Innovation, Evolution, and Relevence: 2011 Annual General Meeting

 The skies broke after a deluge of rain, and a warm breeze blew through lower Gibsons as we commenced our 2011 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday April 27th. Executive Board President Mike Clement started the night off by discussing the hard work of the board, staff members and volunteers in their various roles to ensure the successful operation of the SCMA. It was evident by Mike's passionate speech that 2011 will be a great year of evolution and innovative endeavors at the SCMA which will in turn solidify our role as a heritage leader on the Sunshine Coast.

Lorraine Goddard, Carol Service and Mike Clement:  greetings!

Presenting on behalf of Curator Kimiko Hawkes, Museum Assistant Matthew Lovegrove followed with a slide show that outlined all of the activities, events, and notable exhibits  of the past year. He discussed the need for deep community collaboration, innovative exhibits, and relevant public programming and touched upon an exciting upcoming exhibit co-curated with the  Squamish First Nations.

Treasurer Lorraine Goddard then gave a brief run-down of our financial position followed by Jon Hird who presented a short documentary about behind the scenes exhibit development at the Museum.

Anxiously Awaiting the Good News!

Following the presentations, the Annual Election was held.  Mike thanked the two outgoing board members and welcomed the three incoming members to the new 2011 SCMA board.  
Mike ended the evening off with some closing comments and invited the audience to get involved in the life of the Museum,  thus highlighting our 2011 vision: This is your Museum: Get Involved!


It was apparent in all of the presentations last night that this is going to be a defining year in the evolution of the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. What do you want to see happen with your community museum?

Had a hoot at the Hootenanny!

Matthew Lovegrove and Lindy Gray
of Woodland Telegraph

On behalf of the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives, I want to thank all those that made the Saturday night Hootenanny a success: to everyone who came out and took part in the event; to Matthew Lovegrove and Lindy Gray for the wonderful music; to Barb Higgins for sharing her knowledge; to all those who cooked the food; to those who helped set up and clean up; and to volunteer Ann Tasker for keeping the museum doors open for the event.

As workplace neighbors, Arts Building director Georgina Brandon and I would often see each other and talk about collaborating on a project together. We did some brainstorming and at one point, the question was asked “What did people eat for dinner back in the old days?” We invited Nadi Fleschhut from One Straw Society to join the team, brainstormed some more, and decided to take a look at food from multiple perspectives – historically, artistically, and in the current context of the local 'food movement'.

Over the last few months Georgina, Nadi and I have done a lot of meeting, emailing and organizing to get this all in place. It has been really exciting to collaborate with these other organizations and realize a shared goal. The energy that is created when people come together is truly amazing – things really happen! A group of children dug up and planted a community garden, people created works of art, delicious traditional recipes have been made, stories are being told, new faces are turning up at the museum, and communities are coming together.



Miro Hawkes with a bowl of
salmon chowder and borsht



The mantra in the museum world these days is “stay relevant”. This exhibit has really hit the nail on the head. It is an extremely relevant topic and by having this exhibit at the museum, we hope to serve as a place to remember, to discover, and to imagine. For us to continue to do this kind of public programming, we need the support of the diverse communities that exist on the Coast. Get involved, volunteer, become a member, have a voice and let us know what you think!

Nina and Amanda-Rae enjoying the festivities

Busy volunteers in the kitchen.

 Great turnout!