Baile na Gàidheal | Highland Village Museum and Janet Maltby awarded the 2024 Award for Excellence in Museum Practices
Award for Excellence in Museum Practices: Programming by an Organization: Baile na Gàidheal / Highland Village Museum exhibit We Are Gaels
Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Museum’s new exhibit, “We are Gaels,” shares the experience of the Gaels in the highlands of Scotland before emigration to Canada and that of their descendants in the 20th and 21st centuries in ways that are new to this largely outdoor museum.
The exhibit adds video, interpretive panels, an interactive learn-to-stepdance corner, and dialogic interpretation to bookend the traditional visit to the buildings and animators on the hill above Iona. “We are Gaels” is an innovative interpretive exhibit through which Highland Village has made a remarkable contribution to a better knowledge of Nova Scotia’s human history, and engaged the community with their mandate and values, through exemplary museum practices and programming.
The exhibit was completed and officially opened on July 25, 2023. It is of community and provincial significance; demonstrates excellence in museum practices with new ideas, concepts, approaches, creativity and leadership; fosters a better understanding of Nova Scotia’s heritage; and is of significance to other museums in the presentation of Nova Scotia’s human history.
Award for Excellence in Museum Practices: Individual Contribution: Janet Maltby
Janet Maltby is an exemplary candidate for the ANSM Individual Contribution Award due to her outstanding 40-year career in the museum sector, marked by professionalism, innovation, and collegial support. In her final year before retirement, Janet has spearheaded key projects that underscore her leadership and dedication. These include the completion of the Nova Scotia Museum Operations Manual, which standardizes museum operations across 28 sites, the development of the Nova Scotia Museum Accessibility Plan to enhance accessibility province-wide, and the rebranding of Haliburton House Museum to Clifton Museum Park, reflecting a more inclusive historical narrative. Janet’s contributions have significantly advanced museum practices and set a lasting precedent for the future of Nova Scotia’s museums.