Year in Review

2015/2016 Year in Review

As seems to be the case every year, this year in review highlights how much has been happening at MOA. The museum has continued to improve over the past year. Plans for much needed repairs to the building are well underway, such as the repairs to the roof and HVAC system. We have also planned exciting new exhibits, community partnerships, and better management of the Lawson Site.

Language_Exhibit_8 — Oneida and Anishinaabe/Ojibwe Language Exhibit

The past year has seen tremendous growth in the museum’s reach through our social channels and community outreach. We’ve established a strong partnership with Huron College and First Nations studies at Western University that has resulted in major exhibits at the museum this past year. We’ve increased opportunities for students in various programs to complete internships and research projects at the museum. We’ve also begun building a partnership with the Huron-Wendat Nation and the Jesuits in English Canada to create a Community Memories exhibit about Ste. Marie II. This is an exciting partnership, and the resulting online and physical exhibit will explore a story of struggle, sacrifice, and change during one of the most significant periods in early Canadian History. We have also been able to more actively promote the work of Ontario Archaeological Society Chapters, and look forward to working even more collaboratively with the OAS in the coming year. Read more

Southdale Site Longhouse

Long before the creation of this blog, and before the digital Palisade E-Post, the museum sent out paper newsletters. First published in February 1979, each Palisade Post issue is a snapshot of what was happening in Ontario archaeology during this time, and is the basis of our Look Back series.

The Southdale Site Longhouse

(1988 Volume 10, Number 1)

An intriguing page of the London area’s early history was unearthed in south London during July with the Museum’s salvage excavation of the Southdale site on Southdale Road. Of particular interest to Museum archaeologists was the discovery of a 14th or 15th century Neutral longhouse that measured an incredible 53 metres (174 feet) in length. While larger longhouses have been found in other parts of the province, the Southdale house becomes the largest prehistoric structure ever documented in the London area. This unusual find has revealed a hitherto unknown aspect of prehistoric Neutral settlement patterns, yet as often happens in archaeology, we have come away with more questions than answers. Read more

Monica Norris, Intern

Monica In the collections storage room cataloguing.

Meet Monica, who is completing an internship at MOA

Hello! I am Monica Norris, and I began my Collections internship with the MOA in May. I am completing my final semester of the Museum Management and Curatorship post-graduate program at Fleming College. The reason I chose to study at Fleming College is because the program is intensive and very hands-on. A lot of material is covered, not only from an academic approach, but I also had many opportunities to apply concepts in a practical manner. This has given me a more realistic experience than other programs might offer. The skills and tools I acquired through the MMC Fleming program have prepared me for real life situations, and given me the ability to perform a wide variety of tasks that are common practice in medium to small sized museums.

I will be working in collections management this summer, helping to create, maintain and enhance the archaeological records in the database PastPerfect. This has involved cataloguing artifacts that have not been entered into the system yet, as well as providing condition reports. Along the way I have been repacking artifacts into archival bags. I will also conduct research to help gather information to be used in the collections records and in museum blogs. Read more