Dispatches from the Intern

So, another week of internship comes to an end, but let’s go back in time for a minute and review last weekend’s visit to Downsview Public Library on behalf of the MIA!

As you may recall from my previous post, I was asked to conduct hands-on activities as part of the MAP Family Saturdays program that runs across Toronto Public Library branches. There were 7 kids, ranging from ages 4-12, that came by with parents in tow. To set up, I laid out various museum artifacts on a table, including a narwhal ivory tusk and the tooth of a polar bear, and I could tell by the looks on the kids’ faces, they were eager to see and feel the materials up close! Before I passed the artifacts around, I kicked things off with a little DPA (that’s Daily Physical Activity, for the non-teachers out there) and an ice breaker. It was great to see most of the parents participate as well!

After getting everyone’s heart rate going, the kids settled into a circle on the floor and I began talking about the artifacts—their composition, origin, and purpose—and one by one, the kids took turns carefully examining each piece,  making great observations about each artifact, and drawing comparisons between daily life in the Arctic and their own personal lives.

Next, it was time to get their hands a little dirty and move onto art making! I brought along some plasticine and modelled how to create an inuksuk (plural: inuksuit; generally written as inukshuk to reflect its English pronunciation), which are human-made stone formations found throughout the Arctic.

Inuksuit on Baffin Island, Nunavut

By now, most people are familiar with this iconic symbol, but many are unfamiliar with its traditional origin and meaning. Acting in the place of a person, the inuksuk can serve many purposes; it is often used in navigation and hunting, and has played a crucial role in Inuit survival on the land. Inuksuit are commonly created in the shape of a person (accurately called innunguaq) and provided the basis for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics logo! Suffice to say, the kids really enjoyed creating their own version of an inuksuk, and some even went as far as giving it a name and a personal story. Very imaginative!

My on-site tasks during week 3 included devising a lesson plan based on the curriculum for the Grade 10 Native Studies course, Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, and creating additional  materials for classroom use. In order to facilitate all of the visual arts lessons, I’ve begun creating slideshows featuring pieces from the museum’s permanent collection and gallery. I think these slideshows could provide teachers with an excellent starting point for their lessons and help develop students’ critical analysis and interpretation skills.

It looks like next week’s plate is rather full, but I’m looking forward to it!

Happy long weekend!

- Posted by: Aviva German, MIA’s Educational Intern

Updates from Week 2

The second week of internship has just flown by. I’m already at the halfway point and thus far, my experience at the MIA has been really positive and fulfilling. All the research time I’ve put in has rewarded me with great ideas for teacher resources (some of which I hope to use myself in the future!).

While I haven’t had as much time to delve into hands-on activities at the museum, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to do so this Saturday, May 11th, as part of MAP Family Saturdays at Toronto Public Libraries (TPL)! MAP (Museum + Arts Pass)  allows families (2 adults and up to 5 children)  to explore many of Toronto’s best cultural and artistic sites for free! You can request a pass for you and your family at any TPL branch.

This Saturday, however, I’m bringing the museum experience directly to Downsview Public Library (2793 Keele St. at Wilson Ave.) for kids’  hands-on activities They’ll have a chance to see and touch some museum artifacts, play a few traditional Inuit games, and make their own clay sculpture. It should be a great time for kids, parents, and art lovers alike, so if you’re in the neighbourhood, come on by!

- Posted by: Aviva German, MIA’s Educational Intern

Intern Insights

Hello again!

I can hardly believe it, but the first week of internship is over and I’ve managed to get quite a lot done. It’s been a productive week and I’m excited to move into the next phase of teacher resource development for the MIA.

After getting through some comprehensive literature about museum policy, programming, accessibility and governance, I jumped right into the best part about this internship—lesson planning! To be honest, it was a bit overwhelming at first, in terms of figuring out what grade level to start with, what direction to take with the lesson (Arts-based? Language-focused? History-oriented?), and making sure to include as many pertinent details and guidelines for teachers as possible. I decided to start with the grades I knew best—Junior-Intermediate. For those that may not be too familiar with teacher speak, that means grades 4-10. Luckily, I had the wonderful opportunity to experience teaching grades 4-8, so I was quite familiar with the general concepts and basic expectations covered in the curriculum.

Kamiks (Arctic snow boots made of animal skin) worn by Labrador Inuit

After consulting with my supervisor, Alysa, we decided a little “museum field trip” was required. On Wednesday, I shadowed a docent at the Bata Shoe Museum giving a tour to a group of middle school students. It was truly fascinating to see how an everyday item that we sometimes take for granted, like footwear, can have an extraordinary history and offers rich insights into the culture that produced it. My visit here also reinforced the importance of artifact-based teaching and learning as an excellent way for students to develop multidisciplinary skills. It’s certainly a learning model that the Bata Shoe Museum and the MIA have nurtured successfully via their docent program.

With some research of my own, and a few great online sources recommended to me by Alysa, I was able to pull together several arts-based lesson plans for grades 4-12 with cross-curricular connections to Social Studies, Language and even Science. The next step will be to edit, polish and tack on assessment guides to these materials before getting a stamp of approval from the Museum.

More updates to come during week 2!

- Posted by: Aviva German, MIA’s Educational Intern

Introducing Our New Educational Intern!

Greetings!

My name is Aviva German and I’m the newest member of the MIA team! Over the next month, I’ll be working here at the museum as an Educational Intern. As a teacher candidate from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and a previous volunteer at the museum, I’m thrilled to come back and begin my internship at this one-of-a-kind site!

I’m looking forward to developing and sharing a variety of exciting pre- and post-museum visit materials and outreach kits, in alignment with provincial curriculum expectations, to complement any school group visit to the MIA. My goal is to provide educators with the tools they need to begin the museum experience inside the classroom, and encourage students to continue exploring critical themes related to Aboriginal peoples and cultures following their visit.

I hope these materials will be prove to be an invaluable resource for teachers and students alike!

- Posted by: Aviva German, MIA’s Educational Intern

Construction Heads Up Part 13: March Break Routes

Hydro chamber construction on Queens Quay West.

As many of you prepare for the upcoming March Break, we’d like to post a little reminder about some of the construction that has been happening here at the Harbour front.

For the remainder of March, the TTC will be limiting access on the University line affecting those traveling between St. George and Union stations. Major re-signalling work over four weekends this month will modernize the TTC signals, relays, wiring and cabling equipment, much of which was originally installed when the University line opened 50 years ago. To accommodate surface travel, a frequent, accessible bus service will operate and shuttle service information is available on the TTC site.

The following weekends will NOT have service between St. George and Union station:

• Sunday, March 10 (starting Saturday, March 9 at midnight).
• Sunday, March 17 (starting Saturday, March 16 at midnight).
• Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24.

For those who are already close to the Harbourfront,  demolition work will continue at the Peter Slip Bridge  after having been delayed due to bad weather. Pedestrian access on the southside of the Peter Slip Bridge is not available due to the confined working space. The northside sidewalk remains open at all times. Crews are expected to remain working in the area until May when the surface of the bridge including the new TTC corridor is complete.

The York Street construction of the new parking lay-by (which will provide a safe area for short-term passenger loading and unloading from coaches and tour buses visiting the waterfront) is nearing completion.  Final paving is expected to be completed this week and regulatory signs will be posted once the lay-by area is finished.

If you’d like to avoid all the driving detours our pedestrian directions from previous blogs still apply or you can plan your route based on the full construction details found at the Waterfront Toronto website.

- Posted by Brittany Holliss, MIA’s Visitor Services Officer

Explore the Realities of Living in the Modern Arctic this March Break at MIA

Inuit community of Pangnirtung

This March Break the Museum of Inuit Art is exploring the realities of living in the modern Canadian Arctic through four interactive stations (one to represent each Inuit land claim area in Canada) located throughout the museum.

Every family will be issued a passport to explore the Museum of Inuit Art in new, multi-sensory ways while challenging perceptions of the Arctic.

Activities to enjoy:

• Get hands on with our teaching collection at our feel-box station. Learn about properties of the materials being used by Inuit artists and how this impacts the art being produced in the Arctic today.
• Can you dance like a polar bear or run like a muskox? Show us your moves while learning animal names in Inuktitut in the Museum of Inuit Art’s version of ‘Simon Says’.
• Learn about the differences in food costs and diets in the Arctic and Southern Canada at the MIA land claim grocery store.
• What makes your neighbourhood unique? Make comparisons between your community and those in the Arctic. Through exploration of prints and postcards, learn about population size, temperature, and infrastructure available in Inuit communities.

As you complete the activities, be sure to get your passport stamped! If you have your passport stamped at all four interactive stations, you are eligible for a $5 discount on a family membership. Your name will also be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift certificate from Loblaws-Queens Quay!

DATES: March 9 to March 17
TIME: 12 PM to 4 PM
PRICE: Free with Museum Admission (Adults $5, Students/Seniors $3, Children 12 and under FREE)

We are still looking for volunteers for this event. If you are interested in lending a helping hand, please email volunteer@miamuseum.ca.

-Lindsay Bontoft, MIA’s Public Programming and Development Coordinator

Family Stories Through Wallhangings

As a public institution, we are always looking for new ways to really engage with our community and get to know our visitors. We publish Playing Favourites blogs where visitors explain what attracted them to certain works of art, we live Tweet during speaker events and artist demonstrations, we’ve also recorded video interviews so artists can personally interpret their own work and give a first hand account of experiences and motivations.

And while we think we have done a pretty solid job in terms of writing and speaking, this upcoming Family Day is going to emphasize telling a narrative through hand crafted imagery.

Beginning Feb 16th-18th MIA is pleased to host a series of family programming revolving around the exhibit Stories From my Grandmother: Irene Avaalaaqiaq, in order for families to tell their stories through wall hangings.

Facilitated by our fantastic group of Arts Assistants, as part of museum admission visitors will be able to construct wall hangings that represent a favourite trip, fond childhood memory or any other story they feel represents an important family memory. Plastic sewing needles and yarn help make the experience fun and safe for the younger family members and everyone can take the hangings home to proudly share with friends.

To inspire budding artists, we’ll be displaying a few of the wall hangings we have in our collection and complimentary admission lets visitors explore the museum to find our textile exhibition featuring more works by Irene Avaalaaqiaq.

We’re also going to be creating a larger, collaborative textile-based wall hanging that encompasses community involvement and revolves around the theme of community and how family connects us. Individuals can contribute a piece to this wall hanging by cutting out a design from available fabric provided by King Textiles. Staff and volunteers will embroider the pieces onto the wall hanging so you don’t have to worry about threading tiny needles or poking your fingers. (If you’d like to volunteer, be sure to check out our past blog).

This collaborative piece will be on display in the museum throughout Heritage Week (Feb 19-24) and for those who don’t see themselves as  the sewing sort, they’ll be able to write their own comments and reactions next to the piece on our paper covered walls.

So put your thinking caps on, grab some family members and start reminiscing about those good ol’ times! We’ll see you for Family Day fun!

- Posted by Brittany Holliss, MIA’s Visitor Services Officer

Dancing Bears and Downward Dogs

Many of the visitors who have taken advantage of our docent-run museum tours, may have witnessed an impressive physical feat captured in stone.  The Dancing Bears we have on display in our collection are excellent examples of Pauta Saila’s artistic talent because these large, heavy bears balance themselves ON ONE FOOT!

I don’t know if you have ever tried to stand on one leg for any length of time, but personally I can easily tip over from the faintest breeze. And anytime I take a school tour past these sculptures I try to strengthen whatever muscles I have and beat my balance time (my record is 40 seconds and the kids always beat it FYI).

This little activity has spawned a few other games and fun facts, like our SCVNGR challenge where you take a picture of your best dancing bear pose for some online points, or “Did you know” polar bear trivia about how they walk with their toes pointed outwards and slightly to the side.

As of this past Sunday, we took it one step further and actually introduced a brand new public program in partnership with Moksha Yoga Danforth. Under the instruction of Megan Hoskins, MIA staff and volunteers piloted a yoga class inside the museum and right next to the famous dancing bears. Being surrounded by art, seeing the sun rise over the water outside our windows, and gently moving into the different stances was so incredibly relaxing I started to wonder why I hadn’t gone to yoga classes earlier.

While I won’t go so far as to call myself a yogi quite yet, that quite meditation time and learning more about muscles I’ve left unnoticed is something I am definitely interested in continuing. And with the successful pilot, the museum is going to repeat this invigorating experience!

For the remainder of February, Instructor Elenanor Berenson will lead an addition session from 8:30-9:30am in the MIA Pedestal Gallery. Admission is $10, or $8 for students and members.

Anyone who is interesting in participating can register here and is reminded to bring their own mat (and blocks if you prefer to use them for certain poses).

I’m confident that Megan’s helpful hints have already helped my balance issue, but just to be safe, I won’t be offended if we’re not mat buddies haha!

- Posted by Brittany Holliss, MIA’s Visitor Services Officer

Construction Heads Up Part 8: Cutting Curbs

For the past few months we’ve been updating you all about some of dramatic changes that will be taking place around the Waterfront area. Lately there has been a lot more activity and the construction has become much more noticeable.

Here’s a quick over view of what you can expect to see happening this week, and what will be taking place in the future.

• crews will start cutting concrete curbs, beginning at 350 Queens Quay and working east to York Street
• construction noise will be audible but will fall within the City’s Construction Noise Bylaw
• two-way traffic will continue on Queens Quay but localized lane restrictions should be expected in the work zone
• Short stretches (30m) of a single east bound and west bound lane, adjacent to the TTC corridor, will be closed to traffic but will be restored for both east and westbound traffic at the end of each day
• Fast fence has been erected along the length of sidewalk adjacent to the Westin Hotel
• for pedestrians, there will be minimal route disruptions as crews will be predominately working from the curbside eastbound traffic
  lane
• Between Bay St. and York St., crews will start placing well points in preparation of dewatering
• traffic barrels and security cones will be used and paid duty police officers will be on-site (as necessary) to direct traffic

Throughout all the road work, MIA will remain open for visitors and continue to host regular hours (daily from 10-6pm) and in an effort to bypass some of the more disruptive traffic changes, we’ve created a pedestrian friendly map and the new TTC streetcar routes in order to help plan your visit.

You can see the original construction notice here, or visit the website for more information.

- Posted by: Brittany Holliss, MIA’s Visitor Services Officer

Photo-shoots and Puppy Poses

Summer might be winding down, but the Harbourfront is still busy, busy, busy.
The latest event to hit the Queen’s Quay Terminal is Haute Dog -a three day event filled with puppies and free stuff!

This event is a new one for the area. Geared towards families and their dogs, Haute Dog will be hosting different activities and shows from September 7-9th. You’ll be able to ask Dr. Slav Debski, D.V.M about for tips and advice relating to your puppy’s health and wellness, get caricatures of you and your pet, and participate in a pet photo-op for FREE!

And thanks to Sobeys, when you buy a hot dog and drink, $1 of every purchase will be donated to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides.

You can see the full schedule here.

We’re really excited to see everyone and their pets come by the Waterfront, and you’ll be able to enter to win your own MIA colouring book for free as part of the event. Just a gentle reminder, though: even though we love dogs, animals (with the exception of all service animals) will not be able to come into the museum for a visit.

-Posted by: Brittany Holliss, MIA’s Visitor ServicesOfficer