International Graduate Field School in Critical Museology

Curating and Public Scholarship Lab (capsl.cerev.ca)
Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
May 15th – 27th, 2017
The International Graduate Field School in Critical Museology, sponsored by the Canada Research

Chair in Museum and Heritage Studies at Concordia University, will introduce students to the museum as a significant venue for debating social issues, as well as both an actor in and site of struggle for defining and expanding definitions of nation, citizenship, and heritage. Students will learn about current approaches to critical museology theory and practice from leading scholars and museum professionals. The Field School will culminate in a showcase of student projects at the Museum Anthropology Futures conference, the inaugural conference of the Council for Museum Anthropology (American Anthropological Association) at Concordia University.

Dates: Monday, May 15th – Saturday, May 27th
(Museum Anthropology Futures conference is May 25-27)

The first week of the field school will consist of lectures, theoretical readings, and discussions, as well as museum site-visits (details below). In the second week students will undertake a guided “Curatorial Dreaming” exercise and produce their own imagined exhibitions or interventions, which will be showcased at the Museum Anthropology Futures conference. Student “Curatorial Dream” projects will result in proposals for either a curatorial or pedagogical intervention in a local Montreal museum, or for an imagined exhibition based on social, cultural, or historical research.

Faculty includes:
● Dr. Erica Lehrer – Canada Research Chair in Museum and Heritage Studies, Concordia University
● Dr. Heather Igloliorte – Concordia University Chair in Aboriginal Art History and Community Engagement
● Dr. Shelley Ruth Butler – McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and Principal, Curatorial Dreaming workshops (http://cerev.org/curatorialdreams/)
● Dr. Jennifer Carter – Director of Museology, UQAM
● Dr. Angela Failler – CRC in Culture and Public Memory, University of Winnipeg
● Dr. Monica Patterson – Head of Curatorial Studies, Carleton University

Topics include:
Critical museology in transnational perspective
Decolonizing museology
Human Rights Museology
Digital museology
“Difficult Knowledge” in the Museum
Artists’ interventions in Museums
Children’s Museology
Curatorial Dreaming methodology

Lectures will be complemented by “behind the scenes” site visits to local museums, including:
● McCord Museum
● Centre d’Histoire de Montreal
● Montreal Holocaust Museum
● Museum of Jewish Montreal
● Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

LOGISTICAL DETAILS:
Costs: QC students – Free; Rest of Canada – $360; International students – $1,800 (includes health insurance)

Credits: Students will receive a course grade and 3 graduate course credits

Housing: Limited free-of charge dormitory accommodation available for out-of-town participants

TO APPLY: Please answer the following questions in maximum 300 words:
1. Why do you want to participate in the Field School in Critical Museology?
2. What is your academic or practical experience with museums and/or museology?
3. If applicable, describe a body of research that you would like to translate into a proposed exhibition (a “curatorial dream”).
4. Please send a current CV and academic transcript.
5. If you need financial aide, please describe your circumstances and requirements.

DEADLINE: Please send inquiries and application materials by March 30th, 2017 to: cerev@concordia.ca