Thursday September 24 2026

The Museums Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (MANL) is pleased to announce that the organization’s application for Canadian Heritage’s Museum Assistance Program was successful, and as a result, will be updating the Guidelines for the Operation of Community Museums in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Canadian Heritage’s Museums Assistance Program (MAP) supports heritage institutions and workers in the preservation and presentation of heritage collections. The program fosters the preservation of Indigenous culture and facilitates access to heritage collections for all Canadians, and also promotes professional knowledge, skills and practices related to key museum functions.

Thanks to this funding, MANL recently hired Emily Critch as the Museum Guidelines Project Coordinator who will be responsible for overseeing every aspect of updating and revising MANL’s Guidelines for the Operation of Community Museums in Newfoundland and Labrador from the 2nd to 3rd Edition, with the primary focus on IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) and Reconciliation.

Emily Critch (they/them) is a Mi’kmaw and settler curator, art historian, and artist from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk (Bay of Islands, Newfoundland). Emily was the 2025 recipient of VANL CARFAC’s Mary MacDonald Award for their ongoing efforts to help sustain and build the visual arts sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, and has been working in the GLAM sector for more than a decade. They are in the final stages of finishing their Masters Degree in Art and Architectural History and Graduate Diploma in Curatorial Practice from Carleton University. Emily is a proud board member of St. Michael’s Printshop, and is the chair of their Collections, Archive, and Gallery Committee. Emily is excited to work with MANL membership and stakeholders to update this important community resource and make Newfoundland and Labrador’s Heritage Sector more inclusive to all!

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.