2016 Coquitlam Heritage Symposium REPORT

Transcription

1 2016 Coquitlam Heritage Symposium REPORT Tim Willis Consulting I July 27,

2 Contents 1. About the Symposium 2. Overview of Symposium proceedings 3. Key Findings 4. Recommendations Appendices: Symposium Agenda About the Presenters The Key Question Activity Key Question Activity: Participant Responses Images from the Symposium 2

3 1. About the Symposium On the occasion of Coquitlam s 125 th anniversary year, the Coquitlam Heritage Society organized and hosted a one-day heritage symposium on April 16, 2016 at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. The purpose was to bring together interested parties [heritage organizations, local government representatives and others] to explore possibilities for heritage and create momentum for heritage development In Coquitlam. Roughly 120 people participated in the event. They came from a diverse group of heritage related organizations from Coquitlam and the Lower Mainland region including Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Langley, Surrey and Vancouver. The Symposium was comprised four expert presentations exploring the nature of heritage interpretation and preservation. The presentations aimed to stretch and stimulate ideas and conversation about the challenges and opportunities that Coquitlam faces. Lively conversation was encouraged throughout. In particular, the last portion of the session was devoted to a participant driven exercise considering five key questions. The key findings from that session can be found on page X. Acknowledgments A number of people and organizations generously supported this event: - The City of Coquitlam - Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam - The BC Museums Association - Pasto Polo, Coquitlam 3

4 2. Overview of Symposium proceedings The Symposium had two parts: a series of four presentations, and a facilitated discussion focused around five key questions. The presentations: Why is Heritage more important than ever before? Tim Willis, former head of visitor experience at the Royal Alberta Museum and Royal BC Museum, took the audience around the world [virtually] to explore why more people participate in heritage programming than ever before in history. The presentation explored new models of heritage programming and in particular the changing nature of the museum visitor relationship. From the Heart: Engaging Community and Interpreting What Matters Dr. Candace Matelic brings three decades of leadership experience in museums + cultural organizations to her current consulting, teaching, speaking, writing, and community volunteering. Museums and Heritage: Inspiring British Columbia Theresa Mackay is the Executive Director of the BC Museums Association, having previously started her museum career as Executive Manager at the Royal BC Museum. Preserving our Community Stories Emily Lonie is the founder of the City of Coquitlam Archives. As City Archivist, Emily has built from the ground up - a full-service archival program that caters to the needs of the city s officials and staff, and the Coquitlam community. Emily talked about the founding of the archives and the kinds of programs it offers to encourage the citizens of Coquitlam to use its resources. As an additional treat, Stephen Carter read his poem, entitled Coquitlam Calls. In the afternoon, the focus shifted to discussion of issues and possibilities facing the community with regard to heritage. The discussion took the form of a facilitated conversation. Audience was asked to focus [though not exclusively] on five key questions. See Appendix 3 for a description of how the discussion was organized. 4

5 3. Key Findings The Symposium participants were thoroughly engaged with each question. A complete record of responses is found in Appendix 4. All responses were reviewed for particular patterns and emphasis. We found many recurring themes and ideas. The following are the most mentioned responses [the number in brackets is the number of times this idea was mentioned]: 1. Imagine the future of heritage programming in Coquitlam. What do you think it should include? A museum with exhibitions [14] Accessibility for a people of diverse backgrounds, languages and abilities [4] Connection with grassroots groups [4] First Nations heritage [4] Digital information, presentations, records [4] Interactive activities [4] Making heritage come alive [4] 2. Thinking about heritage in Coquitlam, what do you think should be a priority? First Nations heritage [7] Riverview [7] Stand alone interactive facility [7] Museum [6] 5

6 Public engagement [4] Built history preservation [4] 3. What stories are critical for Coquitlam? First Nations [21] Fraser Mills [10] Mental Health/Riverview [7] History of Industry [6] Francophone [4] Chinese [4] Indian [4] 4. Why is it important to focus on heritage in Coquitlam? Pride [7] Attachment leads to belonging [6] Heritage is a part of life and a part of identity [6] If you lose it, it s gone [6] Sense of belonging and unity [6] 5. How can we strengthen Coquitlam s identity through heritage? A museum [4] City and community engagement [3] Continue telling stories [3] 6

7 Educate the public [3] Go beyond current stakeholders [3] More links to community groups and different demographics [3] 6. Do you have any other ideas or suggestions? 54 ideas were suggested. All are different, though there were some threads of commonality: Need more opportunities for collaboration - like this Symposium Strong support for the Strategic Heritage Plan; need to take action on its recommendations Need to widen the net to include new and diverse groups in this conversation Need partnership to flourish with other cultural organizations [like arts and theatre groups] 7

8 4. Recommendations Following on the success of the Symposium, and drawing from the input of the Symposium participants, three key recommendations are offered for consideration: 1. A Heritage Centre for Coquitlam Draw a stakeholder group together to explore what a Heritage Centre for Coquitlam might look like. Many Symposium participants spoke in support of building a museum for Coquitlam. In the 21 st century, museums and heritage centres come in many forms interpretive centre, community meeting place, exploration and discovery centre, and many other models. The challenge for the heritage community is to discover which model will serve this particular community best. 2. Strengthening the Heritage Network Build on the momentum of the Symposium by creating more opportunities for heritage partners to meet, share, and work together. Certainly a forum such as this Symposium works very effectively in creating a sense of community and shared vision. The organization may want to consider making the Symposium an annual event like this. 3. Increase Heritage Programming Across the Community Symposium participants, most likely those from the Coquitlam area, recognize a need for increased programming outside of Mackin House and across the community. Specifically programming that reaches new, diverse and underserved audiences. Increased programming should be undertaken as soon as can be possible, without waiting for the establishment of a heritage centre in Coquitlam. 4. Recognizing Diversity Seek opportunities for collaboration with a wider range of cultural communities. While the Symposium was a success, participants noted that key cultural communities were not well represented. Certainly, future programming including the creation of a Heritage Centre should be developed with multicultural groups as key participants. 8

9 Appendices Appendix 1: Symposium Agenda 9:00 Opening & Welcome Reg Wilford Executive Director, Coquitlam heritage Society Hazel Postma Board Chair, Coquitlam Heritage Society Fred Hubert - Kwikwetlem First Nations Welcome (unable to attend) Mayor Richard Stewart Mayor of Coquitlam 9:20 Why is heritage more important than ever? Tim Willis 10:15 Break 10:30 From the Heart: Engaging Community and Interpreting What Matters Dr. Candace Matelic 11:40 Poetry Reading Stephen Carter 11:45 Lunch 12:15 Museums and Heritage: Inspiring British Columbia Theresa Mackay 1:15 Preserving our Community Stories Emily Lonie 2:00 Introduce Activity + Break 2:15 Workshop Activity 3:00 Wrap-up 9

10 Appendix 2: About the Presenters Tim Willis Tim Willis is one of Canada s most experienced museum professionals. He has led the visitor experience departments of two significant Canadian museums and directed the development of more than 100 museum exhibition and gallery projects. Tim grew up in lovely town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. With a passion for historic architecture, he attended the University of Wales in Cardiff and graduated with degrees in Environmental Design and Architecture. After moving to Canada, Tim worked in private practice with commissions to plan several of Alberta s heritage interpretive centers including Head- Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. In the late 1980s, Tim joined the Royal Alberta Museum as head of Exhibitions and Marketing. Under Tim s leadership, the Royal Alberta Museum developed one of the most active exhibition programs in Canada. From 2001 to 2006, Tim led the development of a new visitor experience - part of the Royal Alberta Museum s $180 million renewal project. In 2006 accepted the position of Director of Exhibitions and Visitor Experience at the Royal BC Museum. His work there focused on the creation of a long-term vision for exhibitions and the entire visitor experience. In 2013, Tim left the Royal BC Museum to pursue life in private practice. His particular focus is in helping museums to strategically shape their visitor experience. He is a senior associate with Storyline Studio in Seattle. He also teaches exhibition design and interpretive planning at the University of Victoria. Dr. Candace Tangorra Metelic Candace Matelic brings three decades of leadership experience in museums, cultural organizations to her current consulting, teaching, 10

11 speaking, writing, museum director positions, and community volunteering. Candace holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies, a MA in History Museum Studies, and a BFA. She directed a Center for Contemporary Arts and a Children's Museum (both in Santa Fe), two National Historic Landmarks sites and served as a programming department head at The Henry Ford Museum and Iowa Living History Farms. She held a tenured full Professorship for ten years and directed one of the top professional training programs in the museum/heritage field. She has raised over 7 million dollars for these organizations throughout her career. Candace has presented at over 100 conferences in North America and Europe. Publications include two co-authored books, 30+ articles or chapters, and an interpretive planning video, most recently articles on community engagement, organizational transformation, and social entrepreneurship. Theresa Mackay Theresa is Executive Director of the BC Museums Association, having previously started her museum career as Executive at the Royal BC Museum. She is Associate Faculty in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Royal Roads University; and runs Larchgrove Marketing Group, a tourism consulting company for people and projects with Scotland in their soul. She is completing her Master of Letters in Scottish history through the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. A sought-after radio and television guest, Theresa was most recently featured on the Louisiana radio show, Under the Tartan Sky, on the topic of ancestral tourism. An accomplished writer on the topics of Scottish heritage, culture and history, Theresa blogs for LiveLoveScotland and recently wrote a series for History Scotland magazine in the UK. Emily Lonie after completing a Masters of Public History, Emily s archival career began in 2007 when she was recruited by Library and Archives Canada as a Government Records Archivist in charge of the federal transportation portfolio. After four years in the federal public service, she 11

12 relocated to the Lower Mainland and made the switch to municipal government. Emily Lonie Emily Lonie is the founder of the City of Coquitlam Archives. As City Archivist, Emily has built a full-service archival program that caters to the needs of the city s officials and staff, and the Coquitlam community. Emily is also active in the regional, provincial, and national archival communities. She recently established the Lower Mainland Municipal Archivists Forum, which provides an opportunity for municipal archivists to share best practices and explore collaborative opportunities. She is the current President of the Archives Association of British Columbia (AABC) and previously served as Vice-President and Regional Representative. 12

13 Appendix 3: The Key Question Activity The audience members were asked to reflect for 20 minutes - on 5 key questions concerning heritage in Coquitlam [they received a pre-printed response sheet with the questions]: Imagine the future of heritage programming in Coquitlam. What do you think it should include? Thinking about heritage in Coquitlam, what do you think should be a priority? What stories are critical for Coquitlam? Why is it important to focus on heritage in Coquitlam? How can we strengthen Coquitlam s identity through heritage? And [an open-ended question] Do you have any other ideas or suggestions? Then, the activity proceeded as follows: Each table had a pre-assigned facilitator. The groups had around 30 minutes for a facilitated discussion around the key questions. The facilitator made notes of common threads and promising ideas. The MC then called on each table facilitator, in turn to report back to everyone on their table s discussion highlights. At the close of the Symposium participants were encouraged to complete their Key Question sheet. All Key Question sheets were collected. All comments were recorded and appear in Appendix 4: Participant Responses to the Key Questions. 13

14 Appendix 4: Participant Responses to the Key Questions See separate document, Responses. This document provides a consolidated list of responses by all participants at the symposium. Each question is on a separate sheet. In the case, where the same [or very similar] response was given, it was noted in the right hand column. Appendix 5: Images from the Symposium 14

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