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Join our host Lorenda and Illana Hester, Executive Director of The Old School House Arts Centre, arts advisor, and coordinator of Creative Coast, for a conversation about leadership, accountability, bravery, and community-building. Explore leadership as a collaborative practice grounded in care, curiosity, transparency, vulnerability, and a willingness to learn from failure, and reflect on how arts and cultural organizations can build trust, share decision-making, challenge hierarchical systems, and create space for meaningful connection. Resources: BCMA - 2SLGBTQIA+ Cultural Professionals Network QP — The Old School House Arts Centre The Old School House Arts Centre

Join our host Lorenda and Sally Kim, Objects Conservator at the Royal BC Museum, for a conversation about accessibility, conservation, relationship-building, and repatriation. Sally reflects on her experiences as a deaf museum professional and explores how museums can move beyond accommodation toward meaningful accessibility grounded in listening, transparency, universal design, and disability justice. Consider how collaboration, cultural knowledge, and human connection can reshape conservation practice and create more welcoming, equitable, and responsive museums. Resources:  Signs by d-Deaf Conservators Accessibility - BCMA M̓ṇúxvʔit model for centering Indigenous knowledge and governance - PMC After 113 years, Royal B.C. Museum hands back chief's seat to coastal First Nation

Join our host Lorenda and Michelle Richard and Emma Wilton from the Sooke Region Museum for a conversation about community engagement, leadership, and reimagining a local museum. Ahead of the museum’s 50th anniversary, Michelle and Emma share how community feedback is guiding a complete refresh of its permanent exhibits. Explore the challenges of widening historical narratives, recognizing bias, improving accessibility, and creating space for more people to see themselves reflected in the museum while discussing transparency, accountability, risk-taking, and the importance of listening, learning, and adapting while caring for the stories and belongings entrusted to their organization. Resources:  Sooke Region Museum Interior Exhibit Refresh - Sooke Region Museum Sooke Night Market

Join our host Lorenda and Wedlidi Speck, hereditary chief and Vice President for People, Culture and Reconciliation at the Royal BC Museum, for a conversation about leadership, healing, accountability, and decolonization. Drawing on his work as a therapist, cultural leader, and museum professional, Wedlidi reflects on the importance of listening, humility, psychological and cultural safety, and collaborative decision-making. Explore how values become meaningful through action, how circles can reshape hierarchical leadership, and how Indigenous and non-Indigenous museum professionals can examine the ongoing impacts of colonization while building relationships grounded in respect, responsibility, courage, and care. Resources: Gigame’dzikas (Many Chiefs Project)

Join our host Lorenda and Q̓íx̌itasu Elroy White, Haíɫzaqv archaeologist, hereditary chief, elected council member, historian, singer, and dancer, for a conversation about leadership, cultural stewardship, archaeology, and repatriation. Explore the M̓ṇúxvit approach, grounded in Haíɫzaqv laws, knowledge, relationships, and collective responsibility, and reflect on what changes when museum objects are understood as belongings connected to living families, ceremonies, songs, and inherited rights. Resources: Haíɫzaqv archeologist practices M̓ṇúxvit approach to ancestral work | Coastal First Nations M̓ṇúxvʔit model for centering Indigenous knowledge and governance - PMC After 113 years, Royal B.C. Museum hands back chief's seat to coastal First Nation

It’s March 2026, welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month we recap some of the latest breaking news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond. Stories from March 2026:  Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw carvers restore century-old totem pole at Royal B.C. Museum | CBC News B.C. Sports Hall of Fame relocates hundreds of thousands of artifacts to make way for FIFA World Cup | CBC News New Chinese Canadian Museum Exhibit Explore Sports, Athletes, and Art Ahead of FIFA National monument honours Cowichan sweater, knitters - Victoria Times Colonist Closure of Courtenay war museum part of trend: UVic prof - Victoria Times Colonist

It’s February 2026, welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month we recap some of the latest breaking news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond. February 2026 Stories:  Find Just Desserts at Pitt Meadows Museum | Maple Ridge News Royal BC Museum faces mounting financial pressures Feasibility study looks at life after Selkirk at KSA : My Nelson Now Aviation Museum brings back Open Cockpit Day to North Saanich | Victoria News ‘Float the Boat’ campaign aims to keep Maritime Museum of BC sailing through transition year

It’s January 2026, welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month we recap some of the latest breaking news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond.   Stories from January 2026:  Museum of Personal Failure exhibition turns defeat into triumph in Vancouver | CBC News ‘This is who we are’: B.C. senior constructs mini museum to showcase Canadian design Recent Mission Museum restoration nominated for a BC Heritage Award Online exhibit celebrates B.C. Interior town’s long Japanese-Canadian legacy | Chilliwack Progress Ry Moran named acting CEO for Royal BC Museum

Welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month, we recap some of the latest breaking news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond. Stories from October 2025:  https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/578284/Dinosaurs-invading-Penticton-at-visiting-museum-exhibit https://www.cbc.ca/news/vatican-museums-indigenous-artifacts-canada-9.6946597 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sveva-caetani-vernon-bc-artist-rome-maxxi-1.7650957 https://heritagebc.ca/events-activities/annual-conference/ https://cheknews.ca/royal-bc-museum-looking-for-new-ceo-fourth-in-five-years-1285497/ https://cheknews.ca/national-toy-museum-reopens-in-downtown-victoria-with-grand-opening-weekend-1282074/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-tire-blanket-fund-9.6940989 Bonus: https://www.frequencynews.ca/news/new-museum-of-vancouver-exhibition-documents-the-lives-of-people-living-with-long-covid/

It’s September 2025, welcome to MuseNews, the BCMA’s monthly museum sector news podcast. Each month we recap some of the latest breaking news, happenings, and announcements from museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across BC and beyond. Summer Wrap-Up News Stories 2025:  Summer students integral to running of museum program | Northern News Summerland Museum hooks up fully functional telegraph machine to communicate with other museums in BC and Alberta - Castanet.net Lost for over a century, Heiltsuk Nation celebrates return of bentwood box | Globalnews.ca  'The wrong history': After 110 years and a mislabelling, Tla'amin artifacts return home Historic Japanese triplexes restored at B.C.’s oldest surviving cannery - Terrace Standard Rare ‘medieval’ artifacts found in B.C. thrift store donated to SFU for study Renewal Project — Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre This has been Muse News for Summer 2025! If you have news you want to share on this program, please email us at [email protected]. Join us in October for another episode of MuseNews, where we explore the latest news, announcements, and happenings from museums across bc and beyond! BCMA thanks Digital Museums Canada for their sponsorship.

Join our host Lorenda and SGaan Kwahagang James McGuire, Guest Scientist and Indigenous Fellow in Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History, and Jessica Strayer, NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Administrative Manager at the Fowler Museum - UCLA, for this continued conversation on NAGPRA. This follow-up episode deepens the discussion by highlighting the voices of those directly engaged in repatriation efforts and the importance of centering Indigenous perspectives, focusing on lived experience, ongoing challenges, and the work still to be done. This NAGPRA series underscores how repatriation is not a one-time event but a continuous responsibility and accountability. Museums are encouraged to critically examine their roles in truth-telling, relationship-building, and consent-based curation. Resources:  BCMA Podcast: NAGPRA and Consent-based Curation BCMA Podcast: NAGPRA In Theory, In Practice Candid Actionable Reconciliation Resources (CARE!) BCMA Indigenous Culture & Heritage Resource Portal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act BCMA WhAi

Join our host Lorenda and Jessica Strayer, NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Administrative Manager at the Fowler Museum - UCLA, as they discuss the realities of working with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Explore how this legislation impacts museum practice and what it means for institutions committed to respectful collaboration with Indigenous communities. This conversation highlights the ongoing work of repatriation, including challenges and successes, and emphasizes the need for museums to prioritize accountability, truth-telling, and relationship-building. Museums are encouraged to reflect on how their organizations approach consent, responsibility, and respect.  Get to know Jessica:  Jessica Strayer is the NAGPRA/CalNAGPRA Administrative Manager at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. She implements NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA daily and facilitates Tribal consultation and repatriation. She also works with international Indigenous communities regarding access, repatriation, and relationship-building. Jessica earned her BA with a double major in History and Archaeology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2018. She recently earned an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has archaeological field, laboratory, research, and curation experience, and has built a career in the repatriation field. Jessica is passionate about returning Ancestors and belongings to their home communities, as well as implementing ethical collections management practices rooted in Indigenous cultural care protocols. Resources:  BCMA Podcast: NAGPRA and Consent-based Curation Candid Actionable Reconciliation Resources (CARE!) BCMA Indigenous Culture & Heritage Resource Portal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

In this episode, Jazmin and Madison sit down to chat with friends and collaborators Veronica Buck and Marilyn Maychak.  Veronica and Marilyn share about their varied careers in education and arts and culture, as well as how they met, and a new podcast they're launching together soon. We also chat about the connections the two of them see between Inuk and Black cultures, and the ways they hope to see intercultural solidarity when fighting discrimination and oppression. If you enjoy this episode, stay tuned for the launch of Marilyn and Veronica's podcast- coming later this year! *Please note that there was some background noise that could not be edited out of this episode. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope that you still enjoy the great conversation.*

Join our host Madison and the creatives behind the CBC Gem docu-series Not Your Butter Chicken for a conversation about culture, community, food, and migration. This was originally recorded as a live podcast event over Zoom on June 2, 2025. During the recording, references are made to episodes from the doc-series as well as the trailer (links below).   About our guests: Shiva Reddy is a food and wine expert and a sommelier at Michelin-starred Burdock and Co. She is recognized for her work at Vancouver’s top restaurants and bringing a fresh, innovative voice to the food and wine industry in Canada. Priyanka Desai is a Mumbai-born, award winning broadcast journalist turned documentary filmmaker who has directed and produced television documentary shows in India and Canada. Her works are currently available on TELUS Originals, CBC Gem, APTN, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and AMI. She also sits on the board of Hot Docs and is Co-Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada - Northwest Chapter.   Relevant Links: Trailer: Not Your Butter Chicken Website: Not Your Butter Chicken Watch the docu-series on CBC Gem

Missed the recording live? No worries, you can still listen now! In this podcast, we discuss Nina’s work (and insights) on building brighter futures with her communities within the arts and heritage sector. Nina’s dedication to advancing heritage arts through belonging, adaptation and respectful representation of living cultures is carried through her multifaceted work and roles in the sector. Nina sits on the Advisory Council for the BCMA, is a globally acknowledged curator, artist, and the founder of the Bandish Network.