A Lively Art: Museum Animation

Once again, the CMC came to life through a dynamic programme of performances and public participation activities. Key objectives were to: deliver high-quality interpretive programmes; reach as wide an audience as possible and make effective use of resources.

The Public Programmes Division expanded or improved upon a number of its activities this year. The Museum's theatre troupe developed two new plays and three new historical characters, one of them a black teacher in an Ontario school. The successful See and Hear the World music series grew from four to seven concerts. School tours included a greater number of participatory activities. In addition, the Museum expanded its summer camp programme to outdoor sites. This year also saw the launch of a new special events series called Celestial Celebrations, which features the holidays and traditions of diverse cultural groups.

The Division found many ways to extent resources. Training of volunteer guides continued, with the corps now numbering 105 members who received a total of 67 two-hour training sessions over the year. Actors from the Museum's interpretive theatre company played a greater role in school programmes and in revenue-generating events (such as corporate dinners) organized by the Commercial Enterprises Division. For the first time, an interpreter was involved in exhibition development from the beginning of the process, enhancing both the interpretive programme and the exhibition as a whole; the Inuit art exhibition Isumavut included cultural objects (e.g., tools, clothing) from the Living History Collection, allowing visitors to examine traditional objects illustrated in some of the worlds of art.

The Division also took advantage of partnership opportunities. Main achievements were the hosting of an international symposium on museum interpretation, which brought together 108 delegates from five countries for networking and information exchange; and a joint project with a consortium of twenty Inuit agencies to present Qaggiq `95 -- performances, displays and demonstrations at the CMC -- as part of the National Capital Region's Winterlude festival. This event was broadcast world-wide on TV5.

Numbers of performances, lectures, etc.

Interpretive theatre (2,001); Animation (2,616); School groups (Eng.) (336); School groups (Fr.) (232); Cultures Canada (15); See and Hear the World (7); Celestial Celebrations (3); Lecture (7); Film screenings (49); Other events (32).

Number of Participants in Public Programmes Events

Interpretive theatre (131,550); Animation (51,677); School groups (16,933); Cultures Canada (8,486); See and Hear the World (3,119); Celestial Celebrations (1,500); Lectures (615); Film screenings (4,683); Other events (20,700).

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