2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Exploring Identity and Bias
Harpreet Dhanjal, Community Engagement
Specialist, University of Calgary
Dave Latos, Coordinator of Volunteer Engagement,
TELUS Spark
Allison Simpson, Independent
Museum and Culture Consultant
About the Session
Equip yourself to begin your journey of diversity, equity,
accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) work by reflecting on your own
identity and biases, and how they frame your actions. Often,
exploring these concepts on our own in order to make a difference
in the world can feel challenging (because it is!), and we may feel
external pressure to adopt new ways of working without
understanding why. Join fellow participants for a conversation
about the lenses through which each of us views the world, and how
our identities affect our interactions and the experiences we
create for others. This session will draw on participants'
collective experiences to consider how they approach DEAI work in
museums, understand what elements of their own identities frame
their biases, and develop an action statement to apply to their
daily work. Beginning with self-reflection and self-understanding
will equip those beginning to implement themes of equity and
diversity in their work or leading change in their
organizations.
Please note: This session will be held as a
discussion with active participation from attendees. As space is
limited to 25 participants, all attendees must pre-register through
the Conference Event Hub. Due to the personal nature of the
material shared in this discussion, this session will not be
recorded and will not be available after the Conference event.
Questions to Consider
- How do our identities impact our lives and work?
- What can we do to address the biases we bring with us?
- Why are diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion
important to museums?
About the Speakers
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Harpreet Dhanjal
she / her
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Harpreet Dhanjal has a background in research, education, and
program development. She has experience in the development,
execution, and evaluation of programming for diverse audiences
through her time at Calgary's science centre the past four years.
While she has moved on to focus on community engagement in another
sector now, museum work remains deeply important to her. Harpreet
is an advocate for diversity and inclusion and was recognized for
her work by being accepted into the 2018 ASTC Diversity and
Leadership Development Fellowship program and most recently as the
AMA's 2020 Leadership Award recipient for Engagement.
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Dave Latos
he / him
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Relatively new to the museum world, Dave Latos started at TELUS
Spark in 2018. Since then, he has dived headfirst into the
wonderful work of Volunteer Engagement. His interest in diversity,
equity, accessibility, and inclusion work began long before, and he
is grateful to his colleagues at Spark for bringing these two areas
of interest together and keeping the conversation on these topics
going. As a perpetual learner on the DEAI journey, he looks forward
to sharing stories, exploring ideas, and growing together with
you.
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Allison Simpson
she / her
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Allison Simpson has 20 years of experience working with museums
to develop new approaches for engaging audiences. Her experience
extends across functional lines, including exhibitions, collections
management, communications, and outreach.
Allison began her museum career developing web
content, establishing data access strategies, and researching
standards for presenting and preserving digital media art with the
Canadian Heritage Information Network. Since, she has worked in
operational capacities with natural history, human history, and art
museums in Alberta and California and consulted with museums and
museums associations across Canada and in the US. Most recently,
Allison led the feature and permanent exhibitions
programs at TELUS Spark in Calgary.
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