Canada

Of Trip Advisor’s 2016 Top 10 Museums in Canada list, half are former projects of Lord Cultural Resources! Make sure you add these museums and galleries to your travel to-do list:

1. Royal BC Museum

2. Royal Ontario Museum – Learn more

6. Museum of Anthropology – Learn more

7. The Art Gallery of Ontario

10. National Gallery of Canada – Learn more

Photos (left to right): Adam Jones, Ph.D./Wikimedia; City of Toronto/Flickr; jmv / Flickr; JOH_7977/Wikimedia; Tullia/Wikimedia.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (learn more) was the runner-up on USA Today’s 10 Best – Readers’ Choice 2017 list of Best Attractions in Canada.

Other attractions nominated for the title included Lord projects Parliament Hill and Green Gables Heritage Place (learn more).

Click here to learn about more of our Canadian projects.

Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Flickr.

United States

Of the top 25 museums on Trip Advisor’s 2016 Travellers’ Choice list, Lord Cultural Resources is proud to have worked with 8. When travelling in the United States, be sure to check out:

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

2. The Art Institute of Chicago – Learn more

3. The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum – Learn more

4. The National WWII Museum – Learn more

15. Museum of Science and Industry

17. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

21. National Civil Rights Museum- Lorraine Motel – Learn more

24. Newseum

Photos, top (left to right): WestportWiki/Wikimedia; Phil Roeder/Flickr; Dave Z/Wikimedia; KLaRock/Wikimedia; bottom (left to right): Daderot/Wikimedia; Céline/Wikimedia; Adam Jones, Ph.D./Wikimedia; AgnosticPreachersKid/Wikimedia.

Click here to learn about more of our American projects.

Each year ICOM selects a socially relevant theme for International Museum Day. The theme for 2017 was “Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums.”  Museums and other cultural institutions are meeting places, places where people can reconcile over often contested histories and work together toward a better, shared future.

Having worked on over 2,300 projects, we have helped museums tell many stories. We asked our team what the theme means to them. Here’s what they said:

Kathleen Brown, COO

“What I think of immediately is that museums aren’t always great at expressing their impact to society. What is unspoken is their value, generally. One institution that is ‘walking the walk’ is the California Academy of Sciences. They not only model sustainability but they advocate for it and look at the impact it has on society. They were the first LEED Platinum certified natural history museum of the 21st century.”

Kevin Valbonesi, Communications Coordinator 

“To me, it means discussing what can be learned from history – especially the ugly bits – without fear of judgment or reprisals. The Canadian Museum of Humans Rights gives us space to reflect on some of humanity’s worst moments and their causes. With that knowledge, we can better avoid repeating those mistakes in the future.”

Sarah Hill, Senior Consultant

“As Canada celebrates its 150th year, there has been much discussion around the theme of reconciliation and the role that our museums and heritage sites can play in helping these communities to heal. What I’ve learned is that it is up to the Indigenous community and those people who have history in those places to decide. It is our role as cultural and museum leaders to help start the discussion. I have been privileged to be part of a great project team at Assiniboine Park Conservancy in Winnipeg, working with the Indigenous community as we move forward with our plans for Canada’s Diversity Gardens. ”

Mira Ovanin, Executive Assistant

“Museums are safe places where these issues can be discussed because people trust them more than any other medium of communication.”

Dr. Brad King, Vice President

“With regard to contested histories, museums have to provide opportunities for visitors to connect not only to these historic narratives but to relate around current events.”

Javier Jimenez, Director, Europe

“This year’s IMD Theme consolidates the trend from “hard power” to “soft power” in museums. From the authoritative voice, to multiple voices. If museums are open to the unspeakable and to the contested, it means visitors are empowered to bring and share their stories, their own views, no matter how different these may be from an official standpoint. This is to be celebrated and encouraged.”

Natalie Bornstein, Research Consultant

“When I read the theme for this year, I specifically thought of the Neues Museum in Berlin. The museum was heavily damaged during WW2 and was later restored by David Chipperfield. It reopened in 2009 and houses the Egyptian and Pre-History and Early History collections, the Papyrus Collection and parts of the antiquities collection as it did before the war. While walking amongst some of the most famous Egyptian artifacts, objects I have wanted to see for some time, I could not stop looking at the building itself and Chipperfield’s work. The intentionally preserved, partly destroyed interior reflects on what was lost.”

The American Alliance of Museums identified the need to strengthen board governance as a priority, and at the annual meeting in May presented the findings of the Museum Board Leadership 2017: A National Report study. The report explores and identifies issues and priorities for consideration as museums seek to move forward in challenging times.

Kathleen Brown (COO, Lord Cultural Resources) and Alex Zwissler (Principal, Einstellung Labs), both experienced in working with boards and managing the board-staff relationship, had a conversation to share insights.

AZ

There’s an issue that I’ve been chewing on for the last few years that I’d love your take on.  In essence, what’s the deal with non-profit Boards? I ask from the perspective that there is often quite a bit of frustration with them, both on the part of CEO/Executive Directors and that of board members themselves. Issues range from too much micromanagement to not enough oversight; from insufficient support for development to spending too much time on pet projects, and so on.

What is fascinating is that these are not new challenges, but have been with us for a long time… What gives? Why do you think these issues are so persistent, and more importantly, do you think there really are any good solutions?

Boards of all sizes and means can grind to a halt if their challenges go unaddressed.

KB

There seems to be a long-standing tension between staff leadership and boards of public benefit organizations – at Lord, we see this in our work with some frequency. As is true for many organizational tensions, overall, I suggest that communication and aligned expectations are key to successful board-staff relations.

A contributing factor is the nature of the public benefit organization/non-profit – they operate with a currency of trust and community-based social capital. Boards select their membership from a “pool” of constituents or community representatives – those who benefit from the organization’s services or programs and/or those who substantially contribute to the deployment of those services – or those community connectors or “influencers” who facilitate access to social capital. Many of these representatives may have had limited board experience and don’t really know what is appropriately expected from them. Or, they may have served on other boards where “bad” board habits were not called out or corrected, perpetuating a cycle of dysfunction.

You’ve also been on both sides of this divide — what’s you’re take on the issues and solutions?

AZ

I generally agree with your diagnosis. As to causes of the often-dysfunctional relationship, I’d add a few more before we pivot to solutions. Frankly, one that needs to be called out is questioning the reason folks join boards in the first place.

We often see individuals doing so more because it looks good on a LinkedIn profile than out of commitment to the cause they are there nominally to support.   Then there are the social drivers, where Boards are constituted essentially of a group of friends. Both of these situations can be generally fine, so long as the institution is just plugging along… The challenge arises when times of stress or crisis arise. Finally, I’d add that we also often see CEO/ED’s that are somewhat unhappy about their Boards, but seem unwilling to take sufficient accountability for that unhappiness. I could go on, but you get the point.

KB

Most non-profit boards do not invest in a holistic process of “board development” from start to finish – and by this, I mean strategic identification, recruitment and selection of prospective board members; careful onboarding and orientation of new board members; and ongoing board education for current board members. The principles and tenets of good board governance practice are widely available – BoardSource, for example is loaded with great advice, learning materials and tools – but too seldom are these processes enacted and followed through in the non-profit board environment. Note that each of these activities, appropriately applied, result in clearer communications and expectation management.

I believe that investing in the time and resources it takes to “train up” a board are well worth it and will pay off in the long run. But first, the board has to become aware that there are ways to improve AND that they need to do better. And that’s where it can be very valuable to utilize outside expertise and consultants.

AZ

Frankly I’m inclined to agree. I had started to think that there may be some structural failures in how non-profit Boards are constituted, but in reality, the challenge of one of execution. As I look at the most successful Boards, and therefore, no surprise, the most successful non-profits, they are all extremely serious and rigorous in their consistent application of the holistic Board development process you outline above. In addition, they hold themselves highly accountable. But as you say, if they are not prepared to recognize the need for their own development and growth, they can get stuck. Good thing there are clever folks like us out there to help, right?

If you are looking to make some change in your organization, both Lord Cultural Resources and Einstellung Labs can help you out. Organizations succeed when they plan. Lord can work with you to develop a clear roadmap which will serve you for years to come. We focus on specific goals, measurable objectives, and tasks that will inspire people within your organization to work toward a common vision.

The Museum of the American Revolution opened on April 19^th, 2017. This was a long-awaited opening, and the celebration was porportionate to the anticipation. Philadelphia transformed itself for a day; it opened a window onto the long-gone days of its Revolutionary era. Men in bi-corn hats and impeccable 18^th century uniforms marched in unison to fifes and drums while cameras streamed scenes familiar to Franklin and Hamilton to the rest of our 21^st century world.

In telling the story of the American Revolution, we tend to talk about its great figures, its heroes; the opening had its fair share of inspiring American leaders. Many fine speeches were given. But the speeches did not just recount the ‘great epic stories’ of the American Revolution, such as George Washington crossing the Delaware or the Boston Tea Party, they also touched on the lesser-known but just as important personalities involved, such as Esther Reed, who noted political correspondent Cokie Roberts spoke of raising funds for Washington’s troops. These integral and not as well-known stories are what the Museum features in dynamic displays.

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to an excited crowd.

Two lucky Lord team members were able to attend the opening ceremonies, and enter the Museum when its doors finally opened. Natalie Bornstein describes the experience:

The atmosphere was buzzing with energy and excitement after the many inspiring speeches and rousing performances by Hamilton original cast member, Sydney Harcourt and students from The Philadelphia High School for Creative & Performing Arts. I was eager to get inside. With a resounding huzzah the ribbon was cut and visitors such as myself proceeded inside and up the impressive grand staircase.

Making it up the grand staircase was certainly worth it!

The opening of the Museum of the American Revolution was everything anyone could have asked for. Lord Cultural Resources first began work with the Museum back in 2004, providing Operational Planning and Facilities Planning services. We were welcomed back in varying roles and capacities over a seven-year period as the project matured. To learn more about our work on the Museum, visit our website.

From everyone at Lord Cultural Resources, we wish the team at the Museum of the American Revolution all the best. Congratulations on your long-awaited opening! Many of us on the Lord team are looking forward to seeing everything this museum has to offer; Natalie certainly is. “I look forward to visiting the museum again soon with family!”

The Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers experiment with architecture certainly doesn’t look like your classic institution of the arts, but then, that’s the genius. The works housed in the Centre Pompidou are anything but classical. So much of modern and contemporary art is about deconstructing and exposing the means of production, and bringing the eccentricity of the artist to the forefront. The pipes-and-all approach to the building’s design has been as effective at sparking discussion as the exhibitions its hosted over its 40-year history.

It was just shy of 50 years ago when the idea for the Centre first came to French President George Pompidou. Paris was in need of an all-in-one cultural centre. As George put it, the city needed “a cultural centre that was both a museum and centre of creation, where the visual arts would mingle with music, film and books.” So, the brief went out to the world. An architectural competition was set up, and it brought in hundreds of designs from across the world. In the end, the winning design was one that even its creators considered a long shot. In 1977, the Centre was inaugurated, and people started flooding in, carried up to the various galleries by the building’s most striking feature: an escalator affectionately named “the caterpillar.”

Since 1977, the Centre Pompidou has been the site of many excellent exhibitions. It has helped to bring modern and contemporary art to people all around the world, and I’m not just talking about tourists. There have been many successful exhibitions which started at the Centre and hit the road after. In 2005, Lord Cultural Resources helped with logistical and technical supervision of one travelling exhibition including insurance and transport issues, and assisting each venue with the installation and de-installation of the exhibition. The exhibition traveled until early 2009 to locations including: the Fine Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan; Miami Art Central; Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne; Museo do Chiado, Lisbon, Portugal; Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre, Cyprus; and Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii.

In 2017, to celebrate the 40th anniversary, preparations will be made for a major renovation of the Centre Pompidou. It’s a big job, coming in at around €100m. Die-hard lovers of the museum’s architecture can rest assured that the look will remain intact. Even for a guy like me, who loves his Corinthian columns and sculptural friezes, the open-and-out-there design of the museum is just too good to tamper with.

The unmistakable building certainly worked its charms on me two year ago. I was quick to enter and explore. I had to see if the building’s inside was as eccentric as the exterior. I also had a little too much fun going up and down the caterpillar. I may not always go for contemporary art, but I will always go to the Centre Pompidou if I’m in Paris. It might be time to check ticket prices…

Another striking addition to the National Mall

I finally saw the phenomenal National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the way that it is designed to be experienced—with time to stroll and take it all in. And it is truly magnificent. Very well done.

Evidence of the work that we did with the NMAAHC team almost ten years ago, is clear throughout the galleries but especially in the subterranean history galleries. I’m only talking history galleries here; it’s too difficult to sum up 300,000 SF and 400 years in one blog post. In these spaces, I was reminded many times of the words of the thousands of individuals with whom we spoke about the purpose of the museum. In one of our final reports, founding director Lonnie Bunch wrote that the museum must:

“Help Americans remember, and by remembering stimulate a dialogue about race, and help to foster a spirit of reconciliation and healing. To be a beacon for the nation that reminds us of what we were, what challenges we still face, and to point us toward what we can become.”

Tell the truth and think globally—the history galleries start in an elevator where you simultaneously descend down and back in time to the 1400s. You disembark into various African countries and quickly load onto a Portuguese slave vessel bound for what is now Brazil. The exhibits use multi-disciplinary tactics like science – NMAAHC is actively working with marine biologist to unearth the remains of this and other slave vessels from the sea floor) and the math or economics of enslavement – illustrating how the foundations of the US economy and prosperity were and are based on free labor.

You emerge from the low-ceiling of the slave ship experience into the Declaration of Independence. This was truly awe-inspiring. The exhibition design by Ralph Appelbaum Associates takes the experience far beyond a stroll through a museum – this is an emotional journey. This 3-story wall stretches up and you feel as if you’re entering hope. The people were stolen from their land, taken to a new place and now there has been a war (American Revolution). Surely there will be change. Freedom. It’s very much about feeling. There are quotes on the wall, a few statues of notable African Americans of the time. This is where you breathe.

The emotions you experience as you move through the museum create a link between you and those who came before you. Throughout the history spaces you experience the same HOPE and desolation. It’s like being on a roller-coaster. Maybe this time, we’ll truly be free. Equal. It is impossible not to liken it to the feelings many of us have experienced in the political turmoil of 2016.

Congressman John Lewis talking about history that he experienced.

The Emmett Till coffin and gallery have been spoken of many times and there is a reason. The 14-year old was lynched in Money, Mississippi in 1955 for disrespecting a white woman in a store. The story is told from the perspective of his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, who insisted that the funeral be open-casket saying, “let them see what they did to my baby”. Yet again, it was impossible for me not to connect this story to one in the present day, that of Tamir Rice, a 12-year old shot in Cleveland in 2015 less than 2 seconds after a policeman thought he saw him on the playground with a gun. As the mother of a black boy, this is where I broke.

But there is plenty of celebration of the high points and commemoration throughout the museum but none more so than in the civil rights portion of the galleries. Yet again, here the museum shines; it lifts you up. I couldn’t help but follow Congressman John Lewis as he walked through the galleries telling us what was happening in the images. It was inspiring because he was there. History came alive.

NMAAHC does not disappoint. It is effective because it is undeniable that these things happened…and that they happened in America. It is now in stone—or rather aluminum. That is the hope, that maybe by showing what African Americans have gone through, achieved and are doing, there will be respect. Hope springs eternal.

The echo chamber has taken something of a battering in recent weeks. Much has been said, on both sides of the Atlantic, about the risk of limited, partisan understandings. The risk of surrounding ourselves, in-person and online, with those who share and affirm our beliefs. Ultimately, millions have been forced to confront the undeniable subjectivity of our engagement and understanding, and the lazy reassurance of sticking to our groups of association.

Last week’s MuseumNext conference in New York could be seen  in some respects, as a professional echo chamber. Over 500 museum professionals had assembled from around the world. A further 1000 participants watched the sessions via Livestream. Addressing the theme of Transformation, in terms of transforming Lives, Practices and Places, the conference sought to trigger innovation in ways of thinking and working, at museums, galleries and heritage sites across the globe.

It prompted me to think of the value of the echo-chamber. The reassurance, the affirmation and, most importantly, the insight that is garnered by intense interaction with those facing similar if not identical challenges to oneself. Through listening to others we are handed different perspectives on issues that resemble ours, and through them we deepen understanding of our own challenges and can identify better solutions.

The standout insights and imperatives I heard from the 20 speakers were as follows:

1) Our cultural institutions need to transcend the notion of being bound as custodians of objects, and instead refocus on the ideas within our collections: how those ideas are shared, discussed, articulated, and can be developed by multiple voices. All this at a time of immense challenge within the sector, in terms of funding the care and preservation of work, the imperative of public accessibility (both digitally and in terms of rescinding the authoritative voice), and as places of shared learning and exploration.

2) Museums need to enter the spaces of debate and discussion. This requires a new mode of nimble responsiveness which in turn requires new ways of working that outstrip the traditional pace of curatorial scholarship.

3) Museums can re-frame themselves as cultural conveners, connecting communities, rather than functioning as places of static knowledge transfer. It’s about In-reach, rather than Outreach.

4) It’s no longer about visitor numbers, and obsession with growth. This means throwing away the old rule book of success measurement. Redefining metrics and embracing non-market ideas. And the governance structures within our institutions need to be made to understand this.

5) Institutions and the collections within them need to be interconnected and cross-referenced to one another. Without this, we limit our experiences, and those of our audiences, in failing to create new ecosystems or networks of knowledge.

6) We decline to expose our institutions to real risk, with the possible outcome of actual failure, and our offering is weaker for that.

7) Let’s remind ourselves that we’ve already learned to adapt, in altering the rules restricting photography that inhibited new interactions between our visitors and our collections. And we should continue to adapt, as new behaviors and technologies evolve.

8) Museums are becoming both human-minded institutions and civic-minded spaces, offering platforms for counter-narratives, sites for supporting dialogue and occasional protest.

9) Rethinking how we welcome our visitors. Museums can aspire to practices of Radical  Hospitality, with new audiences welcomed to spaces in which they can explore their own ways of being, rather than being required to adopt those of their host.

10) Make art impossible to ignore, by supporting highly visible initiatives outside the museum walls.

11) Flip the script, and embrace unprecedented ways of working.

12) Museums are trusted institutions, so perform Leadership, and recognize that our authority is granted by our visitors and audiences.

13) Recognize that there is no such thing as a neutral museum: we communicate values.

14) Perfection inhibits participation, and participation is more important.

15) Ask ourselves daily, “How have I listened today?”

16) Make room for artist residencies and spaces of creativity.

17) Community engagement is the goal of all of the institution, and not just the Education department.

18) Fluid and agile thinking, at the top of the museum, can enable the constant evolution of a dynamic offering.

19) We’ve spent too long building capital projects rather than social capital.

20) Discern, unpack, confront and remedy institutional bias.

Unlike the echo chambers of our own social media practices, MuseumNext offered multiple perspectives, examples and anecdotes that served to amplify attenders’ understanding of the complex considerations currently faced by museums and galleries worldwide. And equipped with this better understanding, we can begin to consider how these issues may be addressed. Our echo chambers can provide us  not merely with moments of comfort, but moments of  real Eureka!  The following MuseumNext conferences are in Melbourne, Australia in February 2017, and Rotterdam, Europe in June 2017.

Thanks to several lucrative television deals, and the hard work of hundreds of camera operators and marketers, the Olympics are everywhere–our living rooms, our bars, our hairdressers, our hearts. The Olympics are an industry of inter-national soft power–top-down, orchestrated, planned, sponsored. The stadiums, the metro and train to the stadiums, the mega shop, the canteens–these all exist in Olympic-land, an otherworldly place of superhuman athletes, incomprehensible rating systems, omnipresent logos and bad, overpriced food. In Olympic Land, countries compete with other countries for medals and influence. Individual athletes embody nations, the way they play become markers of countries we suddenly adore (yay Fiji!) or feel irrational animosity towards. There are flags, and anthems–independence movements are quelled, political animosities give way to transcendent ‘Olympic spirit’–a hand gesture (or not) means everything for world peace. Life is relatively simple in Olympic Land–if not terribly fickle–everything is a symbol, nothing is real.

In contrast,the Olympic Houses are real places firmly located in the host city.  Like the Olympics themselves, they are tools of soft power. Unlike the Olympics–their influence is based on connecting face-to-face with people ‘on the ground’–they make their mark from a chance encounter with an Olympic athlete, the smile of their staff, the accessibility of their experience, the flow of food and drink, the cleanliness of the toilets, the fun to be had.

The first House I came across for the Rio 2016 Olympics was USA House. We weren’t allowed in to the comfy chairs, as it was only for VIPs (explained a burly official somebody physically barring our entrance) but we were welcome to browse the giant store selling expensive USA branded Olympic merchandise. Thanks USA- once again- confusing citizens for consumers.  Just another opportunity to sell.

After that, Denmark House, further along Ipanema beach was like an oasis. A cheery open experience with an exhibit on bicycles, and sustainability, an all ages disco, a few pieces of design. The Happy Wall invited anybody to say anything- and remained happy even when they did.  Weeks later, I am still cheering for the Danes despite having no recollection of a single event involving a Danish athlete. Apparently the Germany House (OliAle) next door was also a party and open to the public, but it was inexplicably closed both times I tried to visit. Still, I appreciate that they tried.

As passport carrying Canadians, we were invited, via my journalist friend based in Rio, to ‘Open Day’ at Canada House. Too bad the little girls we were with (10 and 12 years old) didn’t have a Canadian passport–otherwise they too could have enjoyed the taste of Canadiana represented inside–the Molson beer and I am Canadian flags,  the canoe paddles and deck chairs (reminiscent of our infamous Experience Canada exhibit, aka the ‘fake lake’), the single charging station. Instead they sat desolately outside, in front of the huge Canada mural, waiting for their mother to pick them up. “It’s always like this” said one tall Canadian guy ahead of me in line, as he heard me grumble “the Canadian houses at the Games are never open to the public. It drives me crazy. It’s like Forest Hill in there. I have friends who get me in but I’ve been kicked out a few times. Still- I like the free beer so I come back”. He was right. I too appreciated the free beer. But the people inside (the ones who got to be there all the time and not just on this special day) were almost exclusively white, powerful and elite sports industry types.  Not my kind of Canada. After that, my cheers for the maple leaf subsided a little–Canada, uncharacteristically for the Trudeau era–missed the boat in the soft power stakes.

Jamaica House–open to the public–rocked it with jerk chicken, a collage of Usain, Bob and mountains, and a party. But they punch way above their weight in the soft power stakes anyway–of all kinds.  Swiss House was nestled next to the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, providing ‘ice’ skating and experiences of the Alps, Lake Geneva and ‘Swiss Edelweiss’. I learned a lot about the evolution of timing in the Olympics thanks to a great little exhibit by Omega–the Swiss manufacture of timing equipment used in the games since 1932 and an obvious sponsor. I didn’t begrudge Omega–unlike the obnoxious and restrictive Coca Cola and Visa sponsorships stifling the Games–this felt useful and interesting.  I like the Swiss. Club France was even better.  “Rio Je T’aime’ it proclaimed, made space for a local beer seller among the French food and wine, had games for the kidlets, big screen sport, chairs and wine for the adults.

I learned about Pierre Coubertin,the founder of the Modern Olympic Games and his dream of bringing together sports and arts. Because of Coubertin, France maintains a relatively weak soft power hold on the Games–whose official languages are French and English.  Club France felt like more effective soft power. Nice one France. When the merciless Brazilian crowds made French pole vaulter Renee Lavillenie cry, I was on your side!

Brazil House was like one big world fair of Brazil. It had everything: mini dioramas of Olympic sports on bread, hammocks, musicians, indigenous craft, exhibit on world heritage sites, art and a great area for able-bodied kids to experience being a Paralympic athlete. It was awesome. But I liked Brazil as soon as I arrived because everyone I met here was super nice and really welcoming, even though the Olympics must have been a big pain in the butt.

I didn’t get to visit all the Olympic Houses. I really wanted to visit Bayt Qatar with their promise to transform their House into a school to be left behind in Rio, and Tokyo House which will pave the way for the next Olympics. Africa House too was a place I was sad to miss. British House, with its scheduled seminars on “Leadership. Legacy. Development: Connecting The Dots” and “The Culture Diary Afternoon Tea & Culture Networking,” also looked promising and very professional.

So here’s the thing: there are many choices when it comes to Olympic Houses.  The first choice is whether or not to have one. The second (or maybe the same one) is who will run it–the country’s Olympic committee or the people in foreign affairs. Then there is the choices as to who it is for? VIPs or public? Or both? Then, what stories will it tell? What will the experience be? Where will it be? Will it charge for admission? What hours will it be open?  And so it goes. Each of these choices is fueled by a country’s view of itself and more importantly, of its host. If it is open to the public (those who don’t only live in Olympic Land), and it is affordable and accessible, the Houses can be the one chance for real people to engage with and relate to other real people–an exchange between people and not symbols. The Olympic Houses are a way for a country to practice what it preaches, to show with action and not anthem what and who they find important. They have a very different kind of soft power than the Games, but it is the kind that lasts.

Having worked in the arts and cultural sector for the past 10 years, Emily very much appreciated the opportunity to apply her skills, knowledge, and expertise on a variety of different cultural projects simultaneously at Lord. She was eager to learn more about working in the cultural sector from a consultant’s perspective, rather than working specifically for one gallery, or museum.

Emily was exposed to cutting-edge strategies, programming, and trends across the museum sector. Some of her projects included researching and writing interpretive strategies, editing exhibition text, preparing new programming ideas, and researching exhibition themes and trends. Emily gained an increased understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity especially in new emerging museum markets. Understanding one’s client and their audiences are key in order to create a vision and produce content, programming, and exhibitions that are unique and participant focused. One of her internship highlights involved researching and preparing an internal Exhibition Trends 2016 presentation, first for her team, and then, having incorporated their comments, having this presentation sent to the company worldwide. All of these experiences gave her insight into the unique world of museum consulting, and she is grateful for the mentoring roles of both Senior Consultant, Lisa Wright, and the Director of Exhibitions, Yvonne Tang.

Emily holds both a BA in Fine Arts and a MA in Art History, and she will be entering her second year of her MMSt program this fall. Emily is passionate about visual arts, museums, music, and the growing body of literature, case studies, and exhibitions exploring the relationship of health and well-being, and its partnership possibilities and trends within the museum sector. Within her own work and research, Emily is dedicated to creating accessible spaces for meaningful connections, to encouraging positive learning, and to improving mindfulness within contemporary museum practices. Over the summer, Emily led one of Lord’s monthly millennial meet-ups to discuss this relevant topic.

Emily very much enjoyed being an integral part of this passionate creative team and company, and she is looking forward to applying her new skills and experiences to future work in the cultural sector.

If you’d like to reach Emily, you can write her at emilykberg@gmail.com

Megan Lynch started at Lord Cultural Resources in June, and is set to enter her second year at the Schulich School of Business at York University, jointly pursuing an MBA focused in Arts Management and a Masters in Art History.

After several years as a strategic event coordinator at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C., Canada called her home, and Lord was the perfect fit to complement a career shift.

Megan has never been shy about big moves, turning what was to be a short stint at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery into the better part of a decade in Washington, where she had first hand experience with the intricate goings-on of Washington politics, and learned the importance of using culture to advance diplomatic goals.

Following her latest big move to Toronto, she learned about Lord through a breakfast networking event she had stumbled upon on social media, and realized it was the perfect place to enhance her studies and gain a deeper understanding of the breadth and intricacies of cultural planning.

Working with Lord’s Management Consulting team, Megan contributed to a strategic plan for a public library, a social impact assessment and business case for a science centre, and an international media strategy for a children’s museum. Her experience at Lord wove business and arts and cultural elements together – taking the lessons she learned in the first year of her MBA and allowing her to apply them to real world projects.

In her first year in Toronto, Megan has thrown herself into the cultural scene – volunteering at Luminato and TIFF, joining the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) young patrons program, and checking out shows at galleries around town. Her experience in Washington has helped her develop a well-rounded appreciation of Toronto’s decidedly less political cultural scene, and bring a fresh perspective to the opportunities and challenges it faces.

Hoping to use her business and strategic planning background to contribute to the success of art institutions, Megan’s ultimate goal is to help make the industry more sustainable. Given the volatility of funding, she believes excellent management practices are a vital component to the success of arts and culture in Canada.

Want to reach Megan? You can follow her on Twitter by searching for @MeganLynch. You can also find her on LinkedIn.