Faculty of Information alumnae and sessional instructor, Cathy Blackbourn, is this year’s proud recipient of the 2015 Ontario Museum Association (OMA) Distinguished Career Award of Excellence.
The Award is presented to individuals who, over an extended period of time, have created a lasting and meaningful legacy in the Ontario museum community.
For the past 30 years, Cathy has shifted, influenced, and helped transform standards and guidelines at Ontario museums, first as an Instructor in Museum Studies at the University of Toronto; as Museum and Heritage Advisor for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport (2011-2014); at the Ontario Museum Association as Professional Development Program Manager (1998-2011); and at the Joseph Schneider Haus Museum as Education Coordinator (1987-1998).
“Cathy’s dedication to Museum Studies, education, and teaching in all its forms is reflected deeply in her 30 years of experience. Colleagues are extremely happy with the decision to give her the Distinguished Career Award,” says Dr. Matt Brower, Director of the Museum Studies program at the iSchool.
Her passion for Museum Studies began at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto (U of T) where Cathy received her MMSt (Master of Museum Studies) in 1984. Eight years later, Cathy also completed a teaching degree at U of T, and combined the two degrees to carve out a career dedicated to championing education and community engagement in every role she has filled.
Two years ago she had the unexpected opportunity to “pay it forward”, as MMSt Internship course instructor. She has recently received confirmation that she will work with this year’s “Boundless” internship students.
Consultant and educator, Dr. M. Christine Castle, further iterated Cathy’s commitment to education and collaboration saying: “Her longstanding interest in and commitment to mentoring and the development of the next generation of museum workers has clearly borne fruit… So often the age cohorts in our field keep themselves apart from one another… Cathy Blackbourn has been able to bridge that gap again and again.”
Ms Blackbourn was a Museum & Heritage Advisor for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport until November 2014. Prior to assuming this position in April 2011, she was Professional Development Program Manager for the OMA for 13 years. In this role, she helped develop courses and resources for membership of museums and people who work in museums in Ontario. Cathy further participated as a member of The Learning Coalition for nine years. Lastly, she taught two OMA Certificate courses (Museums in Context, Museums & Community) and “The Art of Managing People,” an HR workshop developed by Cultural Careers Council Ontario.
In the past, Cathy has worked for the Royal Ontario Museum, London Regional Children’s Museum, Toronto Historical Board and Oakville Museums. As a member of The Learning Coalition, Cathy co-authored Building Responsive Museums: A Discussion Framework, Human Resource Planning Tool for Successful Museums, two online learning modules on Project Management and Storyline Development: Improving Performance Through Evaluation: A Resource Guide for Museum Training Providers & Managers and Guidelines for Developing Entry-Level Museum Practice Programs.
Congratulations to Cathy on receiving the recognition she so aptly deserves!
