A recipient of HCIP Travel funds through the Fall 2019 intake of the program, Jean Middleton visited Ottawa and Gatineau for a symposium on the value of play in museums. As AAM reopens this month (July 2020), visitors of all ages can do more self-guided exploration, benefiting from the perspective Jean gained through HCIP. Read more.

In the summer of 2019, while coordinating the Heritage Community Investment Program during a maternity leave coverage, Soni Dasmohapatra initiated a mentorship pilot project. This initiative brought to life one of the key Actions of the City of Edmonton’s Connections & Exchanges: A 10-Year Plan to Transform Arts and Heritage in Edmonton. The plan recommends that mentorship programs should be available in the Heritage sector to build organizational and individual professional capacity for Heritage professionals to aid with succession and sustainability planning in the sector. Read more on the pilot project here.

The Edmonton Historical Board, Edmonton Heritage Council and the City of Edmonton are excited to welcome Amber Paquette as the city’s newest Historian Laureate. Paquette becomes Edmonton’s sixth Historian Laureate since the position was established in 2010. She assumes the role from outgoing Historian Laureate Marlena Wyman. Paquette is a Métis multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker, born and raised in Edmonton. She has worked as a historian, storyteller and an Indigenous Peoples Interpreter with Fort Edmonton Park. Read more.