70th CMA National Conference – Game Changer

OTTAWA, Ontario, April 3, 2017 – The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) is excited to welcome close to 600 museum and cultural professionals to Ottawa, Ont., for its 70th National Conference, April 4th to 7th.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage will speak during the opening ceremony on Thursday, April 6th. A live stream of Minister Joly’s welcome address will be available on CMA’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/musecdn.

In honour of CMA’s 70th anniversary, many inspiring keynote speakers will discuss how museums can change the game:

• Angela Cassie, Vice-President, Public Affairs & Programs, Canadian Museum of Human Rights;
• Eric Chan a.k.a. eepmon, Digital Artist in Residence, Algonquin College Applied Research and Innovation Centre;
• Joseph Boyden, Novelist and short story writer;
• Alexandra Cherry, Public Programs Coordinator, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21;
• Michael Peter Edson, Co-founder, Associate Director and Head of Digital at the UN Live Museum of Humanity;
• Jeremy Hansen, Astronaut;
• Sebastian Irvine, Member, Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Youth Advisory Group;
• Sarah Parcak, Space Archaeologist; and
• Senator Murray Sinclair, Former Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

“Game Changer is not about building flashy new museums, although that is one approach,” said John G. McAvity, CMA executive director and CEO. “It is all about reinventing our approach to bring emotion and life to the experience. We live in an ever changing world and we must rethink and adapt quickly. This is about changing our perspective and putting people first — that is when museums succeed.”

More than 50 educational sessions include issues of Indigenous museum collections, reconciliation; approaching the next generation of museum-goers; and staying afloat in an ever-evolving world. For more information, please visit the CMA National Conference website bit.ly/cma2017 and join us on Twitter to participate in the conference with the hashtag #CMAMC2017.

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