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Clio’s Armada: Napoleon III and His Trireme

When I first began to delve into the topic of heritage boatbuilding, I wondered what the first modern example of it might be. The earliest I have found is that of Napoleon III and his 1860s efforts to rebuild a classical Hellenic trireme (!). That’s just a great sentence. Victorian Europe was fascinated by theirContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: Napoleon III and His Trireme”

Steal this Idea: Voting as an Interactive

Let your visitor make their mark in the museum. Even the simplest poll can ensure visitors are not just a passive audience but active participants. Ideally this means other visitors can see how others have voted. The “Button Poll” is a low cost idea Tom came up with himself and has used at Fort EdmontonContinue reading “Steal this Idea: Voting as an Interactive”

Clio’s Armada: Métis Bateau and Fort Langley National Historic Site

Over the Winter and Spring of 2020/2021 Fort Langley National Historic Site contracted a Métis carpenter to help complete a new bateau for display in the replica HBC post. These bateaux were a go-to craft for the Hudson’s Bay Company tripmen in places such as British Columbia (then called the Columbia District) and northern AlbertaContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: Métis Bateau and Fort Langley National Historic Site”

Clio’s Armada: Viracocha I, II, and III and the South American reed boat tradition

I’ve never seen any of the Viracocha rafts myself in person, but I did marvel at reed boats in Peru. When I heard about the Viracocha expeditions I read about them eagerly. I was as inspired by Kon-Tiki as most, and it seems that adventurer Phil Buck took it in an interesting direction. Buck hasContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: Viracocha I, II, and III and the South American reed boat tradition”

Clio’s Armada: Ngātokimatawhaorua and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds

I spent almost two years in New Zealand/Aotearoa and found some magnificent examples of heritage boat-building among the Indigenous Maori and the settler Pakeha peoples. One of my favourite stories was Ngātokimatawhaorua, a waka (canoe), built in the 1930s. It taught me so much about how heritage boatbuilding can be meaningful to communities, both toContinue reading “Clio’s Armada: Ngātokimatawhaorua and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds”

Steal this Idea: History on the Street

Museums and historic sites are magical places where people come to explore and learn and interact. But history should never be limited to these buildings. There are myriad ways to tell stories across the urban and rural landscape. Here are a few of our favourites. This one was especially impressive. The footprint of the now-vanishedContinue reading “Steal this Idea: History on the Street”

Steal this Idea: Visitor expectations

If your museum isn’t interested in being a safe space, then what are you even doing? This is only a starting point but it signals your intentions. Here is the program. Your staff have a code of conduct, it’s not unreasonable for visitors to have one too. And you can do it with humour, too.Continue reading “Steal this Idea: Visitor expectations”

Steal this Idea: Fly Your Flag

Your entrance should help tell a visitor who you are every chance it gets. This could include awards and mission statements telling you who they are as a workplace and employer (especially for potential employees or volunteers)… …or stroller parking that makes it clear you are welcoming to parents and families… …or statements that youContinue reading “Steal this Idea: Fly Your Flag”

Steal This Idea: Themed Playgrounds

At North Wind we are a big fan of the maxim “sufficiently advanced learning is indistinguishable from play” (even if we don’t remember who originally said it!). Recently we have started to see a lot of museum-adjacent playgrounds and museum playspaces who have created infrastructure for play that resonates with appropriate themes. Ship-shaped play structureContinue reading “Steal This Idea: Themed Playgrounds”

In the News: Barbara and Tom return to Canada

North Wind Heritage Consulting founders Tom and Barbara have called their New Zealand/Aotearoa adventure to a close after nearly two years. Family concerns have led to a return to Canada and North Wind will be based in Vancouver for the foreseeable future (Although presentations virtually continue to spread our reach around the globe). Barbara hasContinue reading “In the News: Barbara and Tom return to Canada”