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Advocating for Ottawa’s Heritage Sector

Sons of Scotland Pipe Band who undertook to perform for seniors sequestered in residences on Porter Island on National Tartan Day (April 6). PHOTO: Catherine Lindquist

The Capital Heritage Connexion continues to advocate for the needs of our Heritage sector and to promote all it still has to offer during these challenging times, and will again, in better times ahead.

Understanding the difficulties many in our heritage community are experiencing and the support they could benefit from, we are now offering 2020 Connexion memberships at no charge to new Members.  To become a Member, join here.  We will also be refunding 2020 membership fees to existing Members experiencing financial difficulty.

An upcoming Member benefit will be a timely half-day online training workshop on May 12th, focusing on Crisis Communications, delivered by expert Heather Badenoch, Village PR.  Members can register here (with fees now waived, due to the pandemic).

On our communications front, we continue to be inspired by and highlight impressive heritage initiatives in the Capital.  Kudos go out to the Canadian Conservation Institute and Canadian Heritage Information Network for donating their stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Ottawa Hospital.  And, to the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band who undertook to perform for seniors sequestered in residences on Porter Island on National Tartan Day, April 6th.  Pipe Major Bethany Bisaillion was joined by her fellow piper, young drummer and highland dancers to the appreciation of the residents, including two special sisters:  long-time business and community leader and Heritage champion, Grete Hale and food writer Gay Cook.  Grete did look Hale and hearty sporting her red serge jacket and Fraser tartan kilt; and Gay looked just that, especially when family arrived to say hello.  It was a personal pleasure to exchange Spring greetings with them (and to feel the presence of their other special sister, dearly departed civic and tourism leader Jean Pigott).

As we close out Archives Awareness Month, these are the type of moments, be they uplifting, surreal or sad, that can make up a unique archive of our time.  How are you capturing experiences during the pandemic for future generations?  Or helping others to?  Throughout March, the Goulbourn Museum encouraged families to create “My Family Is…” projects, which asked people to create exhibitions about their family history using objects found in their homes.  And Ingenium recently launched an initiative called #CuratingUnderQuarantine that examines the unique position of curators to interpret the significance of this historic moment in real time.

Our new Communications Coordinator, Trisha Booth, looks forward to helping share these and other initiatives.  A recent Concordia University graduate, we’re pleased to welcome Trisha (virtually) aboard!

Catherine Lindquist,
Executive Director