“History is Objective” …. “It Does Matter”…

“History is Objective” …. “It Does Matter”…
Interview with the Canadian War Museum
Featuring Dr. Peter MacLeod, Historian, Pre-Confederation

GROWTH in TOURISM … Learning from our Past …

During a recent visit to Ottawa, Ontario Visited had the privilege of spending some time speaking with Dr. Peter MacLeod, Historian, Pre-Confederation with the Canadian War Museum.  The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions.

Our Ontario Visited/War of 1812 Celebrations readers might be interested to know … “if the CWM feels our Canadian Heritage contributes to the growth of tourism in this country and what can museums do to encourage development of this increasingly important aspect of our economic development”? The response …“The Canadian War Museum welcomes almost 500,000 visitors annually. Seventy-five percent are Canadians from outside the National Capital Region. These visitors come to see the high-quality, well-researched exhibitions that the War Museum has developed a reputation for producing.” During our interview, we were told that the War of 1812 Exhibition has had in excess of 90,000 visitors.

It must have taken an extraordinary amount of time and effort in the planning of such an amazing Exhibition. Dr. MacLeod explained to us that the initial planning started in 2005. After the core team was formed, it took almost 18 months to completion. First there was a core team of 3, and then an extended team of 12, with over one hundred as the exhibition moved into the final installation phase. As we walked through the exhibit, I couldn’t help but notice all the idiosyncrasies in the making of this Exhibition. We were referred to a time lapse video that captured the installation of the exhibition.

Behind the Scenes of 1812: One War. Four Perspectives, (http://youtu.be/puajNlouKFw) takes 2 minutes 57 seconds to watch and I highly recommend watching it!

Dr. MacLeod told us that approximately one half of the artifacts are borrowed from other museums and institutions. The advantage in 2012 for the Canadian War Museum is there is not a high demand for the many of the artifacts at this time. For example, the anniversary for the Battle of New Orleans is in 2016, and Washington in 2014.

A quote from the CWM … “The Canadian War Museum goes to great lengths to develop appealing visitor experiences that enhance our educational role, including interactive kiosks and in-gallery activities that tie in historical elements.” During our interview, Dr. MacLeod stated that it is important for everyone to know who they are, where they came from, to identify in a practical way. He tells us “identity and self knowledge are important”. The core message is always there”. Dr. MacLeod states it is important to “narrate this Historical Event with INCLUSION in Mind!” I say … Tourism … History …. Our past …. Our future!

(To Be Continued)