That Belongs in a Museum, the latest Bring Your Thing pop-up was hosted at the Boys and Girls Club of Kingston & Area. Fort Henry NHS, Military Communications and Electronics Museum and MacLachlin Woodworking Museum shared interesting items that made us think about why an artifact belongs in a museum!
Youth displayed items that, not only had special meaning to them, but they believe belongs in a museum. We showed that anything can belong in a museum, as someone found that even their backpack had value and a story to share.
Alex Mclean, Curator and Program Support Officer at Fort Henry NHS described the process of accessioning an artifact and the importance of an accession numbers. Accession numbers are what museums use to identify artifacts in their collections. It also is a source of information about the object. The accession number is made up of a sequence of numbers or letters which can tell you how old the object is, how long the museums has had the object & more.
Dave McCarey, Education Coordinator from Military Electronics and Communications Museum talked to the youth about the difference between an original artifact and a reproduction. He showed the participants Canadian Military uniforms, one of which was an original artifact and the other was a reproduction. He also showed the youth a reproduction gas mask, explaining the use of the mask and the conditions soldiers faced after using it.
MacLachlin Woodworking Museum loaned items from their collection & youth were challenged to draw the artifact from a written description. This task made participants aware that an accurate yet concise description of an artifact is important in a museum.
Lots of great items were shared! One youth brought her Great Grandfather’s WW1 medals as her artifact, as she believes that they belong in a museum because of the historical significance of her grandfather’s service during the war.
One of the youth used his hearing aid as his artifact. When describing why he thought it belonged in a museum he stated that there was an evolution in technology that allowed him to hear.
Overall we enjoyed spending the event discovering what belongs in a museum and how we connect to artifacts! We were able to discover facts about Kingston during a round of jeopardy, illustrated each other’s objects after taking time to ask questions about them, we learned about an artifact’s accession number, the role of a curator and the difference between an artifact and a reproduction.
Be Sure to check out the next Bring Your Thing Pop-Event themed Soldiers, Sailors and Jailors, July 25th 2017 at 7 pm located at Portsmouth Tavern! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the most up-to-date information!
A Closer Look at the Museums, Art Galleries & Historic Sites of Kingston 
Reblogged this on .
LikeLike