We Have to Change to Stay the Same - The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (Nova Scotia, Canada)
2023
Kim Reinhardt
In many ways, it seems that 2022 is a year for renewal. A re-start from a period of closures and other impacts of a devastating pandemic, and from a period of heightened global awareness on social injustice and inequality, racism, increasing threats of war, climate change, species at risk, and ocean conservation. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (MMA) hosted the 50th Anniversary International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) in this renewal year offering a robust programme that was heavily influenced by these shared concerns. The combination of embarking on a new half-century, and an unprecedented awareness of significant global issues, provided the obvious opportunity to explore and re-imagine our roles as meaning-making institutions, as impactful maritime museums. Many museums, the MMA included, had already been taking an inward look, trying to understand the impacts of decades of institutional bias and the reality of being part of the climate crisis. So much had changed during the past few years. It had been a long time since we could gather in-person and experience the kind of powerful networking that can only happen face-to-face. I think we had a tremendous appetite to share and discuss our recent experiences and ambitions. The moment was right for a Congress focused on new beginnings and growth. As the saying goes, “Calm seas do not make a good captain,” and we had all been through some pretty rough seas.
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