Presidents: Executive Directors: Dr. C.R. Strother-Stewart 1968-1969 Gordon Wilson 1969-1971 W.H. Howes 1971-1973 Austin Ellis 1973-1974 Malcolm Wake 1974-1976 Wayne Mitchell 1976-1979 Nancy Dillow 1976-1978 Joan Mitchell 1978-1980 Virginia Hatch 1979-1985 Bill Martodam 1980-1982 Wayne Morgan 1982-1985 Jane Turnbull Evans 1985-1987 Gayl Hipperson 1985-1998 David Klatt 1987-1989 Richard Moldenhauer 1989-1991 Mary Mahon-Jones 1991-1992 Ingrid Cazakoff 1992-1996 Frances Westlund 1996-1997 Geri Jacques 1997-1999 Lee Boyko 1998-1999 Sheila Kelly 1999-2001 Joan Kanigan-Fairen 2000-2006 Katherine Fitton 2001-2003 Chad Debert 2003-2004 Brenda Barry Byrne 2004-2007 Brenda Sherring 2006-2009 Presidents & Terry Graff 2007-2008 Royce Pettyjohn 2008-2009 Céline Perillat 2009-2010 Brenda Herman & Wendy Fitch 2009-2010 Executive Directors The Museums Association of Saskatchewan is a Purpose non-profi t, collective organization. The Association To serve museums in Saskatchewan and work for is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors their advancement. representative of the museum community. Vision The nine-member Board of Directors sets the Saskatchewan’s cultural and natural heritage will direction (Ends) and priorities for the Association, be preserved, understood and celebrated through while staff members are responsible for developing a strong, vibrant museum community, valued and and implementing the programs and services to supported by society. achieve the Board’s Ends. Statement of Philosophy Membership in MAS is open to everyone. MAS Heritage is our social and natural inheritance: the provides learning opportunities for museums, objects, ideas, places, and traditions of intrinsic personnel and their governing bodies. MAS is value which have shaped our present and will guide responsible for establishing the fi rst Standards for our future. Museums that now guides museum development across the country. We believe our collective inheritance is an asset that must be preserved, understood, and built upon by The Association raises public awareness of museums each generation. and fosters communication among members of the museum community. MAS represents the interests We believe that museums, in service to society, and concerns of the museum community to provide stewardship for the material evidence of our governments and other agencies. human and natural inheritance and contribute to the understanding of the world and our place in it - our past, our present, and our future. 2009-10 Membership Museums Association of Saskatchewan 424 McDonald Street 239 Institutional Regina, Saskatchewan • Canada S4N 6E1 8 Associates Telephone: (306) 780-9279 • Fax: (306) 780-9463 of Saskatchewan 197 Individuals Toll Free Number: 1-866-568-7386 Email: [email protected] 444 TOTAL Website: www.saskmuseums.org The Museums Association 1 2009-10 can best be described as a It identifi ed the need to put in year of challenges for the Museums place a robust Board orientation Association of Saskatchewan. and training process, so that all The Board of Directors began the Board members are aware of year by acknowledging its role their roles and responsibilities on in the diffi culties of the past, and a policy board. As well, the Board in pledging to make the changes has already begun to put in place necessary to ensure the same a number of procedures to ensure situation does not happen again. it works as effectively as possible. For example, it has implemented The Board’s fi rst challenge was a regular self-evaluation process, to ensure that the Association’s which will enable it to monitor many Céline Perillat day-to-day operations continued of its governance process policies President of the with as little disruption as possible. on an on-going basis. Board of Directors To accomplish this, it appointed the two senior staff members as The Board also began to review interim co-managers. The Board the way it monitors its own policies acknowledged that this left MAS and procedures, as well as the short-staffed, which strained its activities of the co-managers. The ability to provide the same level of major challenge with respect to the programs and services to members way it monitors activities lies in the as had been the case in the past. need to clearly defi ne what needs to However, the Board felt that this be included in monitoring reports, was the least disruptive solution. so that the Board receives the The co-managers will continue in right information to make informed this capacity until a clear direction decisions. The Board and co- for MAS is established with the managers continue to work together Wendy Fitch completion of a new strategic plan. on improving the monitoring report Co-Manager and formats. Director of Museum The Board then began what was to Development be its major challenge for the year Concurrent to its internal reviews, – the systematic analysis of current the Board was also addressing a Board policies and procedures. The number of other issues - fi rst, the main reason for this internal review challenge of reconnecting with MAS was to determine where there were members. Members had called gaps or weaknesses. The Board has for regular communications from identifi ed the need for several policy the Board and staff of MAS at the Message from the changes and the development 2008 Annual General Meeting. In of new procedures to ensure its response, a new communications policies are followed. The Board has vehicle was created – MAS En begun to make the policy changes Masse. In 2009-10, MAS En identifi ed, and will complete the task Masse became the MAS Board Brenda Herman in 2010, recognizing that one of the & Staff Quarterly Report, which President & Management Co-Manager and key procedures to be implemented is distributed to all members. Director of Finance is to have a regularly-scheduled Summaries of each Board meeting policy review process in place. are also posted on the MAS website after each meeting. 2 Through these tools, members can see what the Board is doing In early 2010, a Call for Advocacy Action was issued on behalf of on a regular basis. In addition, members of the Board have met the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation (SHF) asking museums with the Network and Special Interest Group Representatives. to show their support for the SHF to the provincial government as it prepared its annual budget. The decision to move forward as expeditiously as possible with the development of a new strategic plan for MAS was a major MAS developed the Advocacy Guide – Tools and Tips for outcome of the Board’s internal review process. It had been those unfamiliar with the advocacy process, as it realized that anticipated that this would be accomplished during the 2009-10 MAS cannot be a successful advocate for museums if the fi scal year. Unfortunately, this was not the case, for a variety of museums are unable to participate in the process as well - reasons beyond the Board’s control. However, a consultant will MAS and museums must be partners in order to achieve the be hired and will begin the process at the 2010 annual meeting, desired changes. Finally, MAS Board and staff members were and will present a fi nal version of the new strategic plan at the involved in the successful launch of the new heritage umbrella 2011 AGM and Mini-Conference. organization Heritage Saskatchewan. While the Board was conducting its review of the policies, The Museums Assistance Program presented MAS staff with processes, and procedures by which it governs and provides a major challenge when it declined to provide further funding the Association with direction and sets priorities, the staff faced for MAS’ Aboriginal initiatives. Rather than abandon these challenges as well. The fi rst challenge was for the two senior important initiatives, it was decided to incorporate them into the staff members to integrate the new duties of co-managers with existing Museums and Sustainability Initiative under the Cultural their existing workloads. Not surprisingly, this took some time Diversity heading. This ensured that, while not at the previous to accomplish. It also led to the need to set new operational level of activity, the Aboriginal initiatives would continue to be priorities, and to adjust the timeframe for some projects. It supported by MAS. was also necessary to reduce the communications position to half-time, for fi nancial reasons, which added to the staffi ng The Special Interest Groups (SIGs), with the assistance of MAS challenges being faced. On a positive note, the same individuals staff, began a major renewal process. It included determining were retained in both contract positions – communications and the viability of the various SIGs in their existing forms. This was professional development coordinator. done in a collaborative way, asking former SIG members for their participation. As SIGs’ memberships were established, staff As with the Board, renewing the promise to ensure regular, would work with the various groups to identify their statements of meaningful communications with members was a priority for purpose, membership criteria, representative selection process, MAS staff in 2009-10. This took the form of a commitment etc. This process will continue until all SIGs are again providing to regular MAS website updates and the distribution of the an opportunity for museum practitioners to exchange ideas with e-newsletter E-Phemera on a bi-weekly basis. In alternate colleagues. weeks, new editions of The Megaphone were distributed. In addition, MAS staff were in regular contact with member groups As was stated earlier, this has been a challenging year for MAS – Special Interest Groups and Networks. Adjustments to the new – challenging in a good way. It has been a year of introspection MAS website continue in order to ensure it provides services to for both Board and staff members, where they have been forced both museums and the general public.