asked for help in touring classes through the North American Indian and Eskimo collections (this was the 1960s remember, political correction was not an issue) as well as Canadiana. They also asked for help in providing behind the scenes tours to U of T freshmen as part of their Orientation program. At one point ROM’s great patron, Mrs. Louise Stone, even organized the docents to give tours in the Chinese galleries charging $15 per person. All the while, the group toured most of the special exhibitions.

In 1966 the official docent committee came into existence with the indomitable Joan Randall as its first chairman and from the beginning, training and quality were at its core. An early “Guide for the Volunteer Tourer” reminded them that their function was to guide the visitor in seeing the collections, not to present a general survey of the whole subject. Above all people should have an enjoyable experience and learn that a visit to the Museum could be both worthwhile and fun. It then listed 18 desirable qualities for a tourer including the ability to see objects through the eyes of people of divergent tastes and to lead them from the known into new areas of thought. Not very different than the goals set out in today’s Handbook.

Sometimes we think our ideas are all totally original. The French section for instance. Yes, it came into existence following the Government’s regulations stating that principal public institutions should offer services in both French and English. Carolee Gilbert and Marg Gray were given the task of training the first group. But earlier, in the 1960s, the committee had with the help of ex-Montreal volunteers organized tours that were offered to French-speaking Toronto residents. Nothing further came of this effort. It just wasn’t the right time. However that was the beginning of our efforts to provide tours for non-English speaking visitors.

So too the wide ranging accessibility tours offered today unofficially started with the tactile tours set up for the visually challenged by Kay Masters and others in the 70’s..

Although the overall organization hasn’t changed that much, the mechanics certainly have. I remember sitting on my living room floor with a big calendar in front of me. My task as Scheduler was to fill in the names of those who would tour that month having dutifully scanned the section lists, the vacation stops and the “never on Friday afternoon lists”. I also had to make sure everyone fulfilled their requirements for how many tours they were required to give. Each volunteer had to deliver at least one General Tour a month. One day when I was quite new to the job, I included the name of a long-standing docent. The night after the calendar was posted on the bulletin board, I received a call from this person and her first words were “Barbara I do not do General Tours” . Okay now what. Well of course I phoned the Chairman and put the problem in her lap.

Signage and announcements have been part of an never ending running battle with the administration. For years we met at the Totem Pole. The announcement would be made either by us or the ticket sellers,. Because of the really bad PA system and sometimes because of the strong accents of some of the staff, the public rarely understood what was being said and so we had to become high- powered salesmen accosting anyone who ventured anywhere near us.

And then there was our office: the cuppyhole cupboard behind the totem Pole on the main floor. It had originally been the ticket office for the theatre. We had a desk, some coat hooks, a stack of files and as Buffy Meredith said, “Just enough room for one person – as long as she wasn’t pregnant.

Education has always been paramount. I remember the elocution instructor brought in to help us learn how to enunciate clearly and to project our voices. The tongue twisters she made us repeat had to be among the most devilish ever devised. And what about the instructor who made us so self-conscious about our hands that we didn’t know whether to emulate Prince Philip, or the nude with a fig-leaf, whether to stand like a diva or slouch like a debutante. All this in the name of training.Just some quick memories – the 70s, when it was taboo to wear slacks (as they were then called) - a skirt, stockings and dress shoes were de rigeur. Yet when periodically ROM staff tried to bring some uniformity to our dress with white blouses or sashes or more recently scarves, many of us silently rebelled.

Looking around I remember our first male docent Don Gray whose relaxed personality helped him fit easily into an overwhelmingly female docent world. He was a good docent and that’s all that mattered. And when our unofficial DMV/MVC historian Jeannie Carter showed me one of her early name tags, I remembered the discussions some rather heated, about whether we should call ourselves guides, tour guides, tourers or docents. Most American museums used the term docent and eventually that won out.

My time is up and I haven’t even touched on what being a docent has meant to each of us personally. The education we have received from the curators in order to prepare for an incredible variety of special exhibitions has been the equivalent of auditing several university courses. The strong friendships that have come from sharing experiences, whether it was the tension of surviving docent training or the fun educational trips to Montreal, Quebec City and elsewhere. The stories are endless. The Docent Committee has grown like Topsy and evolved into a respected part of ROM’s programming. We have been fortunate to have maintained our independence, training ourselves - again with support from the curators - and will hopefully continue to do so. In this crazy world of instant communication and sound bytes who knows what the future holds but if the past is any indicator, ROM docents will find a way to remain relevant.

Thank you, Barbara.

Section Administrators’ Reports for Docent General Meeting – November 21st

Egypt Section Report

Gallery: The Egypt Gallery has finally re-opened. A few displays have not yet been

repopulated Cleopatra (and some less significant pieces) are on loan. They are expected

back some time in 2017 (but who knows?)

Online data: We continue to add data sheets to the website.

Staff: Bill Pratt - the Technician for Egypt - is retiring. He has been a good contact. It is

expected the ROM will fill the position. No timeline

ACTION ITEM FOR EDUCATION: Significant objects list vis a vis Egypt:

Adding two objects to the list of Significant Objects used in vettingo Donkeys Returning from the Harvesto Nakht.

Section members' status: All nine active docents in the section are up-to-date on their vetting A tenth docent is LOA Four docents have committed to learn the Gallery and be vetted in 2016-17

Mari Silverstein

European Section Report

The Gallery of Modern Design will open to the public in a small area of the North Wing of the European Galleries on Friday, Dec 2. Ticketed tours will be given to ROM members by Instructors at set times through the day. Docents will not be needed.

Heather Ballon, a longtime loyal member of the Section, has resigned to become a Docent Emerita. We have all greatly appreciated her assistance over the years. Thank you so much, Heather.

Diane Hughes

Rome & The Roman Empire Section Report

No one has expressed interest in touring Byzantium at this time. Some of the docents will be incorporating Byzantium objects into their tours. This is not required but is a good fit.

Currently our tours on the sign board read -Rome and The Roman Empire - We would like that to remain. However the official name on the website should read - Rome the Roman Empire and Byzantium. All Rome docents will have been vetted at the end of 2016. We continue to struggle to have Paul Denis vet any of our scripts. We will have another meeting in the spring.

Jodie Louth Gray

OCTOBER 2016 “CANADA SECTION” REPORT as per section meeting October 13, 2016Submitted by Eva Cunningham

Our section currently has 13 members, 6 that tour the Sigmund Samuel Gallery and 7 that tour the First Peoples Gallery. (2 of us tour both) We will soon have 12 as Heather Ballon has told me that she plans on retiring from touring this November.It was brought to our attention that the most imminent changes – some as early as the end of the month, but most at the beginning of next year - to be expected in the First Peoples gallery are:1. A new rotation of Paul Kane materials on the east wall. The “Fishing by Torch Light”

installation will remain.2. In the Canoe section the Ojibway canoe furthest to the north will be replaced with a

Dogrib canoe.3. Two Carrier headdresses will be installed in the Early Collections case replacing the

materials situated on the east side.4. An Eastern Cree costume consisting of dress, robe, moccasins, leggings, belt and

hood will be installed in the “New Acquisitions” case.5. Innu material from the Frank Speck collection will be installed in the “Subarctic”

case, replacing the materials located on the west side. 6. Perhaps the map that we so urgently discussed some time ago will also appear.

In the Sigmund Samuel gallery, the Wilson Heritage room is vacant at the moment. Arlene Gehmacher has returned to working on the Mary Allodi watercolours after the Rex Woods exhibition that was to go up in the 3rd floor centre block was postponed. The watercolours now have her first priority and and as soon as the manuscript is off her desk she will turn her attention fully to the next show in the Wilson Heritage room. The working title of this show is “No Place Like Home: questioning a cliché” and will feature watercolours that deal with individuals’ and groups of people’s sense of place as Canada undergoes settlement in the 19th century. Arlene hopes that all the work done on the “Rex Woods” show will not have been for nothing and she plans on bringing out a “Rex Woods” publication.One of the planned exhibitions for the Sesquicentennial next year is “Anishnaabeg: Art and Power” which will be curated by Arni Brownstone. I have recently heard another title used so this may change. A number of dates have been mentioned. I was told June 17 by Arni for the opening. Works are being borrowed from 7 different institutions and the negotiations for this are underway. What is interesting is that Arni plans on referring to the several native advisors/experts that he is working with as “curators” and would like to see us touring the exhibition in tandem with native guides. Again, he hopes we will refer to them as “Docents”. At the very least, perhaps we can get a tour from some native advisors.The FCC is hoping to put on a variety of programs and one of them might be a “behind the scenes tour” of First Peoples material. Perhaps we might participate.We discussed the idea of a theme tour of Canada. The “Guides du ROM” do one successfully. We think this would make a great tour that can be given as a “highlights” tour as it could go into quite a number of galleries.

Our next section meeting will be based on when Arni Brownstone can take us into the Woodlands exhibition.