2. Museum of Vancouver (ACAM)

Organization Information

Organization Name

Museum of Vancouver

Mission and Vision of Organization

VISION

To inspire a socially connected, civically engaged city.

MISSION

To achieve a deeper understanding of Vancouver through stories, objects and shared experiences.

Guiding Principles + Values

As a civic organization we are committed to deepening our collective understanding of the City through our common stories, objects and experiences. MOV conceptualizes this through our engagement priorities, which have been focus into 4 broad areas that we have deemed our pillars. These include:

• Redress and Decolonization
• Immigration and Diversity
• Environment and Sustainability
• Urban and Contemporary Issues

Contact Information

• Primary Contact Person(s): Vivanne Gosselin
• Email: [[1]]
• Phone: (604) 736-4431
• Address: 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC
• Website: https://museumofvancouver.ca/

Preferred Method of Contact

• Best method(s) to contact: Email
• Best day(s) to contact: Appointment based
• Best time(s) to contact: Mornings, Afternoons

Preferred Platform(s) for Remote Collaboration

• In person, Zoom

Project Description

Context: What challenge or issue does the project aim to address?

Situated on the unceded homelands of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, the MOV Backyard Garden Project celebrates the multicultural and diverse backyard gardens kept by local residents in Metro Vancouver. For many, a garden is a place of retreat for the mind, body and soul. Many migrant families keep personal gardens that are used to grow food familiar to their cultural foodways. A notable example is the Chinese “kitchen garden”—a backyard garden kept by early Chinese immigrants when traditional Chinese crops were not readily available at the markets. The garden space encourages us to explore and reflect on the roles of backyard gardens at the intersections of cultural heritage and our local food system. In this project, students will help organise and execute fall/winter garden activities to help prepare the raised beds and continue to animate the MOV Backyard Garden space at the Museum of Vancouver in the off-season. The garden plots are situated next to the entrance of the museum and often attract visitors from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. While working in the garden, students will get the opportunity to communicate their project with visitors, hold informal gardening sessions that help convey food literacy skills to the public.

Main Project Activities and Deliverable(s)

• Plan and organise winter harvest such as cover cropping, overwintering garlic, to get the bed ready for 2022 spring growing season
• Interact with public when performing gardening activities at the museum
• Research different ways of preserving food using different ingredients that could be grown at the garden to represent the diverse and multicultural backyard gardens in the Lower Mainland and broader themes of agricultural sustainability
• Research a potential program plan for the implementation of food preservation workshop and activities

Will the work happen remotely or in person?

• In person

Student Assets and Skills (preferred or required)

• Interest and knowledge in gardening and sustainable agriculture
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Organisational skills
• Experience connecting to the public in an educational setting

Are there any mandatory attendance dates (e.g. special event)?

• In person orientation 22nd September @ MOV

Is a criminal record search (CRS) required?

• No

Preferred Days of Week and Hours

• Flexible

Related Community Service Opportunities for Students

• Depending on individual / group performances throughout the project, students might be offered a paid internship position to work with UBC’s INSTRCC organization on community engagement programs, including possible internships with various local organizations

Required Reading

Project/Partner Orientation Materials

Students should review these materials prior to the first partner meeting:

• Past project materials: MOV Backyard Garden: https://museumofvancouver.ca/backyard-garden
• Past garden projects: https://instrcc.ubc.ca/initiatives/projects/mov-backyard-garden/
• Garden Harvest Event: https://instrcc.ubc.ca/sshrc-pdg-story-highlight-celebrating-a-milestone-in-activating-a-multi-sited-museum-through-backyard-gardening/
• Back to the Roots Garden Workshop: https://museumofvancouver.ca/back-to-the-roots
• Cooking Workshop: https://museumofvancouver.ca/gardening-cooking-workshop
• Chinese Canadian Stories IG (or search #movbygardens on IG)

Additional Project/Partner Orientation Materials

• https://www.westcoastseeds.com/blogs/garden-wisdom/winter-gardening

• Be available for in-person orientation & field tour @MOV on 22 September 1pm - 4pm