Integrating Museums in Healthcare: Northumberland County’s One-of-a-Kind Project

by RC summer student Tara Wiebe

This story begins with an exciting email sent to Radical Connections. Katie Kennedy, the museum curator at Northumberland County, contacted Radical Connections, as her newest project touches on the benefits of integrating cultural activities into long-term care homes. Jenny’s interest in creating accessible galleries and Carol’s passion for bringing artists and the arts into healthcare spaces made them both eager to connect with Katie and learn more about her project.

The Northumberland County Archives and Museum (NCAM) had been progressively losing space and the ability to run its operations smoothly. At the same time, the only municipally run long-term care home in the County, the Golden Plough Lodge (GPL), was due for renovations and needed to increase capacity. The most cost-effective solution proposed was to integrate the two spaces. The integrated space is a mutually beneficial solution as it will improve accessibility to cultural areas for long-term care residents and visitors, and will enhance programming and traffic for NCAM.

We are thrilled to envision a community hub where cultural activity supports the health and happiness of those living in, visiting, and working in the County’s long-term care home. We envision a welcoming indoor and outdoor space where connections and friendships are strengthened between the young and elderly of Northumberland and where our role as a museum supports the work of the integrated health teams for the greater well-being of all residents.

Katie Kennedy, Museum Curator at NCAM

Artist rendering for the new Northumberland Archives and Museum

Not only will the proximity of the NCAM facilitate the interactions between the museum and the residence, but the two organizations also plan to be interconnected through programs set up with the Life Enrichment Team at the GPL. They plan to hold storytelling events that could contribute to historical records and future exhibits. The organizations will also promote intergenerational connections through regular projects created by visiting student groups for long-term care residents.

Since there is no previous research on the benefits of museums or archives connecting with long-term care homes, Katie will be recording the effects of this project for others to follow in their footsteps. She will conduct interviews and surveys before and after the new building is established with the Golden Plough residents and their loved ones.

The new Golden Plough Lodge and Northumberland Archives and Museum is scheduled to open in September 2024. Their first planned exhibit is in collaboration with the Indigenous Advisory Circle, e wiindmaagzijig. The first exhibit will honour Michi Saagiig, the Ojibwe dialect of the traditional territory of Mississauga. This exhibit will stay in the NCAM for a year and then travel to 17 different Ontario communities for three-week periods.

It was great to meet Katie and to hear about her innovative project! Hopefully, this paves the way for more healthcare settings prioritizing culture and community. Radical Connections looks forward to supporting and collaborating with NCAM on this wonderful project in the future.

If this project interests you, contact ​​ncam@northumberland.ca or visit their website for more information!