Portfolio
- 1. Lois FentonLois Fenton MA, Public HistoryMA, Public History University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western Ontario Historical ResearcherHistorical Researcher
- 2. HighlightsHighlights Masters Degree in PublicMasters Degree in Public History from the University ofHistory from the University of Western OntarioWestern Ontario 5 + years of experience with5 + years of experience with heritage organizationsheritage organizations Experienced historicalExperienced historical researcherresearcher Independent worker with team-Independent worker with team- orientationorientation
- 3. PublicationsPublications Author.Author. Rev. Lewis Warner Hill, Master CarverRev. Lewis Warner Hill, Master Carver . London. London Conference, The United Church of Canada,Conference, The United Church of Canada, The BridgeThe Bridge, October 2010, October 2010 issue.issue. Author.Author. Ailsa Craig & District MuseumAilsa Craig & District Museum tourism description fortourism description for Middlesex Tourism annual publication,Middlesex Tourism annual publication, Middlesexwere on the wayMiddlesexwere on the way 20102010 Author. Articles published in the Parkhill Gazette about the collection inAuthor. Articles published in the Parkhill Gazette about the collection in the Ailsa Craig & District Museumthe Ailsa Craig & District Museum Co-author.Co-author. Restoring Perspective: Life & Treatment at theRestoring Perspective: Life & Treatment at the London AsylumLondon Asylum Digital Exhibit.Digital Exhibit. Prepared for Museum LondonPrepared for Museum London and St. Josephs Health Care for The University of Western Ontarioand St. Josephs Health Care for The University of Western Ontario Archives, Online 2009Archives, Online 2009 http://www.lib.uwo.ca.proxy2.lib.uwo.ca:2048/archives/virtualexhibits/londonahttp://www.lib.uwo.ca.proxy2.lib.uwo.ca:2048/archives/virtualexhibits/londona Co-author.Co-author. Southwestern Ontario Baseball Heritage TourismSouthwestern Ontario Baseball Heritage Tourism Package.Package. Prepared for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame &Prepared for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum and the Friends of Labatt Park. Raised the profile of baseballMuseum and the Friends of Labatt Park. Raised the profile of baseball heritage tourism at London City Hall, and stimulated communityheritage tourism at London City Hall, and stimulated community interest to act permanently to protect Labatt Memorial Park. Theinterest to act permanently to protect Labatt Memorial Park. The research material will be used for outdoor interpretation by the Friendsresearch material will be used for outdoor interpretation by the Friends of Labatt Park, Published 2009of Labatt Park, Published 2009 Co-author, Fabricator, and Programmer.Co-author, Fabricator, and Programmer. I Harvey: A DigitalI Harvey: A Digital Interactive Exhibit about Dr. William Harvey.Interactive Exhibit about Dr. William Harvey. Created 3-DCreated 3-D model, hand-held heart, and interactive device. Prepared for themodel, hand-held heart, and interactive device. Prepared for the University of Western Ontarios Digital History course, Exhibited 2009University of Western Ontarios Digital History course, Exhibited 2009 http://http://digitalhistory.wikispot.org/William_Harvey_Exhibitsdigitalhistory.wikispot.org/William_Harvey_Exhibits Co-author.Co-author. Cultivating Care: Life and Treatment at LondonsCultivating Care: Life and Treatment at Londons Asylum Teaser ExhibitAsylum Teaser Exhibit .. Prepared forPrepared for Museum London and St.Museum London and St. Josephs Health Care, Exhibited in the Schweitzer Gallery, ArchivesJosephs Health Care, Exhibited in the Schweitzer Gallery, Archives and Research Collections Centre, Western Libraries 2008and Research Collections Centre, Western Libraries 2008 Co-author.Co-author. RAD-compliant Inventory of the John GeorgeRAD-compliant Inventory of the John George Richter Fonds.Richter Fonds. Prepared for London Life Corporate Archives inPrepared for London Life Corporate Archives in London, Ontario, 2008London, Ontario, 2008 Author.Author. Throwing the Last Pot: Utilitarian Potters ofThrowing the Last Pot: Utilitarian Potters of Frederick County, Maryland 1860-1880.Frederick County, Maryland 1860-1880. Published in thePublished in the Journal of the Historical Society of Frederick County, MarylandJournal of the Historical Society of Frederick County, Maryland, Spring, Spring Edition, 2006Edition, 2006
- 4. Publication SelectionsPublication Selections Rev Lewis Hill, wood carver, LondonRev Lewis Hill, wood carver, London Conference news letter, October 2010Conference news letter, October 2010 Selections from the Parkhill Gazette seriesSelections from the Parkhill Gazette series Throwing the Last Pot. Thesis publishedThrowing the Last Pot. Thesis published by the Frederick County Historicalby the Frederick County Historical SocietySociety
- 6. Have you experienced museum fatigue? It is a real phenomenon. Perhaps you tried to see every exhibit because it was the only opportunity to visit the museum. Large museums require a physical effort, walking between exhibits, long periods of standing to view the exhibits, and the price of admission can be substantial. Museum studies have identified cognitive processing, and the museum environment (the arrangement of displays and exhibit architecture) among the factors believed responsible for museum fatigue. Sometimes the arrangement and number of displays overwhelms the visitor. Museum cafes and stores are not only revenue generators; they exist to provide relief for the fatigued visitor. Small museums offer visitors a different experience, size is an advantage. Some small museums have very specific mandates, usually indicated in the name of the museum, which further focuses their collection. They are ideal for a specialist, or a collector, and are especially good for people who tire easily. Often visitors will see artifacts they would seldom see in a large museum because the exhibits contain local historical objects. The Knight Templar exhibit at the Ailsa Craig Museum is rare. The stories of two local couples intertwine in this exceptional exhibit. The artifacts on display are impressive and deeply rooted in Ailsa Craig history. The photo above is one small part of the exhibit. Everyone should have a chance to see the Knight Templar uniform and learn the history behind the exhibit. Parking is free and the exhibit area is reasonable, chairs are available for visitors. Small museums exist to collect community history, preserve photograph collections, and their volunteers are passionate about preserving community history. You might find a jumble of artefacts, interesting to look at, and curiosity inspiring. Some visitors look and ask questions or simply wander through the collection and leave with the memory of one or two significant exhibits or artefacts. If the museum contains collections of artefacts with which you are familiar, it is likely to be more interesting. If the artefacts are unfamiliar an interpreter is a big help. Interpretation in a museum, large or small, introduces visitors to the history in the museum logically. An interpreter presents the history in the exhibit, answers questions and in general reduces visitor fatigue and enhances their experience. A guide will know the stories that make the exhibit meaningful. Some stories are heartbreaking, others are inspiring, some will amuse. Interpretation motivates visitors to engage with exhibits by asking questions, correcting misconceptions, and describing interesting content.
- 7. Have you ever examined a museum exhibit and found that the artefacts transported you to another time and place, stimulating your curiosity or informing you on a subject previously unknown? That level of appreciation is the goal of anyone designing and creating an exhibit. The small details, the unexpected item that contributes so much is often the bane of housekeepers, those outdated items that are taking up space. Perhaps there are items such as the diary of a long deceased relative, or a collection that no longer captures the interest of anyone in the family. Photographs of buildings (existing or former), community events, even photographs of scenery contributes to the museum and archival collection. The Ailsa Craig & District Historical Society collects the artefacts and documents created and owned by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and community groups of North Middlesex. Featured in the photo above is a brass-finished locket, designed to hold small photographs, circa 1920-1930, costume jewellery of another era. Today it is dated, the finish is dull and the latch is worn. The locket requires cleaning and polishing to be presentable, an unlikely additional step before wearing, so it is an obvious donation to a museum. A bonus for every donation is a connection to the original owner, a photograph or other documentation that illustrates how, when, and why. What did the object mean? The past is full of interesting facts and items. Museum visitors, old and young, better comprehend history through the things that surrounded our ancestors. A visit to a museum invokes critical thinking, the consideration of evidence, forming a judgement about the object through observation, and finally an understanding the object. Museums use objects to recreate a physical environment reminiscent of another time and place.
- 9. Museum ExhibitsMuseum Exhibits School Days in NorthSchool Days in North Middlesex; 100 yearsMiddlesex; 100 years Knights TemplarKnights Templar The Carvings of Rev. LewisThe Carvings of Rev. Lewis HillHill Turtle Days, an Ailsa CraigTurtle Days, an Ailsa Craig tradition; looking back for thetradition; looking back for the villagevillage
- 10. School Days in NorthSchool Days in North Middlesex; 100 yearsMiddlesex; 100 years Oral history accounts from students and teachers illustrate and personalized the exhibit revealing the commitment they had to education.
- 11. Knights TemplarKnights Templar This exhibit incorporated the stories of two men from Ailsa Craig, who achieved the distinction of Knight Templar . The story of two local couples are entwined in the exhibit, taking visitors back in time to community life circa1920.
- 12. The Carvings of Rev.The Carvings of Rev. Lewis HillLewis Hill The history of this collection was lost to public memory until I researched the life and work of Rev. Hill. He used his talent to honour The United Church of Canada leaving generations to come a tangible link to the past.
- 13. Turtle DaysTurtle Days Honouring the history of community life in Ailsa Craig through the Turtle Day exhibit. Turtles are found in the exhibits throughout the museum, donated by Joyce Coursey, a former Clerk Treasurer of Ailsa Craig. Now famous for their annual Gala Days & Turtle Race Weekend, celebrated in July since 1978.
- 14. Public History ProjectsPublic History Projects Restoring Perspective: Life & Treatment at the LondonRestoring Perspective: Life & Treatment at the London AsylumAsylum Digital ExhibitDigital Exhibit I Harvey: A Digital Interactive Exhibit about Dr.I Harvey: A Digital Interactive Exhibit about Dr. William HarveyWilliam Harvey Cultivating Care: Life and Treatment at LondonsCultivating Care: Life and Treatment at Londons Asylum Teaser ExhibitAsylum Teaser Exhibit.. Canadian Baseball Heritage in Southwestern OntarioCanadian Baseball Heritage in Southwestern Ontario Tourism BrochureTourism Brochure
- 15. The London Asylum for the Insane, Ivey Family London Room The former London Asylum for the Insane (LAI) opened in 1870, and has transformed over the years in response to changing approaches to mental health care. In 1869 the provincial legislature appropriated $100,000 to build the London Asylum for the Insane, and 300 acres of land were purchased at $67 an acre. Older asylums at Malden and Orillia closed and were replaced by the new facility in London. The LAI was ready for occupation within 18 months of the site's purchase and its first patients arrived from Malden and Orillia in November 1870. After its establishment, the LAI aimed to distinguish itself in the field of mental health care in Canada. The Asylum's first superintendent, Dr. Henry Landor, was an advocate of compassionate care, who believed in the restorative influence of a rural setting and the practical use of moral therapy. Landor encouraged the Province of Ontario to purchase of an additional 100 acres east of the original site for the erection of cottages that were intended to provide more comfortable and independent accommodation for long-term patients. As the 20th century began to take shape, attitudes towards mental health care changed and the medical understanding of mental illness continued to develop. Control of all mental health care facilities in Ontario transferred from the Inspector of Prisons and Public Charities to the Department of Health in the 1930s. As part of this initiative, the LAI was renamed the Ontario Hospital for the Mentally Ill, London in 1932. In 1968 it was renamed the London Psychiatric Hospital (LPH). Now, 138 years later, what began as the London Asylum for the Insane has emerged as St. Joseph's Regional Mental Health Care London, one of the leading mental health care providers in Ontario. Restoring Perspectives Life & Treatment at the London Asylum
- 16. Sample of biographical sketch for the Restoring Perspective website
- 17. Created 3-D model, hand-held heart, and interactive device. The mechanical heart is handheld, and operated by pushing the red and blue buttons. The visual result is a green line on the screen which responds to correct and incorrect simulated beat sequences. A correct sequence results in a healthy heart beat, an incorrect sequence is qualified as too fast or too slow. Additionally, sensors were added to the buttons creating a vibration sensation when pushed. Co-author, Fabricator, and Programmer I Harvey: A Digital Interactive Exhibit about Dr. William Harvey
- 18. Cultivating Care: Life and Treatment at Londons Asylum Teaser Exhibit. Prepared for Museum London and St. Josephs Health Care, Exhibited in the Schweitzer Gallery, Archives and Research Collections Centre
- 19. The tri-fold brochure condensed the history and proud tradition of baseball in Southwestern Ontario for enthusiasts visiting the sites where baseball history was made. Accompanied by a full tourism package for tour companies. A contracted project, completed by Public History students from the University of Western Ontario, 2008-2009.
- 20. Community Collaboration -- high school students interviewing seniors -- Oral HistoryOral History A collaborative project with North Middlesex DistrictA collaborative project with North Middlesex District High SchoolHigh School
- 21. Notes of AppreciationNotes of Appreciation for my workfor my work Craigwiel Gardens Retirement Home,Craigwiel Gardens Retirement Home, Ailsa Craig 2010Ailsa Craig 2010 The Secrets of Radar Museum, London,The Secrets of Radar Museum, London, ON 2009ON 2009 Bell & History Days in Frederick, MDBell & History Days in Frederick, MD 20072007
- 22. ProfessionalProfessional AssociationsAssociations National Council in Public History,National Council in Public History, membermember Ontario Museums Association,Ontario Museums Association, membermember Archives of Ontario, memberArchives of Ontario, member Southwestern Ontario Chapter ofSouthwestern Ontario Chapter of AAOmember and secretaryAAOmember and secretary Toastmasters InternationalmemberToastmasters Internationalmember of Thames Valley Toastmastersof Thames Valley Toastmasters Huron-Perth-Middlesex MuseumHuron-Perth-Middlesex Museum Network-member and secretaryNetwork-member and secretary PastPerfect Users Group, memberPastPerfect Users Group, member