Greetings From Caroline Dromaguet

Caroline Dromaguet, Interim CEO – CWM 2015-0097-0008-Dm

It is my pleasure to offer you warm greetings as Interim CEO of the Museums.

The past two years have been challenging ones for everyone. As with all crises, however, the pandemic has forced much soul-searching, while also encouraging creative approaches to the way we do things.

Our Museum has worked hard to respond to some of the major movements and events going on in Canada today – to ensure the histories, stories, and perspectives we present reflect the challenges and realities faced by many in our country. These include reviewing our exhibitions and programs in light of the recent confirmations of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools, and offering increased programming that candidly explores the experiences of Black Canadians.

As we enter a new season, we have many exciting projects on the horizon at the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum. We have new exhibitions on subjects such as civil liberties, Black military history, and the 70-year history of Canadian children’s television. We are adapting the Canadian Children’s Museum to keep it a safe and memorable experience, and look forward to celebrating its reopening this spring. We are continuing to add virtual and on-site programs and activities, including tours, evenings with special guests, educational modules, exhibition openings, and much more.

Staying connected to students and teachers has also been a key priority for the Museums. We have revamped our school programs to make them more useful than ever to educators and more engaging for students, working both online and in classrooms. In addition, we created a new Teachers’ Club and expanded our Teachers’ Zone, to provide educators with the additional support and resources they need to keep young Canadians engaged with their history.

We have also loaned History Boxes and Supply Line boxes to schools around the country free of charge. These programs have been wildly successful, providing teachers with compelling lesson plans, activities and hands-on experiences with reproduction artifacts that make history come to life for students.

It has been a joy for us to welcome on site visitors to our two Museums over the past several months. As we look ahead, we are delighted by the prospect of further expanding our lineup of programs and activities on site, while continuing to offer a full slate of dynamic virtual experiences.

None of this would have been possible, of course, without our donors, who have stepped up in exceptional ways. Our Museums and the people they serve owe you, our donors, sincere thanks for their unwavering support during a very difficult time.

Our Museums have embraced this opportunity to try new approaches and develop new programs, and in the months ahead, we will continue to build upon that momentum. Whether it is on site at the Museums or online for one of our virtual programs, I look forward to seeing you there.