Since 1985, the CAM Basic Certificate in Museum Studies has provided a convenient way to access training while continuing to work in your local museum. You do not require a university degree to register. The programme provides an introduction to the history and purpose of museums and the basic procedures involved in museum operation. It is divided into seven units of study: an introduction; organisation and management; collections; conservation; exhibitions; education & public programmes; and the role of museums in society and is designed to be completed within one year. Your work with the CAM distance learning programme coordinator and a local tutor, are evaluated based upon unit tests, an essay, a final exam and special project, and receive a certificate. CAM currently has students in the Caribbean, Africa and the United Kingdom.
If you would like to learn how you can do your job more effectively, how you can improve your museum, its collections, exhibitions and programmes, and how your museum can contribute to your community, please contact us to learn more about the CAM distance learning programme and how you can participate.
“I found I was better prepared to work in museums after having done the CAM DLP than graduates of museology programmes, when I got to the point in my career that I was hiring them. It’s good for the basics, the foundations; what you build on that is up to you.” – Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Museum Consultant at Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and Doctoral candidate in History, University of Cambridge
“The CAM distance learning course opened up a world of possibilities for me within the museum world. It also gave me a better understanding and appreciation of what each person does at the museum, from the cleaner to the conservator to the curator to the CEO. It is definitely a must for EVERYONE working at museums” – Annelize Kotze, Iziko South African Museum
The CAM International Internship Programme is temporarily on hold. Please stay tuned for further updates. Thank you for your understanding.
CAM coordinates an annual International Internship Programme, providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for one or two recent Canadian university graduates a year to work internationally throughout the Commonwealth.
Since the programme was introduced in 1997, CAM has arranged internships for more than 35 interns who have spent six months, from October 1- March 31 each year, working in museums and related organisations in Africa, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, India, and the UK. These internships provide invaluable assistance to the host institutions and CAM, as well as a unique international work experience for the interns.
If your museum is interested in hosting an intern, please contact commonwealthmuseums@gmail.com for further information. The deadline for funding applications is the end of February, with announcements usually in June. It does take some time to develop a strong learning opportunity that will benefit both your institution and the intern’s career development so inquire early.
If you are Canadian, have graduated within the past 2 years, are under the age of 30, and are interested in a unique work experience, watch the CMA’s Job Board for announcements.
CAM is grateful for funding received from the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage administered by the Canadian Museums Association.
“As an intern with CAM, I worked on so many exciting projects, both internationally for CAM – working on a Caribbean-Canadian Museum Exchange and gaining experience in networking and grant writing – and developing and installing an exhibition at the National Gallery, while also working with different departments for a well-rounded experience.” – Shona MacKay, CAM Intern
“I interned with CAM at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port-Vila, Vanuatu where I produced an exhibit and educational material on ni-vanuatu women and kastoms. Thanks to this internship, I developed practical museum skills and international experience working in culture and heritage. I am now the Museum Coordinator of a local Museum and Archives in Greater Vancouver, BC.” – Kanchan Lal, PoCo Heritage Museum and Archives.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums hosts an international conference every three years to discuss contemporary themes and case studies in post-colonial museology. Due to the impact of Covid-19 on international travel, our 2023 conference was postponed to 2024. We are excited to be returning in 2024 and look forward to gathering with our global CAM community once again.
SAVE THE DATE!
“The View from Here: Sustainability, Community and Knowledge Systems”
Our next triennial symposium will be held in Auckland, New Zealand from March 3rd to 8th, 2024. We are delighted to partner with host organizations the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and Waikato Museum.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums 2024 Triennial Conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, under the title: The View from Here: Sustainability, Community and Knowledge Systems.
Auckland’s unique place in the South Pacific links us to many nations and communities who are living with the effects of disruption. Whether through the legacy and impacts of climate change, colonisation or political unrest, diaspora communities are increasing in number and complexity in the Asia Pacific region. Our location, both geographically and historically, profoundly influences our perceptions, our identities and our responses to these challenges. Worldwide, each museum confronting these issues will have a similarly unique perspective.
Museums are not neutral spaces; they have a key social role of connectivity and engagement. We must work within and beyond the walls of our institutions in new and dynamic ways. Museums are shifting the power of the colonial collecting institution to a model of shared authority and multiple indigenous and diasporic viewpoints. Connecting and engaging diverse communities with the big questions of our time, enriched through intergenerational learning and a deeper understanding of place, provide important opportunities for social cohesion and wellbeing.
CAM invites the museum community to Auckland to explore the role of museums in a world that is changing demographically and environmentally, and to share and discuss their unique perspectives on common experiences and challenges. Of most value to this agenda, space will be made for indigenous-to-indigenous discussion and reflection. Under an umbrella theme of kaitiakitanga (guardianship), keynotes, workshops and facilitated discussions will be held on the subjects of:
Sustainability: both institutional sustainability and sustainability in an era of climate change and a changing world.
Community: experience of and potentiality for refocussing museums to address changing populations, including recent migration and diasporas. Enacting social change through addressing decolonisation, reconciliation and community engagement.
Knowledge Systems and Practices: bringing different lenses or non-western perspectives to museum systems. Moving the leadership of the discussion of decolonisation and indigenisation away from of ex-colonial powers, and towards First Nations.
Summary:
Conference Date: 3-8th March 2024
Locations: Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum and Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato.
Events: Pōwhiri and cultural protocols, site visits, introductory addresses, workshops and discussions, networking events, cultural showcase, gala dinner, CAM Annual General Meeting.
New Zealand:
New Zealand is situated in the south-western Pacific Ocean. Due to its remote position it was one of the last large landmasses to be settled, with Eastern Polynesian people arriving on these shores between 1200CE and 1400CE, over time developing a distinct Māori culture and identity. European contact and British colonisation occurred from the late eighteenth century with significant British settlement after the 1840s. Today, following periods of European, Pacific peoples and Asian migration, New Zealand has a diverse population, with 72% of the population identifying as being of European descent, 16% Māori, 9% Pacific peoples and 15% Asian. Over 27% of New Zealand’s population was born overseas, the majority living in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest, most ethnically diverse city.
New Zealand Host Organisations:
Auckland War Memorial Museum | Tāmaki Paenga Hira is one of New Zealand’s oldest and largest cultural and research institutions, with internationally recognised Natural Science, Human History and Documentary Heritage collection. The Museum’s collections and exhibitions tell the story of New Zealand, its place in the Pacific and its people. The building and institution also hold a significant role as Auckland’s principal war memorial.
Waitangi Treaty Grounds is one of New Zealand’s most important historic sites, being the location for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, He Whakaputanga, in 1835 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) in 1840. The treaty sought to establish the basis for relations between indigenous Māori and colonising Pākehā. British colonial authorities later ignored the treaty subjecting Māori to more than 100 years of violence, dispossession of land and suppression of culture and language. The importance of New Zealand’s two founding constitutional documents and their legacy are covered by the museums at this site.
Waikato Museum | Te Whare Taonga o Waikato‘s exhibitions, events and programmes tell the stories of the Waikato region, from a regional and global perspective, and include visual art, social history, tangata whenua and science from touring exhibitions, and the museum’s own collections. The Museum’s 13 galleries feature more than 25 new exhibitions and 100 public events annually. Through this interactive programme, the museum aims to engage and inspire local and international visitors.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums is delighted to be partnering with the Auckland War Memorial Museum | Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and Waikato Museum | Te Whare Taonga o Waikato in New Zealand, and the Manitoba Museum in Canada for our 2024 conference. Stay tuned for further updates and the conference website.
Registration coming soon!
For more information or for any inquiries, please contact Contact Chantal Knowles (cknowles@aucklandmuseum.com) or Ian Proctor (IProctor@aucklandmuseum.com).
For any other CAM related inquiries, please contact commonwealthmuseums@gmail.com.
Participants in the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM)’s Triennial General Conference, Living Forward, Looking Back: Museum Practice for Postcolonial Futures met at the Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town from March 9-15, 2020 to discuss various museums’ approaches to confronting difficult histories. Nearly 100 participants came from 22 countries, including both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth nations, indicative of the fact that Europe has also begun to address the issues of repatriation, restitution and reconciliation that have been such a part of CAM’s work since the mid-1990s.
Commonwealth countries included: Australia, Botswana, Canada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Seychelles, South Africa, Trinidad, and Tobago, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe; and non-Commonwealth countries included: Austria, Croatia, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia, Sweden, and the United States.
Participants gathered at the 2017 CAM Triennial Conference in Okotoks, Alberta
CAM organises regional workshops periodically. These workshops are either organised in partnership with local museums and heritage organisations:
- In advance of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) or the triennial Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) to draw the attention of Heads of Government or Ministers of Education respectively to the role of museums in addressing the themes of these high-level Commonwealth meetings;
- Related to a specific ongoing project (e.g., four workshops were organised related to the Human Remains Management Project, 2017-2020, three related to Migration:Cities, 2017-2018, and two upcoming workshops are being organised as part of the Caribbean-Canadian Museum Exchange; or
- In responses to a request from the host institution to address a particular regional need (e.g., Access and Inclusion in South Asia, 2016 & 2019 and Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean, 2013).
Join us for our upcoming workshop on Saturday 4 March 2023 in Winnipeg, Canada! Globally Grassroots: Connecting the International Museum Community will be hosted in partnership with the Manitoba Museum and feature speakers from across our global network.
Visit our event page to learn more:
https://commonwealthassociationofmuseums.org/2022/10/13/globally-grassroots-connecting-the-international-museum-community/
Register today on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/globally-grassroots-connecting-the-international-museum-community-tickets-428770372727
The Commonwealth Association of Museums continues to create and share free publications for the international museum community. Over the years, museums have become more focused on access and inclusion. We create publications on a range of topics, including: children’s programming, disability access, indigenous perspectives, women’s rights and more.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums has published a bulletin to its members for over a decade. The CAM Bulletin keeps members up to date with the latest CAM activities, events and opportunities. We encourage our members to share their ideas and to use our network to raise awareness for special projects.
Since 1985, the CAM Basic Certificate in Museum Studies has provided a convenient way to access training while continuing to work in your local museum. You do not require a university degree to register. The programme provides an introduction to the history and purpose of museums and the basic procedures involved in museum operation. It is divided into seven units of study: an introduction; organisation and management; collections; conservation; exhibitions; education & public programmes; and the role of museums in society and is designed to be completed within one year. Your work with the CAM distance learning programme coordinator and a local tutor, are evaluated based upon unit tests, an essay, a final exam and special project, and receive a certificate. CAM currently has students in the Caribbean, Africa and the United Kingdom.
If you would like to learn how you can do your job more effectively, how you can improve your museum, its collections, exhibitions and programmes, and how your museum can contribute to your community, please contact us to learn more about the CAM distance learning programme and how you can participate.
“I found I was better prepared to work in museums after having done the CAM DLP than graduates of museology programmes, when I got to the point in my career that I was hiring them. It’s good for the basics, the foundations; what you build on that is up to you.” – Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Museum Consultant at Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and Doctoral candidate in History, University of Cambridge
“The CAM distance learning course opened up a world of possibilities for me within the museum world. It also gave me a better understanding and appreciation of what each person does at the museum, from the cleaner to the conservator to the curator to the CEO. It is definitely a must for EVERYONE working at museums” – Annelize Kotze, Iziko South African Museum
The CAM International Internship Programme is temporarily on hold. Please stay tuned for further updates. Thank you for your understanding.
CAM coordinates an annual International Internship Programme, providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for one or two recent Canadian university graduates a year to work internationally throughout the Commonwealth.
Since the programme was introduced in 1997, CAM has arranged internships for more than 35 interns who have spent six months, from October 1- March 31 each year, working in museums and related organisations in Africa, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, India, and the UK. These internships provide invaluable assistance to the host institutions and CAM, as well as a unique international work experience for the interns.
If your museum is interested in hosting an intern, please contact commonwealthmuseums@gmail.com for further information. The deadline for funding applications is the end of February, with announcements usually in June. It does take some time to develop a strong learning opportunity that will benefit both your institution and the intern’s career development so inquire early.
If you are Canadian, have graduated within the past 2 years, are under the age of 30, and are interested in a unique work experience, watch the CMA’s Job Board for announcements.
CAM is grateful for funding received from the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage administered by the Canadian Museums Association.
“As an intern with CAM, I worked on so many exciting projects, both internationally for CAM – working on a Caribbean-Canadian Museum Exchange and gaining experience in networking and grant writing – and developing and installing an exhibition at the National Gallery, while also working with different departments for a well-rounded experience.” – Shona MacKay, CAM Intern
“I interned with CAM at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port-Vila, Vanuatu where I produced an exhibit and educational material on ni-vanuatu women and kastoms. Thanks to this internship, I developed practical museum skills and international experience working in culture and heritage. I am now the Museum Coordinator of a local Museum and Archives in Greater Vancouver, BC.” – Kanchan Lal, PoCo Heritage Museum and Archives.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums hosts an international conference every three years to discuss contemporary themes and case studies in post-colonial museology. Due to the impact of Covid-19 on international travel, our 2023 conference was postponed to 2024. We are excited to be returning in 2024 and look forward to gathering with our global CAM community once again.
SAVE THE DATE!
Our next triennial symposium will be held in Auckland, New Zealand from March 4th to 8th, 2024. We are delighted to partner with host organizations the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and Waikato Museum.
Stay tuned for more information and for further programme announcements!
Participants in the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM)’s Triennial General Conference, Living Forward, Looking Back: Museum Practice for Postcolonial Futures met at the Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town from March 9-15, 2020 to discuss various museums’ approaches to confronting difficult histories. Nearly 100 participants came from 22 countries, including both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth nations, indicative of the fact that Europe has also begun to address the issues of repatriation, restitution and reconciliation that have been such a part of CAM’s work since the mid-1990s.
Commonwealth countries included: Australia, Botswana, Canada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Seychelles, South Africa, Trinidad, and Tobago, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe; and non-Commonwealth countries included: Austria, Croatia, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia, Sweden, and the United States.
Participants gathered at the 2017 CAM Triennial Conference in Okotoks, Alberta
CAM organises regional workshops periodically. These workshops are either organised in partnership with local museums and heritage organisations:
- In advance of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) or the triennial Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) to draw the attention of Heads of Government or Ministers of Education respectively to the role of museums in addressing the themes of these high-level Commonwealth meetings;
- Related to a specific ongoing project (e.g., four workshops were organised related to the Human Remains Management Project, 2017-2020, three related to Migration:Cities, 2017-2018, and two upcoming workshops are being organised as part of the Caribbean-Canadian Museum Exchange; or
- In responses to a request from the host institution to address a particular regional need (e.g., Access and Inclusion in South Asia, 2016 & 2019 and Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean, 2013).
Join us for our upcoming workshop on Saturday 4 March 2023 in Winnipeg, Canada! Globally Grassroots: Connecting the International Museum Community will be hosted in partnership with the Manitoba Museum and feature speakers from across our global network.
Visit our event page to learn more:
https://commonwealthassociationofmuseums.org/2022/10/13/globally-grassroots-connecting-the-international-museum-community/
Register today on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/globally-grassroots-connecting-the-international-museum-community-tickets-428770372727
The Commonwealth Association of Museums continues to create and share free publications for the international museum community. Over the years, museums have become more focused on access and inclusion. We create publications on a range of topics, including: children’s programming, disability access, indigenous perspectives, women’s rights and more.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums has published a bulletin to its members for over a decade. The CAM Bulletin keeps members up to date with the latest CAM activities, events and opportunities. We encourage our members to share their ideas and to use our network to raise awareness for special projects.
Since 1985, the CAM Basic Certificate in Museum Studies has provided a convenient way to access training while continuing to work in your local museum. You do not require a university degree to register. The programme provides an introduction to the history and purpose of museums and the basic procedures involved in museum operation. It is divided into seven units of study: an introduction; organisation and management; collections; conservation; exhibitions; education & public programmes; and the role of museums in society and is designed to be completed within one year. Your work with the CAM distance learning programme coordinator and a local tutor, are evaluated based upon unit tests, an essay, a final exam and special project, and receive a certificate. CAM currently has students in the Caribbean, Africa and the United Kingdom.
If you would like to learn how you can do your job more effectively, how you can improve your museum, its collections, exhibitions and programmes, and how your museum can contribute to your community, please contact us to learn more about the CAM distance learning programme and how you can participate.
“I found I was better prepared to work in museums after having done the CAM DLP than graduates of museology programmes, when I got to the point in my career that I was hiring them. It’s good for the basics, the foundations; what you build on that is up to you.” – Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Museum Consultant at Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and Doctoral candidate in History, University of Cambridge
“The CAM distance learning course opened up a world of possibilities for me within the museum world. It also gave me a better understanding and appreciation of what each person does at the museum, from the cleaner to the conservator to the curator to the CEO. It is definitely a must for EVERYONE working at museums” – Annelize Kotze, Iziko South African Museum
The CAM International Internship Programme is temporarily on hold. Please stay tuned for further updates. Thank you for your understanding.
CAM coordinates an annual International Internship Programme, providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for one or two recent Canadian university graduates a year to work internationally throughout the Commonwealth.
Since the programme was introduced in 1997, CAM has arranged internships for more than 35 interns who have spent six months, from October 1- March 31 each year, working in museums and related organisations in Africa, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, India, and the UK. These internships provide invaluable assistance to the host institutions and CAM, as well as a unique international work experience for the interns.
If your museum is interested in hosting an intern, please contact commonwealthmuseums@gmail.com for further information. The deadline for funding applications is the end of February, with announcements usually in June. It does take some time to develop a strong learning opportunity that will benefit both your institution and the intern’s career development so inquire early.
If you are Canadian, have graduated within the past 2 years, are under the age of 30, and are interested in a unique work experience, watch the CMA’s Job Board for announcements.
CAM is grateful for funding received from the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage administered by the Canadian Museums Association.
“As an intern with CAM, I worked on so many exciting projects, both internationally for CAM – working on a Caribbean-Canadian Museum Exchange and gaining experience in networking and grant writing – and developing and installing an exhibition at the National Gallery, while also working with different departments for a well-rounded experience.” – Shona MacKay, CAM Intern
“I interned with CAM at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port-Vila, Vanuatu where I produced an exhibit and educational material on ni-vanuatu women and kastoms. Thanks to this internship, I developed practical museum skills and international experience working in culture and heritage. I am now the Museum Coordinator of a local Museum and Archives in Greater Vancouver, BC.” – Kanchan Lal, PoCo Heritage Museum and Archives.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums hosts an international conference every three years to discuss contemporary themes and case studies in post-colonial museology. Due to the impact of Covid-19 on international travel, our 2023 conference was postponed to 2024. We are excited to be returning in 2024 and look forward to gathering with our global CAM community once again.
SAVE THE DATE!
Our next triennial symposium will be held in Auckland, New Zealand from March 4th to 8th, 2024. We are delighted to partner with host organizations the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, and Waikato Museum.
Stay tuned for more information and for further programme announcements!
Participants in the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM)’s Triennial General Conference, Living Forward, Looking Back: Museum Practice for Postcolonial Futures met at the Iziko Museums of South Africa in Cape Town from March 9-15, 2020 to discuss various museums’ approaches to confronting difficult histories. Nearly 100 participants came from 22 countries, including both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth nations, indicative of the fact that Europe has also begun to address the issues of repatriation, restitution and reconciliation that have been such a part of CAM’s work since the mid-1990s.
Commonwealth countries included: Australia, Botswana, Canada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Seychelles, South Africa, Trinidad, and Tobago, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe; and non-Commonwealth countries included: Austria, Croatia, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia, Sweden, and the United States.
Participants gathered at the 2017 CAM Triennial Conference in Okotoks, Alberta
CAM organises regional workshops periodically. These workshops are either organised in partnership with local museums and heritage organisations:
- In advance of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) or the triennial Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) to draw the attention of Heads of Government or Ministers of Education respectively to the role of museums in addressing the themes of these high-level Commonwealth meetings;
- Related to a specific ongoing project (e.g., four workshops were organised related to the Human Remains Management Project, 2017-2020, three related to Migration:Cities, 2017-2018, and two upcoming workshops are being organised as part of the Caribbean-Canadian Museum Exchange; or
- In responses to a request from the host institution to address a particular regional need (e.g., Access and Inclusion in South Asia, 2016 & 2019 and Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean, 2013).
Join us for our upcoming workshop on Saturday 4 March 2023 in Winnipeg, Canada! Globally Grassroots: Connecting the International Museum Community will be hosted in partnership with the Manitoba Museum and feature speakers from across our global network.
Visit our event page to learn more:
https://commonwealthassociationofmuseums.org/2022/10/13/globally-grassroots-connecting-the-international-museum-community/
Register today on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/globally-grassroots-connecting-the-international-museum-community-tickets-428770372727
The Commonwealth Association of Museums continues to create and share free publications for the international museum community. Over the years, museums have become more focused on access and inclusion. We create publications on a range of topics, including: children’s programming, disability access, indigenous perspectives, women’s rights and more.
The Commonwealth Association of Museums has published a bulletin to its members for over a decade. The CAM Bulletin keeps members up to date with the latest CAM activities, events and opportunities. We encourage our members to share their ideas and to use our network to raise awareness for special projects.