Navigate / search

Meet the Staff: Curatorial Intern Amanda

My name is Amanda Futcher and I am a third-year student at Algonquin College taking the Applied Museum Studies program. I have been working as a library/archives assistant doing a lot of work with organizing and cataloging the map collection, assisting in the digitization of photographic slides, as well as doing different odds and ends with other collections and giving a hand to deliver the virtual reality experience offered at the museum.

I believe that being able to go into a museum and see artifacts on display that are a direct link to communities who lived and used these items in the past from just a couple decades ago to a time immemorial, creates an incredible experience that connects us to different chapters of the history .

Through my program the students are tasked with finding and organizing a four month long internship for our final term. I have always had a passion for history and an interest in archaeology and human culture, and through my internship I was able to work at the MOA doing things I was interested in and expanding my skill-set and knowledge. The MOA has some amazing people working and volunteering here, and it has been a pleasure to meet and learn from them. There are so many unique visitors and stories that come through the museum, and it’s exciting to get to experience them!

One piece of advice I would like to give is to always try new things. You will never know if you like something if you don’t try, and even if you end up not liking whatever it is, you will still get valuable life experience. One of the best parts of this job is that there is always something to do, making each day a unknown adventure.

Meet Dr. Rhonda Bathurst

Editor: We’re releasing the news of our new Executive Director: meet Dr. Rhonda Bathurst.

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Dr. Rhonda Bathurst has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. Her position will commence on September 26, 2016.

Meet Dr Rhonda Bathurst, MOA's new ED

Rhonda received her PhD in Anthropology from McMaster University in 2005, and has worked in archaeology around the world, including Belize, Iceland, California, the Pacific Northwest Coast and here at home in Ontario. With seven years of experience managing Sustainable Archaeology: Western, just next door, Rhonda is already well acquainted with the Museum, its core values and its staff. Read more

Thank You from Joan Kanigan

Joan Kanigan headshot
MOA ED Joan Kanigan

Four Years at MOA, by Joan Kanigan

It is with a combined sense of anticipation and regret that I prepare my final blog for the Museum of Ontario Archaeology.  I am proud of what the museum has been able to accomplish over the past four years and my decision to leave was difficult.  As I write this blog, our Summer Camp program is completely full, the roof and HVAC systems are being replaced, and we are in the process of adding movable shelving in the collection storage room. So much has changed over the past four years that I wanted to take this opportunity to review and celebrate what has been accomplished as the museum prepares to develop exciting new exhibits, increase community partnerships, and improve the management of the Lawson Site. Read more

The Thornton Abbey Project

 One Curator’s Journey in Archaeology

By Nicole Aszalos, Musuem of Ontario Archaeology Curator

For the month of June, I spent most of my days out of the office and in the trenches at Thornton Abbey in North Lincolnshire, England. Since this was my first time in England, I wanted to experience as much as I possibly could. To do this, I left a few days early to travel to the cities of York and Leeds to gain an understanding and appreciation of the history I was hoping to unearth. And, being the Harry Potter fan that I am, I just had to venture on a day touring The Shambles, an opportunity that the nerd in me fully appreciated.

Nicole at The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Also had the opportunity to shoot a crossbow here which was a cool experience.
Nicole at The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. “I also had the opportunity to shoot a crossbow here which was a cool experience.”

My goal in York and Leeds was to gain an understanding of the museums and their presentation of history, since this is something I am passionate about.  I spent my days touring museums and historic sites such as York Minister, York Castle Museum, and the Royal Armouries in Leeds just to name a few. It was exciting to see how interactive these museums were with engaging the visitor in history.  The museums I visited created immersive experiences by combining both historic objects and modern technology in their displays. One of the most immersive and unsettling experiences happened while exploring the dungeons of York Castle Museum where projections of actors, representing some of the most notorious people hung at the gallows, performed in each cell.  Being the active person I am, I also spent a couple hours hiking historic paths including what remains of the Roman Wall in York. Read more

Meet Desiree Barber

As part of our behind the scenes series: Meet Desiree Barber, an MOA Intern

Desiree_Barber_Education

When travelling in Europe at 16,  I fell in love with art history and architecture.  Consequently, I decided working within art, history and culture was what I wanted to do as a career.  However, after receiving some advice, I took a detour towards college for Dental Assisting.  After finishing the program I decided being a dental assistant for the rest of my life was not what I wanted.  So, I entered university to pursue my dream.  After I received my Bachelor of Arts, I saw the need for a post-graduate program.  I started at Georgian College for the Museum and Gallery Studies program. The final semester requires an internship, which I am completing at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology (MOA). Read more

Monica Norris, Intern

In the collections storage room cataloguing
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

Meet the Staff: Education Intern Nicoletta Michienzi

How long have I been with  MOA?  I started my internship  July 2015.

nikki

How did I begin? I am a Masters student at Western, and as part of our program we a
re required to do an internship. I decided that I would split my time over the summer between Eldon House, a historic home in downtown London, and the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. MOA really interested me because I was involved with archaeology during my undergrad, and in my masters program we learned about museum policies. Read more

Work Study Profile: Summer 2015 Curatorial Interns

An interview with our Summer 2015 Curatorial Interns, Erin Fawcett & Mary Simonds.

Mary and Erin 2015
Mary and Erin working on reboxing artifacts

We’ve worked at MOA since May 2015 as curatorial interns. Both our duties involve collections, curatorial work, and research. We have been doing an inventory of the ethnographic collections and helping set up incoming exhibits. We’re working on reboxing and rehousing artifacts and re-configuring the storage room in order to better preserve the numerous items held here. (Erin:) I am currently working on the inventory of the ethnographic collection and I am starting the plans for re-configuring the storage room collections.  (Mary): I am concentrating on finding the best way to catalogue and digitize the archaeological artifacts and all of the associated material. Read more