For those in the sector, MuseumNext is sort of that conference a lot of people talking about going to, and then are really pleasantly surprised when they do go.
People told me a lot of things about MuseumNext before I went. I figured, with all I had heard, some of it had to be exaggerated, or blatantly untrue.
Not true. There were a few things that were not quite what I expected, but I think that had more to do with the fact it was the first time the conference had been hosted in America, and naturally hosting internationally is going to change a few things. Overall, it was well-organized, friendly and supportive, sometimes innovative, always interesting, and very social. I think it's more social in Europe, because a lot of people regularly attend each year and know each other, and this was a bit different because almost everyone was new to it.
The theme was, ostensibly, 'inclusion', although the definition of that got lost somewhere, as 'inclusion' turned out to be rather, well, 'exclusionary' in reality. There was a lot of 'look at all the things we did!' and not a lot of 'this is how you engage those groups that absolutely would not otherwise walk through your door' which is what inclusion actually is to me. There was also very little reference (baring one fantastic presentation) on black communities (which Indiana has a lot of), other racial minorities, the poor, or really, much other than LGBT and young people. Which is great, but is not the definition of 'inclusion'.
I also found that the point about the museum industry being exclusive was raised a lot, but no one really had any recommendations of how to change things. We've been talking about this for years, and I find European museums are actually (slowly) becoming pretty diverse in the work and volunteer force, but it's clear America (and Canada) are a long way behind. There was a lot of 'well, we've been talking about this for 10 years, when you are going to do something?' Inclusions been a hot topic in Europe as long as I've been doing museums, so having an 'innovative' inclusion conference in the US sort of rang of 'late to the party'.
Still, there were some amazing infinitives, not least of which is what Nina Simon is doing in Santa Cruz with their poor communities, the amazingly diverse work of the Amsterdam Museum, the hands-on (rather than tech-on) projects at the Science Gallery in Dublin, and just what you can do when someone gives you millions of dollars and says 'have at' (crop art, apparently).
I'm glad I went. I'm glad I got to spend time with some European compatriots, I'm glad I got to taste some lovely food, I'm glad I got to see Indianapolis, and I'm glad the conference was so well attended. I'm less glad that, unsurprisingly, there were a lot of problems raised, and not a lot of problem solving going on. Seems to be par for the course in the industry these days.
Showing posts with label conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conference. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Conferencing
Well, on Thursday I am off for my first ever solo road trip. I'm not going that far, in the grand scheme of things, but eight hours is further than I've driven on my own (and up until last January, further than I've ever driven even sharing with someone else). I'm headed to Indiana for MuseumNext, the first time this world-renown European conference has been held in the States. So that's exciting. It's an amazing conference, so I hope this US edition will be just as good.
But it means I'm going to have a whirlwind tour of Michigan/Ohio/Indiana. Two of those states I've never been to, so we'll cross those off the list. I'm sure I'll be exhausted, driving down Thursday, two days of jam-packed conferencing, and then back on Sunday. Then 6 straight days of 8 hour shifts at work.
So, life's fun right now. To think, I was almost bored a few weeks ago.
*laughs hysterically*
Further up and further in, my readers. This ECR thing is lots of fun.
But it means I'm going to have a whirlwind tour of Michigan/Ohio/Indiana. Two of those states I've never been to, so we'll cross those off the list. I'm sure I'll be exhausted, driving down Thursday, two days of jam-packed conferencing, and then back on Sunday. Then 6 straight days of 8 hour shifts at work.
So, life's fun right now. To think, I was almost bored a few weeks ago.
*laughs hysterically*
Further up and further in, my readers. This ECR thing is lots of fun.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
CMA Conference 2015 - Banff
This past week was the annual Canadian Museum Association conference. It usually teeters back and forth between eastern and western Canada, and as last year was here, this year they went west. To Banff. As you do. In Canada.
I haven't been out to Alberta in 21 years, so my memories are a little bit hazy. I remember mountains, which, really, is the important part.
I didn't go out with very high expectations, in all honesty. I know people who have been and, honestly, this particular conference has a bit of a reputation for being the ol' boys club. It sort of is, I don't dispute that, now having been. The big museums are much better represented than smaller ones, because the registration fee is so exorbitantly high. Yeah, it was a nice conference, but the panels and discussion are the important part and I feel that has sort of been lost in the drive to pick the Best Hotel Ever and throw money away on food. But maybe I'm just really old fashioned and think conferences should be about the conversations, not the scenery.
But Banff is beautiful. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is. And how friendly everyone is. I have never been somewhere (even PEI) where people smiled at you and said hello and were welcoming and helping all of the time. Genuinely. But then, they live in Banff, so how could they not be happy? I was certainly quite pleased the whole week, every time I looked outside. There are mountains, Gandalf! Mountains!
In terms of the conference itself, we started with a great workshop that really sort of evolved as it went along to suit that fact a lot of attendees were more behind than the organizers expected (or I hoped). But I think everyone got something useful out of it, and I know I was pleased with myself for actually opening my mouth and saying stuff (because it *was* on my topic). And the organizers were really welcoming of that, bless them. In fact, so welcoming we ended up having a bowling tournament that night (I lost).
Wednesday had some quite interesting talks, and some ones that gave me that gut wrenching feeling that Canada really doesn't understand the cultural industry at all. My understanding of my own country's industry developed over the week and in many cases I had eye opening experiences. Not all of which were pleasant. I was aware of several issues in the industry, but did not quite realize how ingrained they were. It doesn't make me particularly hopeful of change anytime soon, but we'll see. The point was that I met a lot of young people that felt the same way and want to make things different, but haven't figured out how to have an impact on a industry that won't even employ them (tell me about it).
But some positives came out of the event, not least Richard Sandell's talk (one of my favourites of his) that seemed to floor a lot of people in the audience, judging by the tweets. And a fantastic panel about diversity on the Thursday afternoon that just gave me warm fuzzy feelings that there are people in the industry trying to make it better and succeeding - on however small a scale. If they can do it, it can be done.
The food was great (mostly the food I ate outside the Fairmont - though the coffee breaks were good there), my hotel was lovely and the transportation network never let me down. The weather mostly cooperated too, which is always nice for April in the mountains (it snowed only the day I went to the springs, which is what I was hoping for). And the scenery was amazing. Truly spectacular. So much so, in fact, that on the way up to Banff from Calgary I cried. It might have had something to do with the epic music soundtrack I was listening to as well. But, for a week, I was really wonderfully happy. Until I returned to Ontario. Life hasn't been so great the last couple of days, but I've made a few decisions and things are going to change in the next couple of months. And hopefully, they will start to get better.
Because, if not, I'm moving to Alberta.
I haven't been out to Alberta in 21 years, so my memories are a little bit hazy. I remember mountains, which, really, is the important part.
I didn't go out with very high expectations, in all honesty. I know people who have been and, honestly, this particular conference has a bit of a reputation for being the ol' boys club. It sort of is, I don't dispute that, now having been. The big museums are much better represented than smaller ones, because the registration fee is so exorbitantly high. Yeah, it was a nice conference, but the panels and discussion are the important part and I feel that has sort of been lost in the drive to pick the Best Hotel Ever and throw money away on food. But maybe I'm just really old fashioned and think conferences should be about the conversations, not the scenery.
But Banff is beautiful. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is. And how friendly everyone is. I have never been somewhere (even PEI) where people smiled at you and said hello and were welcoming and helping all of the time. Genuinely. But then, they live in Banff, so how could they not be happy? I was certainly quite pleased the whole week, every time I looked outside. There are mountains, Gandalf! Mountains!
In terms of the conference itself, we started with a great workshop that really sort of evolved as it went along to suit that fact a lot of attendees were more behind than the organizers expected (or I hoped). But I think everyone got something useful out of it, and I know I was pleased with myself for actually opening my mouth and saying stuff (because it *was* on my topic). And the organizers were really welcoming of that, bless them. In fact, so welcoming we ended up having a bowling tournament that night (I lost).
Wednesday had some quite interesting talks, and some ones that gave me that gut wrenching feeling that Canada really doesn't understand the cultural industry at all. My understanding of my own country's industry developed over the week and in many cases I had eye opening experiences. Not all of which were pleasant. I was aware of several issues in the industry, but did not quite realize how ingrained they were. It doesn't make me particularly hopeful of change anytime soon, but we'll see. The point was that I met a lot of young people that felt the same way and want to make things different, but haven't figured out how to have an impact on a industry that won't even employ them (tell me about it).
But some positives came out of the event, not least Richard Sandell's talk (one of my favourites of his) that seemed to floor a lot of people in the audience, judging by the tweets. And a fantastic panel about diversity on the Thursday afternoon that just gave me warm fuzzy feelings that there are people in the industry trying to make it better and succeeding - on however small a scale. If they can do it, it can be done.
The food was great (mostly the food I ate outside the Fairmont - though the coffee breaks were good there), my hotel was lovely and the transportation network never let me down. The weather mostly cooperated too, which is always nice for April in the mountains (it snowed only the day I went to the springs, which is what I was hoping for). And the scenery was amazing. Truly spectacular. So much so, in fact, that on the way up to Banff from Calgary I cried. It might have had something to do with the epic music soundtrack I was listening to as well. But, for a week, I was really wonderfully happy. Until I returned to Ontario. Life hasn't been so great the last couple of days, but I've made a few decisions and things are going to change in the next couple of months. And hopefully, they will start to get better.
Because, if not, I'm moving to Alberta.
Monday, June 16, 2014
University Museums Group Conference
This one isn't really about writing.
A few weeks ago I got the sort of email in my inbox that typically makes me want to go 'crap' and hide in a corner until the anxiety attack wears off. However, as the email was from my supervisor, I instead wrote back and said 'yes' and then went 'crap' and hid in a corner. Priorities, I have them.
I spent a lot of the last couple of weeks going out of my way to stave off the brewing anxiety. I don't do presentations. I absolutely loath it. I am, borderline, phobic about public speaking. It just is not my thing. And that's okay, because rarely am I required to stand up at the front of a room and present. I can do meetings. I can chair meetings. I can talk in a group. I cannot stand in front of a conference and present. We all have our failings.
But when your supervisor emails you to say he's putting together a panel and are you available, you say yes. And then you freak out.
I could have done a very simple 'this is my research' presentation, but the supervisor already had a theme in mind and so I sort of ran with that and…kept on running. These things happen.
Anyways, I ended up delivering a rather provocative presentation (thankfully, not directed at any of the museums in attendance) that pretty much said 'you are all doing it wrong, do better'. And then people agreed with me. And started following me on Twitter and retweeting quotes from my presentation. And sending me emails to say they've been discussing it in the office today.
These sorts of things typically give me anxiety attacks. Thankfully, I have two deadlines next week so I don't have time to have an anxiety attack (or more than one). Which is excellent timing, all around.
I do know that my supervisor is very happy. And that my fellow panelists (who I trust) told me it was really good. And I did not have a fidget attack sitting at the front waiting for 30 minutes to speak. Baby steps. Baby steps. I may be getting the hang of this whole presenting thing, even if thinking about having to do one will probably give me an anxiety attack for a long time to come.
A few weeks ago I got the sort of email in my inbox that typically makes me want to go 'crap' and hide in a corner until the anxiety attack wears off. However, as the email was from my supervisor, I instead wrote back and said 'yes' and then went 'crap' and hid in a corner. Priorities, I have them.
I spent a lot of the last couple of weeks going out of my way to stave off the brewing anxiety. I don't do presentations. I absolutely loath it. I am, borderline, phobic about public speaking. It just is not my thing. And that's okay, because rarely am I required to stand up at the front of a room and present. I can do meetings. I can chair meetings. I can talk in a group. I cannot stand in front of a conference and present. We all have our failings.
But when your supervisor emails you to say he's putting together a panel and are you available, you say yes. And then you freak out.
I could have done a very simple 'this is my research' presentation, but the supervisor already had a theme in mind and so I sort of ran with that and…kept on running. These things happen.
Anyways, I ended up delivering a rather provocative presentation (thankfully, not directed at any of the museums in attendance) that pretty much said 'you are all doing it wrong, do better'. And then people agreed with me. And started following me on Twitter and retweeting quotes from my presentation. And sending me emails to say they've been discussing it in the office today.
These sorts of things typically give me anxiety attacks. Thankfully, I have two deadlines next week so I don't have time to have an anxiety attack (or more than one). Which is excellent timing, all around.
I do know that my supervisor is very happy. And that my fellow panelists (who I trust) told me it was really good. And I did not have a fidget attack sitting at the front waiting for 30 minutes to speak. Baby steps. Baby steps. I may be getting the hang of this whole presenting thing, even if thinking about having to do one will probably give me an anxiety attack for a long time to come.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Hindsgavl Slot
'Slot' means castle in Danish. 'Gavl' means gable. I haven't been able to figure out what 'hinds' means, but use some common sense and fill in the blank.
Hindsgavl, on the west edge of Funen is not really a castle. There used to be a castle there 1000 years ago, but when it was destroyed several centuries ago, what was built on the ruins was a manor house. However, it still retained it's title as 'castle'. It is the largest private estate in Denmark, though no longer owned by a family. Instead, it's a hotel and conference centre. And it's very grand.
Really, really, grand.
This is the front view, that faces the conference centre across the courtyard. The other side, that faces the water, is equally as grand.
The place includes enough grounds that I didn't get even half way around them in my hour walk, a massive conference hall that seats 600 people and room for more than 100 people at the hotel attached. The main house is mostly small meeting rooms and the various dinning rooms for guests.
Every quarter, DREAM meets here to exchange updates on their research projects, which means that they host a group of about 20 people at this place. Doesn't sound like much, but this 2-day event includes some of the best food I have ever eaten, lovely hotel rooms, beautiful scenery and meeting spaces and staff to wait upon your every whim. This is how the other half of academic departments live, apparently. I'm a little bit jealous, but equally as thrilled to have been invited to the meeting this year, since half of it was in Danish and therefore I could not participate. It meant two long walks along the edge of the sound (despite March, the two days were okay weather-wise), a lot of food and conversation and only a little bit of research. It made for a nice holiday.
It is a blessing in academia when you have an extended amount of time to get to know other academics who study other subjects. You can't really do this at the average conference, unless they are extended multi-day events with lots of social activities, and you certainly can't do it in your own department. But this quarterly event allows DREAM to do exactly that. We spent a lot of time talking about What TV Shows to Watch when we are finished our PhDs. And also What Museums to Visit in Denmark. And a lot of, Isn't This the Best Thing You've Ever Eaten? Basically, everything a research gathering amongst culturally inclined people should be. And I caught up with a few old friends too.
Unfortunately, it hasn't inspired me to write.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Adventure Awaits
18 days to go, which pretty much means I am through to the ‘can
I just go already?’ stage of anxiety. The problem with being so organised is
that I tend to me too organised and
thus I am packed and planned and ready to go. Unfortunately, the plane doesn’t
leave until the 30th. Or so my ticket says.
The good news is that I am over the sheer moments of terror
and onto the sheer moments of excitement (interspersed with the usual anxiety
attacks). I have rather a lot to distract me for the next two weeks, which is a
very good thing, I think. However, it also means I have rather a lot of work to
do before I leave and I’m running out of time to do it! Whoever said the good
things in life take forever to arrive got it wrong. I have no idea where the
last three and a half months have gone, much less the last twelve since I
started planning this crazy idea!
I’m still a bit worried (more than a bit) about my foot. The
injury seems to be mostly healed, but I’m terrified of reinjuring it again in
the first few days of really difficult climbing. I think if I can get through
those I’ll be okay, but if I do myself in then that’s it. It’s taken weeks to
be pain free this time, and I don’t have weeks to rest next time. Though I
know, in my heart, I’ll push on even in pain as long as I can. I don’t want to
leave Chantel on her own or miss out on the whole experience! I guess I face a potential
summer on crutches, but there are worse things.
Tomorrow I am off to Cambridge to either A) visit IWM
Duxford or B) visit the Fitzwilliam. Which one will depend on what the weather
does, as there is a significant chance of rain. Why do I always visit Cambridge
in the rain? On the upshot, it’s supposed to be mild and not windy, so so far I
am enjoying this year’s version of ‘Spring’. It’s so much better than winter
that I really don’t mind the rain at all. In Spain it’s 25* and sunny, which is
very, very bad for hiking, so I will enjoy the rain and cooler temps for now
before I face a daily battle against heat stroke. What fun that will be.
My field work is going along quite well and the worry that I
wouldn’t get everything done for that before the end of the month is gone. All
meetings have now been arranged and I should get them all finished next week.
Just a few more emails to send about summer field research and I’m on track for
June! If the other work was going as well I’d feel better, but one out of two
isn’t bad, right? The marking nightmare is over, at least, and the money is
very useful. Glad to not be dealing with the next round however, because as
interesting as this assignment was, marking it was mentally exhausting. All
good for the CV.
My big challenge before the end of this month is writing an
abstract proposal for the PhD conference. I have no idea what to do for it, but
I want the abstract to be good! I’ve got 17 days to figure something out. 250
words shouldn’t be that hard….but it is.
Lastly, the exciting news of the week is that I’m moving
Denmark for a term next year. I’m more than thrilled to have this finalised, as
it’s an excellent opportunity to study with the leader in my field of research
and to interact with PhD students in another country. Very much looking forward
to this and already I can’t wait until January!
Friday, December 2, 2011
New Adventures
This post may ramble around a bit; my apologies.
A week ago I attended the Museums on the Web 2011 day at the IWM in London. It was rather a last minute addition to my schedule, all told, because my supervisor was chairing the day. I find conference attendence awkward. I am not very good at networking (though I realise that is sort of the bread and butter of being a PhD student!) and find approaching groups of people to be a lesson in nerve-wracking terror. Blessedly, there were a few good friends attending! The downside of this was that I don't believe any of us really did much networking. At least I have put names to the faces of Twitterers I've followed for ages and I will feel less terrified about emailing them for assistance in the new year.
There were a variety of very good topics raised and some truely surprising presentations. The most startling for many was a presentation on the advanced level that photographic imaging has reached. I had no idea that a single picture could be 22GB worth of data in detail! It seems to be mostly art galleries that are going in for this level of image detailing, in order to make available works of art on their websites, which technology that allows for pin-point zooming on the works of the great masters. If I was still an art history student, I am certain I'd be bouncing in my seat in happiness. It is still amazing to me to realise how far technology is coming on a day-to-day basis.
The conference was also an opportunity to meet with a former MA collegue, who is assisting with the DREAM conference next May in Denmark. I desperately want to go (despite the high cost), and would welcome the opportunity that the pre-phd conference events would allow me. As my supervisor is once again chairing, I am hopeful something can be arranged. The conference, plus travel, plus accomodation would be a very large fee indeed and I'm certain it's not in my budget. A travel bursary will certainly be applied for!
I have began paper compilation. By which I mean, I am now trying to organise the pages and pages of notes I've taken over the last month into some semplance of useful order. It's not always easy, but I have a workable outline that will likely change on a continuous basis until I write the conclusion. It is due in four weeks, however, so next week I must definitely begin the writing process.
Work has been heavily interrupted due to lack of sleep. Finally, the residential services committee contacted those of use affected by the outside noise yesterday to explain the situation (after 4 weeks) and promise that it will be resolved by next weekend (which will make it 5 weeks since I've had a good night's rest). Of course, the matter of compensation was thrown around at the meeting last night, but it is a valid point. I hope I won't end up being the one to run a campaign again estate services, though. I don't have the time! Though I will happily flag wave my heart out. After this many weeks, after a week now of lost work, I would like something as an apology (besides a verbal 'yeah, we screwed up...sorry', which is what we got last night). I'm not hopeful, however.
Lastly, through much trial and error, the trip to Munich in the new year has been booked! I will be gone a week, able to see one of my cousin's home games and also tour museums to my heart's content. And there will be beer and food at the best tavern in the city. I am most excited and dearly wish I didn't have to wait until the end of January. But it will give me a light at the end of the tunnel for this paper and the research for the next one (easier, I hope!). I'm certain there will be a post about it all in February.
That's me for December. Look for an update in the new year with much Christmas holiday cheer attached!
A week ago I attended the Museums on the Web 2011 day at the IWM in London. It was rather a last minute addition to my schedule, all told, because my supervisor was chairing the day. I find conference attendence awkward. I am not very good at networking (though I realise that is sort of the bread and butter of being a PhD student!) and find approaching groups of people to be a lesson in nerve-wracking terror. Blessedly, there were a few good friends attending! The downside of this was that I don't believe any of us really did much networking. At least I have put names to the faces of Twitterers I've followed for ages and I will feel less terrified about emailing them for assistance in the new year.
There were a variety of very good topics raised and some truely surprising presentations. The most startling for many was a presentation on the advanced level that photographic imaging has reached. I had no idea that a single picture could be 22GB worth of data in detail! It seems to be mostly art galleries that are going in for this level of image detailing, in order to make available works of art on their websites, which technology that allows for pin-point zooming on the works of the great masters. If I was still an art history student, I am certain I'd be bouncing in my seat in happiness. It is still amazing to me to realise how far technology is coming on a day-to-day basis.
The conference was also an opportunity to meet with a former MA collegue, who is assisting with the DREAM conference next May in Denmark. I desperately want to go (despite the high cost), and would welcome the opportunity that the pre-phd conference events would allow me. As my supervisor is once again chairing, I am hopeful something can be arranged. The conference, plus travel, plus accomodation would be a very large fee indeed and I'm certain it's not in my budget. A travel bursary will certainly be applied for!
I have began paper compilation. By which I mean, I am now trying to organise the pages and pages of notes I've taken over the last month into some semplance of useful order. It's not always easy, but I have a workable outline that will likely change on a continuous basis until I write the conclusion. It is due in four weeks, however, so next week I must definitely begin the writing process.
Work has been heavily interrupted due to lack of sleep. Finally, the residential services committee contacted those of use affected by the outside noise yesterday to explain the situation (after 4 weeks) and promise that it will be resolved by next weekend (which will make it 5 weeks since I've had a good night's rest). Of course, the matter of compensation was thrown around at the meeting last night, but it is a valid point. I hope I won't end up being the one to run a campaign again estate services, though. I don't have the time! Though I will happily flag wave my heart out. After this many weeks, after a week now of lost work, I would like something as an apology (besides a verbal 'yeah, we screwed up...sorry', which is what we got last night). I'm not hopeful, however.
Lastly, through much trial and error, the trip to Munich in the new year has been booked! I will be gone a week, able to see one of my cousin's home games and also tour museums to my heart's content. And there will be beer and food at the best tavern in the city. I am most excited and dearly wish I didn't have to wait until the end of January. But it will give me a light at the end of the tunnel for this paper and the research for the next one (easier, I hope!). I'm certain there will be a post about it all in February.
That's me for December. Look for an update in the new year with much Christmas holiday cheer attached!
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