The partnership
The Ghost of Sir John A. Macdonald in Sandy Hill is a culmination of a partnership between Carleton University’s Curatorial Studies program (Institute for Comparative Studies in Art and Culture), Prime Ministers' Row (PMR), and the Ottawa Museum Network (OMN). As part of a curatorial studio course, a multidisciplinary team of 6 Carleton students spent the semester researching, developing, curating, and assembling this virtual exhibition under the guidance of Dr. Trina Cooper-Bolam. Prime Ministers' Row and the Ottawa Museum Network were involved throughout the students’ development of the exhibition. The Ottawa Museum Network partner museums generously provided access to artifacts as well as support and guidance throughout the development process.
Prime Ministers' Row
Prime Ministers’ Row (PMR) seeks to enable citizens and visitors to discover, debate, and reflect on the legacies of Canada's prime ministers by transforming Sandy Hill’s historical public spaces into an inclusive outdoor cultural destination. PMR believes that a thriving culture of democracy begins with engaged individuals and connected communities, and will contribute to greater equity and inclusion by creating spaces for dialogue and shared experiences.
Ottawa Museum Network
The Ottawa Museum Network (OMN) comprises 11 of Ottawa’s community museums and provides a collaborative framework within which these museums enhance their impact. Created in 2007, the OMN provides a strong voice for Ottawa's community museums, and increases their capacity to celebrate, reflect and share the stories of Ottawa's diverse and evolving communities. The OMN is dedicated to supporting community engagement in the history and culture of Ottawa and Canada.
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Museums that participated in this project include: Bytown Museum, Goulbourn Museum, Osgoode Township Museum, Vanier Museopark and Watson’s Mill Inc.
Special thanks to
The team would like to thank all of the individuals who lent their expertise to this project. Thank you to Prime Ministers’ Row for initiating this project, for their feedback throughout, and for their incredible support of the curatorial team’s vision. To the Ottawa Museum Network and the participating partner museums Bytown Museum, Goulbourn Museum, Osgoode Township Museum, Vanier Museopark, and Watson’s Mill Inc., thank you for sharing the incredible artifacts from the collections, for logistical support, and thoughtful feedback. We would like to thank historian and curator Tim Foran from the Canadian Museum of History and historian François Bregha from Action Sandy Hill for their professional advice and revision of our exhibition text. Thank you to Kate Laing, interpretive planner and designer, for your help and direction in the early-stages of exhibition development. Finally, an immense thank-you to our instructor, Trina Cooper-Bolam, without whom this exhibition would not have been possible. The team is incredibly grateful for your thoughtful direction, encouragement, dedication, and of course your ruthless editing!
