By: Molly Gosewich
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Dear Musings readers,
As the new school year begins and as Mia and I move on to new pastures, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our tenure as Co-Editors-in-Chief, recognize all the incredible work from the team of talented contributing editors, and (virtually) pass the torch to the new Musings Co-Editors-in-Chief, Neshan and Kara!
Molly: Mia, how would you describe your year?
Mia: From researching and writing, to interning and working, and travelling over this summer… the year definitely flew by! I’m grateful for experiences I’ve had while in the museum studies program, and I’m excited to continue to apply everything I’ve learned to new places and projects – currently, at the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington.
And what about your year? What are you working on right now?
Molly: This year was great! I got to work with a cool team, finally meet my colleagues in person, do research abroad, finish and defend my thesis! A whirlwind but exciting nonetheless! As of now, I’m working with the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.
Mia: Of course, we both also did a lot of exciting work at Musings! I thoroughly enjoyed working with you on getting the new website up – the design and layout you envisioned has such a fresh feel! – and of course editing all the amazing and innovative articles we got sent in.
Molly: This website was a labour of love and I’m so pleased we could see its development and execution through. Not to mention doing a special little travel edition of ‘Musings Abroad’ in which I highlighted my museum-going activities in Germany.
Mia: We want to once more extend our appreciation to all the writers over the 2022-23 year, whether you were a regular contributor or one-off submitter (shout-out to: Rebecca, Sarah, Elyse, and everyone involved in our Capstone and Thesis check-ins!).
Rachel kept us engaged in exhibition reviews as galleries and museums began finally opening up for regular visits (my personal favourite was probably this one at the plumb), while Avi’s work prompted reflection on various topics including the safety of the re-opening plan and Sara touched on the longevity of virtual museum programming. Longtime writer Helen wrote on a variety of topics and themes, and also developed and introduced a brand new column to Musings – Colour the Canvas, through a collaboration with Museum Professionals of Colour. Megan also explored the topic of decolonization, highlighting the role of radical hope in doing so. Finally, a special thanks as well to Ana Villegas for her help as our Musings Communication Officer and for her timely and well-researched articles such as a live update on the ongoing invasion in Ukraine and response of heritage professionals there.
To sum it up, there’s something for everybody’s taste and interest, which is exactly why I think Musings is so important – it allows us to discuss and share topics close to us and that we think others need to know more about, or just to have some fun and gain inspiration from each other.
Best of luck to you all in the school year and the new edition of Musings!
Molly and Mia