This week over on Activehistory.ca we are sharing the Material Culture Theme week I had the joy of editing. This week brings together folks who work with material culture both inside and outside academia. The week is filled with posts on textiles, learning with material culture, family connections to making, and cultural meaning attached to … Continue reading Material Culture Theme Week
Another textile post. I know, I know. But I am finding a lot of joy in thinking about the ways in textiles intersect with history. I'm working on a project that has me re-purposing old fabrics. This has included working with everything from old shirts to off cuts from sewing projects to found fabric household … Continue reading Finding Memories in Textiles
Active History is organizing a 2020 theme week around material culture. Modeled after the 2019 Museum Theme Week (http://activehistory.ca/museum-theme-week/) this series aims to expand the conversation about material culture and highlight the work of those studying the materiality of the past. We welcome contributions from academics, public historians, museum professionals, makers, community practitioners, and anyone … Continue reading Material Culture Theme Week
I am delighted to share that I was the keynote at the Tri-University Annual History Conference on March 9, 2019 in Guelph. The theme for this year's conference was "In Small and Large Things Remembered’: Material Culture and History.” My talk, "Remaking Narratives: Community Archives and Residential School Photographs" focused on the the development of a … Continue reading Tri-University Annual History Conference Keynote
ROM. Photo Credit: It_ParisI grew up in a rural community that is within commuting distance to Toronto. Despite this proximity and my love for museums I never visited the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) while living there. Last week while visiting family in the area I took the opportunity to explore the ROM for the first … Continue reading Exploring History at the Royal Ontario Museum
Who else has a relative who collects spoons? In many instances these relatives tend to be older, female, and the spoons tend to be hanging in a wooden/glass display case of some sort. My mother, grandmother and a number of aunts all collected spoons at one point or another. Theses spoons were often purchased while away … Continue reading Family Heirlooms: From Cutlery to Adornments
December 20th's #reverb10 prompt:Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)In 2010 I have avoided dedicating more time to reading academic writing relevant to my field. The majority of the material I have read … Continue reading Heritage reading