The Presence, Provenance and Presentness of a Non Artifact

This article is a biography of a green tile collected from a Canadian hospital. It explores various properties of the tile in order to draw out lessons for research and display in museums. There are immediate sensory qualities of the tile that have inspired an exhibit about the colour green in medicine; there are aspects of the tile's provenance that bring out multiple local and international narratives; there are stories of the tile's present context that provide a powerful reminder that museum artifacts are not just vehicles for exploring the past, but for understanding what remains in the present

Biography of an Artifact: The Theratron Junior and Canada’s Atomic Age

In this article I examine the life of an artifact, the Theratron Junior, a sleek green radiotherapy machine from 1956 displayed in a permanent exhibit at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. It is currently seen through the lens of Canadian innovations, but the Theratron Junior brims with features and history that touch on several other historical narratives—scientific, commercial, labour, aesthetics and patient experience. The striking “sea foam” green paint, for example, has inspired an independent exhibition at the museum on the colour green in twentieth-century medicine. In addition, research into the former life of the specific machine on display (serial no. 15 from 1956), including the people who made and used it, has produced a reinvigorated artifact biography that enriches and challenges conventional narratives from Canada’s early atomic era. The lessons from careful artifact studies are readily clear—we are missing opportunities by taking for granted the most familiar items on our museum floors.Dans le présent document, j’examine la vie d’un artéfact, en l’occurrence le Theratron Junior. Il s’agit d’une machine de radiothérapie aux lignes racées et à la couleur verte élégante, datant de 1956 et exposée en permanence au Musée des sciences et de la technologie du Canada. On le voit actuellement à la lumière des innovations canadiennes, mais le Theratron Junior affiche des caractéristiques et possède une histoire qui nous ramène à plusieurs autres trames narratives concernant la science, le commerce, la main-d’oeuvre, l’esthétique et l’expérience des patients. Par exemple, la peinture verte « écume de mer » a inspiré, au Musée, une exposition indépendante sur la couleur verte dans la médecine du XXe siècle. En outre, des recherches sur la vie antérieure de la machine exposée (no de série 15, 1956), y compris sur les personnes qui l’ont fabriquée et utilisée, ont engendré une description revigorée d’un artéfact qui enrichit et remet en question les récits classiques sur les débuts de l’ère atomique au Canada. Les leçons à tirer d’une étude soignée des artéfacts sont on ne peut plus claires – nous ratons des occasions d’approfondir nos connaissances en prenant pour acquis les articles les plus familiers présents dans les salles de nos musées

Celestial calendar-paintings and culture-based digital storytelling: cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, STEM/STEAM resources for authentic astronomy education engagement

In D(L)akota star knowledge, the Sun is known as Wi and the Moon is Han-Wi. They have an important relationship, husband and wife. The pattern of their ever-changing relationship is mirrored in the motions of Sun and Moon as seen from our backyards, also called the lunar phases. The framework of the cultural teaching is storytelling and relationships. Cultural perspectives in astronomy such as this remind us of how indigenous ways of knowing are rooted in inclusion, engagement, and relevancy. Designed by A. Lee in 2007, the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize indigenous star and earth knowledge, promoting the native voice as the lead voice. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth. In 2012 two indigenous star maps were created: the Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan-Ojibwe Sky Star Map (A. Lee, W. Wilson, C. Gawboy), and the D(L)akota star map, Makoce Wicanhpi Wowapi (A. Lee, J. Rock). In 2016, a collaboration with W. Buck of the Manitoba First Nations Resource Centre (MFNRC), produced a third star map: Ininew Achakos Masinikan- Cree Star Map Book. We aim to improve current inequities in education for native young people especially through STEM engagement, to inspire increased cultural pride, and promote community wellness. Presented here will be recently created resources such as: astronomical calendar-paintings and short videos that exist at the intersection of art-science-culture. As we look for sustainable ways to widen participation in STEM, particularly in astronomy education, part of the conversation needs to consider the place for art and culture in STEM

Celestial calendar-paintings and culture-based digital storytelling: cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, STEM/STEAM resources for authentic astronomy education engagement

In D(L)akota star knowledge, the Sun is known as Wi and the Moon is Han-Wi. They have an important relationship, husband and wife. The pattern of their ever-changing relationship is mirrored in the motions of Sun and Moon as seen from our backyards, also called the lunar phases. The framework of the cultural teaching is storytelling and relationships. Cultural perspectives in astronomy such as this remind us of how indigenous ways of knowing are rooted in inclusion, engagement, and relevancy. Designed by A. Lee in 2007, the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize indigenous star and earth knowledge, promoting the native voice as the lead voice. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth. In 2012 two indigenous star maps were created: the Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan-Ojibwe Sky Star Map (A. Lee, W. Wilson, C. Gawboy), and the D(L)akota star map, Makoce Wicanhpi Wowapi (A. Lee, J. Rock). In 2016, a collaboration with W. Buck of the Manitoba First Nations Resource Centre (MFNRC), produced a third star map: Ininew Achakos Masinikan- Cree Star Map Book. We aim to improve current inequities in education for native young people especially through STEM engagement, to inspire increased cultural pride, and promote community wellness. Presented here will be recently created resources such as: astronomical calendar-paintings and short videos that exist at the intersection of art-science-culture. As we look for sustainable ways to widen participation in STEM, particularly in astronomy education, part of the conversation needs to consider the place for art and culture in STEM

Celestial calendar-paintings and culture-based digital storytelling: cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, STEM/STEAM resources for authentic astronomy education engagement

In D(L)akota star knowledge, the Sun is known as Wi and the Moon is Han-Wi. They have an important relationship, husband and wife. The pattern of their ever-changing relationship is mirrored in the motions of Sun and Moon as seen from our backyards, also called the lunar phases. The framework of the cultural teaching is storytelling and relationships. Cultural perspectives in astronomy such as this remind us of how indigenous ways of knowing are rooted in inclusion, engagement, and relevancy. Designed by A. Lee in 2007, the Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize indigenous star and earth knowledge, promoting the native voice as the lead voice. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth. In 2012 two indigenous star maps were created: the Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan-Ojibwe Sky Star Map (A. Lee, W. Wilson, C. Gawboy), and the D(L)akota star map, Makoce Wicanhpi Wowapi (A. Lee, J. Rock). In 2016, a collaboration with W. Buck of the Manitoba First Nations Resource Centre (MFNRC), produced a third star map: Ininew Achakos Masinikan- Cree Star Map Book. We aim to improve current inequities in education for native young people especially through STEM engagement, to inspire increased cultural pride, and promote community wellness. Presented here will be recently created resources such as: astronomical calendar-paintings and short videos that exist at the intersection of art-science-culture. As we look for sustainable ways to widen participation in STEM, particularly in astronomy education, part of the conversation needs to consider the place for art and culture in STEM