#yourmuseum

By: Julia Petrov, Curator, Western Canadian History

Ladies and Gentlemen’s Pocket Companion, 1800.

Museums have come a long way from the 1800s when a woman was told she was “ought not to present herself alone in a library, or museum.” In fact, according to a 2016 US study, the majority of museum professionals are women. But what about women’s stories in museum galleries?

According to museum researcher Gaby Porter, “…the roles of women as they are represented are relatively passive, shallow, undeveloped, muted and closed; the roles of men are, in contrast, relatively active, deep, highly developed, fully pronounced and open.” That is to say, while men’s stories are told in detail, women are often stereotypically represented in objects related to their traditional social roles, limited to the home, domestic duties, and childrearing. Through this narrow depiction, Porter argues that museums have done a disservice to the real history of women’s contributions to society.

At the Royal Alberta Museum, the department of Western Canadian History has been headed by women for almost 40 years now, and actively collects women’s stories and objects to try to redress this historical imbalance. Some objects in our collection are of the kind typically coded as feminine – textiles and clothing, for example. However, alongside consumer items made for, used by, or marketed towards women, we have items that are not traditionally considered museum-worthy: pregnancy tests, sanitary towels, and “pussy hats.”

Photo courtesy K. Swift, of daughter A. Swift at the Calgary Women’s March. The sign she is holding, which is mounted on a pink butterfly net, is part of the RAM WCH collection.

When I collected items related to the Edmonton and Calgary Women’s March protests held in solidarity with the Washington, D.C. movement last year, I received a fair amount of criticism. Some people were unhappy that the museum was granting these items legitimacy by including them in our collection. However, we believe that a museum has a responsibility to collect history as it evolves, even if it isn’t pleasant or pretty (two characteristics all too often expected of women).

Normie Carlson, daughter of Indian Rights for Indian Women (Alberta branch) founding member Nellie Carlson, reflects on her mother’s activism in a new exhibit in our galleries. 

In the new museum, you’ll see several new exhibits from a range of collection departments, sharing stories of remarkable women who helped shape Alberta into what it is today. For example, the "Disinherited Love: Matrimony and the Indian Act" exhibit will share the story of the 'Indian Rights for Indian Women' movement. Our “Edmonton Grads” exhibit honours the astounding international success of one of Canada’s most famous basketball teams. You will also see materials relating to activism on gender and sexuality issues, including buttons, pamphlets, songbooks, and a tribute to Edmonton’s famous “Raging Grannies” in our “Political Protest” case.

Photo of the Edmonton Grads

Photo of objects going into the RAM’s Political Protest exhibit

By: Learning Team

Who did this belong to? Why did they have it? How did they use it? Where has it been? What stories can it tell?

The objects that live in the Royal Alberta Museum’s Learning Collection provide so many opportunities to learn, explore, and discover the rich history and stories that connect our past to present. However, this collection is unique from most other museum collections – not only can you see the objects, you can also touch, smell, try on, dance in, or even play with them.

That’s right: you are welcome – even encouraged! — to get hands-on with the Learning Collection objects. Talk about a different way of experiencing the museum. You can bring history alive as you engage your senses.

Also, unlike our other collections, the history of the objects in the Adjunct Learning Collection often can be a bit of a mystery. We do not always know the whole story behind objects and artifacts – the history of who owned them or made them, when/ where/ and what they used them for, and how they relate to the history of Alberta. It’s up to us to discover what stories may reside in a particular artifact or object.

Slip your feet into a little bit of Western Canadian history by putting on a  pair of blue and white Saddle Oxford shoes for example.

All this week we have been celebrating #MuseumWeek: an international online event celebrating and showcasing all things from cultural institutions over 7 days, 7 themes, 7 hashtags. Today’s theme is “professions”, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to ask some of our lovely staff here at the RAM a couple questions about their careers, what some of the coolest projects they’ve worked on here, and their favourite museum (other than the RAM of course!).

Christina Harbak, Admissions Coordinator

What you do at the RAM?

I set-up and manage the ticketing system, annual pass program, gift card program and most procedures to do with front-of-house. On a smaller scale, I supervise all of the admissions staff and the day-to-day tasks at the admissions desk. I am also responsible for capturing data and reporting on how many people are visiting us on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis! 

While a lot of my role involves behind the scenes preparation and creating procedures, it is creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the lobby that matters most. My staff speak to each person visiting the museum galleries, so customer service, museum knowledge and creating a memorable experience is essential in my role.

Coolest project you’ve worked on during your time at the RAM?

One of my favourite projects I have worked on at RAM thus far has been training for staff related to accessibility. Having worked in customer service roles for over 10 years now, I noticed how little training I had received about accessible spaces, respectful language and working with people of diverse abilities. My education and my friends/coworkers have both fuelled my focus on accessibility, and I am planning to share those experiences, knowledge and tools with my staff. It is important for my team to have current information about best practices and be confident in the language and approach they use to connecting with visitors. My research into accessibility for RAM spans physical space, gender, person-first language, sensory stimulation and most importantly, compassion. I am excited to build a team of folks who care about their work and who can connect with visitors in accessible, meaningful ways.

When did you decide to pursue this career path? Why did you peruse this career path?

I decided I wanted to work in a museum when I was searching for summer jobs in 2012, and found some really neat positions through the City of Edmonton. I completely changed my degree program (from drama to recreation) and turned my studies to focus on museums, cultural sites and tourism. I have always loved visiting museums, and was incredibly excited when I discovered all of the different jobs that make museums possible. My passion for life-long learning can extend beyond my personal life because through this career I am able to connect visitors from all over the world to fascinating stories and artifacts. I think it is so rare to find a workplace that I want to stay at after my workday is over. I have had many jobs at museums and cultural sites, but RAM is the most exciting one so far.

What’s your favourite museum other than the RAM?

All this week we have been celebrating #MuseumWeek: an international online event celebrating and showcasing all things from cultural institutions over 7 days, 7 themes, 7 hashtags. Today’s theme is “professions”, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to ask some of our lovely staff here at the RAM a couple questions about their careers, what some of the coolest projects they’ve worked on here, and their favourite museum (other than the RAM of course!).

Carleen Greaves, Children’s Program Coordinator

What do you do here at the RAM?

I’m the Children’s Program Coordinator. Right now, I am busy planning programs, gathering stories to share, and working with an amazing team as we prepare for opening at the remarkable, new Royal Alberta Museum.  My work is primarily focussed on the new Children’s Gallery, getting ready to welcome curiosity, activate imaginations, and support playful inquiry as we open the doors to our youngest visitors.

What is one thing you most look forward to working on when the RAM     re-opens?

The excitement of the children as they play, explore and navigate our new Children’s Gallery. It is so incredible that children will be able to play, create and learn about Alberta in a space that is designed for just them.

I wonder… What will draw their interest, invoke curiosity, and spark imaginations?  There is a sense of wonder that only children can bring to an experience and it is so exciting embarking on this new adventure with them.

When did you decide to pursue this career path? 

My career path has always been about children. From tour guide to teacher, to Early Learning Educational Consultant, and now Children’s Program Coordinator, there have always been many children in my work world. Personally, I love to travel, visit museums, and learn about the history of the places I wander.  Transitioning from the world of education to the world of museums offers me an amazing opportunity to bring together my personal and career passions. After over 30 years, working with children I am so inspired and truly excited to be involved in the opening of a new Children’s Gallery.

 What’s your favourite museum other than the RAM?

By: Julia Petrov, Curator of Western Canadian History

Although it may not feel like it outside, the calendar confirms that it is officially spring! Many Albertans are hard at work planning their gardens, and are already buying and sprouting seeds in anticipation of their summer and fall crops. Here at the museum we are busy spring cleaning, and I came across a timely book I wanted to share with you.

This 48-page booklet was the second edition of Favorite Vegetable Recipes, likely published in the late 1930s. The company, McKenzie Seeds, may be familiar to many of you as they are still one of the leading suppliers of seeds to the Canadian market. According to the preface, they requested recipes from subscribers to their catalogue, and were overwhelmed with the response, necessitating a second edition. The editors hoped that “everyone who receives this book will now have the pleasure of preparing some new vegetable dishes,” and thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can too!

I’ve inputted each of the recipes submitted by Albertans into the GoogleMap below (the book also includes recipes from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and BC). You can click on the place marker to see the recipe, as well as the name of the person who submitted it, and where they were from. Many of these settlements still exist, while some others are ghost towns. Perhaps you will even find the name of one of your ancestors among the contributors?

The food inside is an interesting snapshot of the technologies and supplies available to those living in Alberta at the time. Peas, beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and beets feature heavily. The recipes combine these with cream, flour, butter, and salt and pepper to make a variety of “a most wholesome and satisfying dish of just such things as a farmer's wife always has on hand”. Cured meats such as bacon help to add flavor and grease. 

Food is fried, baked, or boiled on a stove with an open flame produced by burning wood, coal, or oil (not electric or induction), and only a very basic set of cookware is needed – pie plates, baking tins, ceramic pots, and a few sizes of cast iron pans. Knives, graters, whisks, grinders, and colanders are standard, and molds for puddings and jellies are the most advanced forms of equipment mentioned. Certainly no steam ovens, stand mixers, or spiralizers for these householders! 

However, spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and even curry powder were all staples; some rural contributors even had access to fresh lemons, oranges, rice, and tinned tomatoes. So if you’re keen to cook like a Depression-era housewife, don’t let the recipes intimidate you.

A word of caution for those wanting to try these out, however – these recipes were printed just as they had been submitted, so the instructions and terminology vary widely. No cooking temperatures are given because early twentieth-century ovens were not fitted with thermometers, and cooking times are likely to be wildly excessive for modern, efficient stoves. 

The combination of flavours might not be to our modern tastes, either – many of these dishes might seem bland, while others will have unusual textures (the period definition of salad seems to have been a Jello ring with mayonnaise!). None of the recipes contain anything toxic, of course, but if you do risk your tastebuds, please let us know, and send us a picture and a review!