Arts-based Workshops
Arts-based Workshops
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Collage created by volunteers and staff of the Camrose and District Centennial Museum during an arts-based workshop led by Mary Pinkoski.
About the Workshops: Collaborations with Museum Staff and Volunteers
About the Workshops: Collaborations with Museum Staff and Volunteers
Arts-based workshops, led by scholar, educator, and poet Mary Pinkoski are part of the research for the Unsettling Pioneer Museums in Alberta project. Staff, volunteers, and stakeholders at each collaborating museum participated in creative activities developed and guided by Pinkoski, who was assisted by other team members. The goal of the workshops was to invite people to think creatively about the stories that their small-town museums tell, particularly about early settlement and community building, and to work together to imagine ways to enrich or change those narratives.
The workshops involved up to fifteen participants and lasted about two hours. An experienced facilitator, Pinkoski used guided reflection questions that prompted participants to generate poems and collages aimed at redefining the idea of “the pioneer” or “the settler.” Creative arts-based methods produce multifaceted knowledge moving beyond strictly cognitive-rational ways of knowing to access lived experience (Vaart, Hoven, and Huigen 2018). Such inclusive methods both undermine hierarchies and promote participation. Participants’ discussions contributed to a better understanding of the narratives and challenges at small museums in Alberta – and their ideas contributed to the development of strategies for unsettling pioneer museums.
The outcomes of the workshops, including sensory poetry, found poems (from exhibition labels), collage and conversation, were documented and became part of the research outcomes, adding depth to our ongoing, collaborative study of small museums in Alberta. These outcomes will be shared to assist other museum workers and volunteers in small pioneer or community museums to examine the stories their museums tell, and consider ways to change them.
Use the resources below to host your own workshop and unsettle your museum.
Do-It-Yourself Workshop: Unsettle Your Museum (6 activities)
Do-It-Yourself Workshop: Unsettle Your Museum (6 activities)
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