About
Mission
The Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice mobilizes and supports Canadian museum workers and their organizations in building public awareness, mitigation and resilience in the face of climate change.
The Coalition welcomes participation from people who support the goals outlined below and who are employed within Canadian museums and other cultural institutions along with those who work in support of museums in Canada and around the world including, among others, board members, volunteers, consultants, students, scholars and public servants.
To join the Coalition, please visit our Facebook Page or contact us directly.
ROBERT R. JANES – FOUNDER
Robert R. Janes is an independent scholar and served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship from 2003 to 2014. He is also a visiting research fellow at the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester (United Kingdom). He has worked in and around museums for over 40 years as an executive, consultant, editor, author, board member, archaeologist, instructor, volunteer, and philanthropist. Janes has devoted his career to championing museums as important social institutions that are capable of making a difference in the lives of individuals and heir communities. His latest book is Museum Activism with Richard Sandell (Routledge 2019).
Coalition Goals
1. Help build internal awareness of climate change responses within the museum community
2. Support museums in strengthening public awareness and mitigation of climate change
3. Mobilize museums as participants and activists in public discourse on climate change.
4. Empower museums to lead by example by providing tools and resources to do so.
Guiding Principles
The Coalition:
- Serves as a trustworthy broker to facilitate healthy and respectful dialogue among different points of view on issues confronting museums and their communities as they address climate change.
- Ensures that information regarding climate change is authentic and relevant.
- Respects and builds on diverse perspectives, including Indigenous knowledge and viewpoints.
- Updates on the Coalition
For Updates on the Coalition, please visit our News and Events Pages.
Advisory Committee
As of February 2020, a national Advisory Committee is in place to provide overall governance and share the work on a voluntary basis. Members of the initial Advisory committee were Joy Davis (BC), Viviane Gosselin (BC), Robert Janes (Alberta), David Jensen (BC), and Peter Ord (BC).
The Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice also has nearly 2,000 followers on its social media channels. We are your current Advisory Committee members. Scroll down to read more about us! We intend to expand this group as the work increases.
VIVIANE GOSSELIN – MEMBER AT LARGE
Viviane joined the Museum of Vancouver‘s team in 2010. Her work on historical and environmental literacy seeks to make the museum a more responsive, empathetic, and democratic public space that prompts people to recognize their own capacity to effect positive social change.
Viviane has led and co-curated several exhibitions that have been recognized nationally and internationally.
She has authored several articles on participatory museology and intercultural curation and is co-editor of Museums and the Past: Constructing Historical Consciousness (UBC Press). Viviane is currently involved in developing sustainable exhibition design practices with a team of city staff, architects and designers committed to creating a no-waste city. Rather than talking about innovation, she prefers to focus on the power of small wins as a mean of furthering the social and environmental work of museums.
DAVID JENSEN – CHAIR
David is the Principal at D. Jensen & Associates Ltd. D. Jensen & Associates Ltd. (DJA) is a company of exhibit designers, planners and graphic artists who for the past 40 years have been involved in the research, planning and design of exhibits for museums, science centres, world expositions, cultural institutions and government agencies.
David has a heart-felt interest and appreciation for the world around him and a wish to share this appreciation with others through his work. He understands the importance of people and teamwork, cooperation and good project and personnel management planning. David believes museum and other cultural institutions can play an important role in educating the public about climate issues and inspiring them to make changes in their everyday lives to help address this exigent situation.
MARIE-CLAUDE MONGEON – MEMBER AT LARGE
Marie-Claude Mongeon currently works at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. She previously held various positions at the National Gallery of Canada for over 15 years, where she recently led an ongoing discussion group on greening museum activities. She holds two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Ottawa, in visual arts and art history, as well as an International Baccalaureate Diploma in natural sciences. She lives in Canada’s capital region with her family, near Gatineau Park, giving her the opportunity to bike into town through gorgeous natural landscapes.
Marie-Claude Mongeon travaille au Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. Auparavant, elle a tenu divers postes au Musée des beaux-arts du Canada pendant 15 ans, où elle a récemment mené un groupe de discussion pour explorer les opportunités de verdir les pratiques muséales. Elle détient deux Baccalauréats de l’Université d’Ottawa, en arts visuels et en histoire de l’art, et un diplôme du Baccalauréat International en sciences de la nature. Elle vit dans la région de la capitale nationale, près du Parc de la Gatineau, lui procurant la chance de se rendre en ville en vélo en traversant de magnifiques paysages naturels.
JENNIFER CARTER – MEMBER AT LARGE
Jennifer Carter is Associate professor in the Department of Art History and interfaculty graduate Museology programs at the Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada, where she recently completed a 5-year term as Director of the museology programs. Jennifer’s research investigates the global phenomenon of human rights museology, and considers how historical and social justice are negotiated curatorially and pedagogically in cultural institutions dedicated to human rights in different geopolitical contexts around the world. Jennifer has presented her research internationally and published her research widely in English and French. She is Associate Editor of the international journal Museum Management and Curatorship, and is Vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Holocaust Museum.
DANA MURRAY – MEMBER AT LARGE
Dana Murray is the Public Art Associate and Registrar for the City of St. Albert, Alberta. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, she completed her Master of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto with a particular focus in collections care and preventative conservation. Graduating in 2017 she continues to advocate for sustainability and collections emergency preparedness within academic, federal, municipal, and private collections. Dana’s research interests include climate change and sustainability in the cultural sector, emergency planning and response, and professionalism in the museums and galleries. She is Chair of the Emergency Sub-Committee with the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists, Mentor with the Faculty of Information’s Peer Mentoring @iSchool program, and volunteer Program Coordinator with KiCulture.