Historical society kicks off speaker series next week

The Uxbridge-Scott Historical Society is known for its engaging, insightful Speaker Series, which are held at the Uxbridge Historical Centre four or five times a year. The speakers expound on all topics historical, but on Wednesday, May 20, it may be the first time a speaker has addressed the topic of museums themselves.

Dr. Amy Barron is featured as the Uxbridge-Scott Historical Society’s first speaker of the season. Her talk wil be on the History of Museums! Submitted photo

Dr. Amy Barron will present “From Cabinets of Curiosities to Controversies: The History of Museums”, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Old Schoolhouse at the UHC.

Her description of her talk is as follows: “Did you know that the oldest museum dates to the sixth century BCE? From the early ‘cabinets of curiosities’ to the growth of royal collections and national museums they have fascinated kings and commoners alike. Museums have been used to house treasures from newly explored colonial worlds, to educate the masses, and to showcase a nation’s power. But these past approaches have left modern questions as to the ownership of the material in many large museums.

The conflicts of the world have also affected museums with possible looted and stolen artifacts flooding antiquities markets. Come and take a behind-the-scenes look at the history of museums!”

Barron received her PhD at the University of Toronto in the field of Mesopotamian history and archaeology, specializing on the military history of Iron Age Assyria. She has excavated predominantly in the Middle East but has travelled widely studying the archaeology of various remote parts of the world from Peru to China. Barron has taught archaeology, ancient history and classics at the universities of Toronto and Guelph, and currently leads the post-graduate museum studies programs at Fleming College. She has worked in the museum world for over 30 years and loves sharing her passion for the past.

“The History of Museums” will be presented on May 20, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Uxbridge Historical Centre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and light refreshments will be served. Admission is by donation, USHS members are free.