Museum - Museum Professionals of Colour in Toronto, Ontario

Who’s ready for our second event of the Diversity and Inclusion in Information Sciences series? Be sure to join us next Tuesday for a conversation with Twysted Miyake-Mugler that’ll surely be worth s across the board You can join through the MPOC BBCollab on the Virtual Inforum, through bit.ly/DIIS_MPOC, or DM/email us for the link! This event is open to everyone, so see you there! ... Twysted Miyake-Mugler is a house founder, house father, teacher, activist, advocate and emissary of Canadian ballroom. Founder of the Kiki House of Siriano, and Canadian/Midwest Father of the Iconic New York-based House of Miyake-Mugler, he’s competed, walked, hosted and taught across North America throughout his voguing career stretching over a decade. Twysted is also the founder of the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance - TKBA and a consultant for the MTL Kiki Ballroom Alliance & Capital City Kiki Ballroom Alliance (Ottawa), organizations that work towards introducing youth to ballroom culture in safe, alcohol-free environments. He’s led workshop nights at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Montreal’s Never Apart, and the University of Ottawa. His work also includes involvement with the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, which disseminates information and builds networks amongst Queer People of Colour. His presence in Toronto’s queer and Canadian ballroom scenes is foundational the work of a true pioneer. See more

It’s officially November and we’ve got lots of exciting events planned! Led by the Accessibility Interests Working Group and in collaboration with the Diversity Working Group (@the_dwg), MPOC has planned three fabulous events over the course of November, as part of a Diversity and Inclusion in Information Sciences Superconference. Across both semesters, each group has been assigned a month, where every week we will be delivering lectures and workshops on the topic of filling... in the gaps of information studies. Join us and our amazing guest speakers as we talk about navigating the arts and culture sector as racialized and marginalized professionals. Tune in on the MPOC Channel in the Virtual Inforum or, for non-iSchool students, DM us or send us an email at [email protected] We hope to see you at an event soon! EDIT: Live captioning is available for these events**

We’ve got some really exciting events planned over the next month for you all! This series of events is part of the SUPERCONFERENCE organized by the Accessibility Interests Working Group (AIWG), the Diversity Working Group (@the_dwg), and yours truly! Stay tuned for updates on the upcoming events, but next week we’ve got a great panel with Marsya and Petrina from @gendaigallery ! The panel will be hosted on MPOC’s BBCollab channel through the Virtual Inforum. DM or email us... at [email protected] for the link if you’d like to attend and don’t have access! This event is open to everyone As the new stewards of Tkaronto/Toronto-based collective Gendai, independent curator Marsya Maharani and artist Petrina Ng are building upon the organization’s twenty-year legacy of decentering whiteness by investing in BIPOC-led and equitable arts labour through collective research and practice. With research interests expanding from issues of decolonization, collective values, working conditions, alternative governance, and radical allyship, Petrina and Marsya are informed by their roles and responsibilities as racialized settlers and uninvited guests working and learning on Turtle Island. In 2020, Gendai launched its new direction with two programs: Gendai MA MBA, a think-tank for BIPOC-led arts collectives to co-learn and resource-share; and Gendai CO-OP, a peer-led accountability program for cultural institutions invested in improving racial equity. Working to simultaneously dismantle and strengthen cultural institutions, Gendai invests in racialized arts practitioners as the next generation of cultural leaders, radical thinkers, and visionaries who embody new pathways towards more equitable futures.

**PLEASE NOTE that this event has been postponed until Friday September 25, 6:00PM - 7:30PM so that folks who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah can participate in the event. We will be recording the event and sharing upon request. Please email Dominica Tang at [email protected] for access. See below for more info. ** Event link: https://fb.me/e/1vLtodhO2 Within the first day of announcing our report and event, we were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support. We’re gl...ad you’re excited to hear the results of our survey. We are grateful for the folks who informed us that Friday is Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year). This was a blind spot for us and we apologize to our Jewish colleagues and peers for this oversight. Our report states that we want for the iSchool to be more culturally sensitive and aware, and we welcome this learning experience for ourselves as well. For this reason, we are changing the date to next Friday September 25, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM EDT. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we hope to see you there! We have received several requests to record the panel discussion. We will be recording and transcribing the session for accessibility purposes, and sharing upon request. This event prioritizes BIPOC, disabled, and 2SLGBTQ+ students, and we want to create a space where our community feels comfortable voicing their concerns without fear of repercussions. If you would like to request a recording of the panel, please email Dominica Tang at [email protected] If you require further accommodations for the event, please email Jace at [email protected]

Hi all! Our annual general meeting for the 2020-2021 academic year will be next Monday! The meeting is open to all University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, and alumni. If you don’t have access to the virtual inforum, send us an email at [email protected] from your UTMail, or DM us with your UTMail address for the link. We’re looking forward to catching up, amending our constitution, announcing our upcoming elections, and telling you what we’ve been up to and what we’ve got planned for the year!

Join us as we discuss major findings from the 'Diversity and Inclusion Experience at the iSchool' survey a collaborative effort from our student leaders. The survey was conducted in June 2020 as part of a protest against anti-Blackness, colonialism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia at the Faculty of Information. Panelists:... Prof. Rhonda McEwen - Faculty Oy Lein Jace Harrison - DWG Lo Humeniuk - DWG Dominica Tang - MPOC Jordan Vetter - MUSSA Melissa Mertsis - MUSSA Katy Czajkowski - MISC Adrian Petterson - AIWG Amy Farrow - AIWG Join via our Facebook event page: https://tinyurl.com/y6brnnc2 If you require accommodations please contact Jace at [email protected]

Another fantastic article by Armando Perla on how museum staff, publics and artists are holding these institutions accountable for their abuses against BIPOC and LGBTTQI+ staff and visitors. Check it out!

The following message was sent to us by Jessica Olson MacLean (facebook.com/jlmaclean): "Parks Canada is looking to fill 2 Curator positions. They state that they are "committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process" I really encourage young/emerging museum professionals to apply. Pls send this out to your network. The degree requirements are really broad, but even if you don't fit into those categories, apply anyway. Parks needs to realize that Indigenous folks are qualified and capable of telling their own stories and caring for their own material culture. I am here for you to edit resumes and cover letters, or even just to chat. I can also try to set you up with a current or previous Parks employee to chat about the work culture."

Read this great piece on how to address institutional racism in Canadian museums by Armando Perla that was just published by the CMA! You can listen to more of Armando's thoughts at our first On Possible Futures panel this Saturday at 11:30 am. Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/on-possible-futures-registratio

ON POSSIBLE FUTURES Next Saturday August 29th at 11:30AM and 3PM we will be live with ON POSSIBLE FUTURES, a two-panel discussion on Queer BIPOC Digital Activism, Mutual Aid Initiatives, and Digital Sanctuaries for Manifesting. The work of each of the panelists has been critical for communities to thrive during the pandemic, all of them addressing different aspects of systemic racism and building up the spirits of their communities. The first panel will focus on Queer BIP...OC Digital Activism and will feature Syrus Marcus Ware, Armando Perla, Adrienne Gaither, and Thiane Diop, and will be moderated by Nicole Ivy. The second panel will focus on Queer BIPOC Mutual Aid Initiatives and Digital Sanctuaries for Manifesting and will feature Julian Santa Putricia, Christopher Udemezue, Christine Tran, Yves B. Golden, with special guests soon to be announced, and will be moderated by Dulcina Abreu. The first Pride in Toronto was celebrated in 1981 after the violent police raids of the city’s bathhouses. The work of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC folx today continues in this tradition of resistance and working towards better futures. We’re so excited to present this event and to have had the honour of collaborating with Dulcina Abreu, as well as having the support of the International Coalition of Museum Professionals and Communities, the University of Toronto, and the Maryland Institute College of Art Curatorial Practice to make this all happen. Stay tuned over the coming week for details on how to register for these two panels!

On Wednesday, July 29, join us for this panel hosted by ICOM International Committee on Ethical Dilemmas! It’s an incredible privilege to share this platform with such impactful museum professionals who are working to make our cultural institutions more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible. See you there! Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_5HusVy41TIedX_5i4cQn0w

Head over to Musings - MMSt Student Blog to read a new, (somewhat) lighthearted piece that we wrote about imposter syndrome! In it, we discuss how systemic barriers contribute to questioning your self-worth, and how you can address these feelings when they arise. This article is part of the Grad School Guide series aimed at connecting with incoming masters candidates We hope you enjoy!

This Friday, watch our Instagram page (instagram.com/mpoc.uoft) for our first Feature Friday takeover, showcasing incredible textile artist Celia Jayi! You can view Celia's art at instagram.com/celiajayi, and head to her website to purchase her pieces as well as gorgeous kits to make your own at www.celiajayi.com! Thank you to Melissa Mertsis for coordinating this feature