November 2017 Update

Alexis & Nick

St. Mary's Bay Academy

Touchstones

We finished the last two performances at St. Mary's Bay Academy and Macdonald Museum late this month. What a fantastic tour it has been! Touchstones was an interactive experience that encouraged the audience to ponder questions about confederation and Nova Scotia's role in the development of Canada. Team building activities enhanced the performance and created a fun learning environment for all. Together, we celebrated the last 150 years and the stories of artifacts from museums across the province. The audience learned more about who inhabited the land throughout the years and the impact of things like: politics, industry, manufacturing, transportation, and sport & how each of these factors shaped the province. We want to thank Harry Bruce for his text, "An Illustrated History of Nova Scotia." It provided wonderful context for the narrative.

And, finally, the audience was asked to consider the impact that their own lives have on the cultural framework of Nova Scotia. They are currently shaping the next 150 years! What will the future hold? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter for images & video footage of the show!

Thanks to the following museums and schools for hosting the performance:

Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum

Cape Breton Highlands Education Centre/Academy

Chestico Museum

Pugwash District High School

St. Mary's Bay Academy

Macdonald Museum 

A special thanks to our talented performers Alexis Milligan of Transitus & Nick Bottomley. As well as, Sean Skerry - graphic design, Lara Lewis - acknowledgment consultant, & Aaron Collier - sound design. And support from the 150 Forward Fund. This project would not have happened without your support and contributions.

Do you wish to view the top 150 artifacts that inspired the performance? Click here.

CollectiveAccess 

All SME reports have been sent out to sites outlining changes to marine artifacts, agricultural tools, and military insignia - check your inboxes!

There is now  289,471 artifacts documented with 151,745 associated images, which means that 185 new records and 2631 images have been added to CollectiveAccess this month - great work!

Here's what the numbers look like at the regional level:

Southwest -   126736 artifacts, 61406 images     

Central -  100146 artifacts, 42600 images      

Northeast -  33115 artifacts, 33016 images          

Cape Breton -  29474 artifacts, 14723 images

Congratulations to the Northeast region for adding 2061 images this month!

Tip of the Month

Sled (X.229) - Whitney Pier Historical
 Society Museum

Unsure how to photograph large, bulky items? Have you considered borrowing the photo kit? Lighting and backdrops included! Perfect for textiles, furniture, and more. Clear a work space in your museum to document larger items. Closed for the winter? Consider using space in your exhibit room if it offers more space and better lighting. Be creative! Slots for the photo kit are starting to fill up - reach out to me for availability! The photo kit is available for a three week period and must be picked up and dropped off at the ANSM office.

Contributor Galleries 
Exciting news! The myNovaMuse gallery feature is ready for Advisory Service sites on NovaMuse! Please check your emails for usernames and passwords. Want to learn how to create your first gallery of artifacts? - click here.

It's easy! 1) choose a theme for your gallery 2) name your gallery 3) add a description 4) add related items to your gallery

Example topics:
1) are there unknown individuals in photographs in your collection? Group them together in a gallery & ask the public to help identify unfamiliar faces
2) celebrate local manufacturing - group together artifacts from your area that are linked to the Made In Nova Scotia database
3) holiday coming up? Why not create a festive gallery! Check out the NovaMuse 'Tis the Season gallery for inspiration.

Your picks will show in Contributor Galleries under Featured Galleries on NovaMuse. The name of your museum will also be listed. Have fun creating and sharing content! The winter months are a perfect time to build an online presence for your museum. Share the link to the Featured Galleries page once you begin to add content. Use your social media platforms to let your audience know about your work!

We encourage you to leave comments & explore other galleries as well.

Spread the word! Do you have friends that would like to participate? They can register as a general user and create User Galleries.

Workshops

Museum Management & Governance

The Museum Management and Governance Course was offered on November 2nd-3rd at Scott Manor House. Thanks to our presenters Barbara Richman & Leah Hamilton.

We partnered with CCI for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Cultural Institutions on November 8th-9th at the Nova Scotia Archives. Thanks to our presenters Irene Karsten & Alicia Ghadban.

Emergency & Disaster Preparedness
for Cultural Institutions

In Other News:

The ANSM Office will be closed for the holidays from December 18th-January 2nd.