Community museums: Exploring and celebrating Island heritage this summer

The Prince Edward Island Community Museums Association (PEI CMA) is seeking to better understand and meet the resource needs of its diverse membership across the province. Austen Clayton, an Islander completing his final co-op placement with the PEI CMA this summer before graduating from Memorial University this fall with a master’s degree in Folklore, will lead this work. 

In his role, Clayton will visit 50–60 heritage sites across PEI and survey operators to identify how the CMA can best support its members. He will also help increase awareness and appreciation of the Island’s rich heritage among residents and visitors, from centuries of Mi’kmaq presence to later European settlement. Clayton is passionate about making the region’s heritage accessible and preserving it for future generations.

Clayton will share the artifacts and stories from the heritage sites on social media. He invites the public to follow the PEI CMA’s social media and join in discovering what he is learning and sharing about Island heritage this summer. The first of many posts will appear in early June: @museumspei on Facebook and @cma_pei on Instagram.