Abstract
Over the last 30 years, Canadian museums have been increasingly encouraged to develop community engagement frameworks to democratize the museum space. As primary contact zones for history, culture, and public learning, museums seem well-suited to achieve these goals. But is this actually the case? In this paper, I present my research and experience in community museums in Southern Ontario and their employment of community-based practices in their collections strategies, programs, and exhibitions. I draw on my research based around an oral history project carried out at a small, local museum in Southern Ontario which resulted in an exhibition. I propose new frameworks and methodologies for better understanding where museums are situated in the CBR landscape and how they are valuable forum spaces to challenge and negotiate community engagement. Since I focus on a municipal museum, I discuss where municipal museums fit into broader goals of community development and partnerships and how these local institutions continue to negotiate and employ grassroots methods to find new and unique ways to engage the public through topics of memory, heritage, and history. Many of these small institutions become close contact zones for intense social work with ageing communities, at risk youth, and much more. Through my research I work to position museums as spaces for community work and highlight their ongoing value to CBR.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—The Future of Museum Narratives
KEYWORDS
Canadian Museums, Community Museums, Heritage, Community-based Research, Nationalist Frameworks
