KINGSTON, ONT. – The Ontario Museum Association (OMA) presented their Distinguished Career Award of Excellence to Mark Badham, curator of the Miller Museum of Geology at their conference gala on Thursday, November 3.
[ PHOTO: pictured L to R: Mark Badham, Clark Bernat, OMA Council, Cathy McGirr, Awards of Excellence Committee; Photo Credit – Maurice Dalzot/OMA ]
This year’s OMA annual conference brought together over 240 museum professionals and stakeholders from across Ontario to learn, explore, network, and recognize successful museum leaders.
“The Awards of Excellence is our opportunity to recognize those institutions and individuals who exemplify their roles in the museum sector, reminding us of the impact museums have on their communities, and on Ontario as a province” said Marie Lalonde, Executive Director of the OMA.
The OMA Distinguished Career Award of Excellence is presented to individuals who, over an extended period of time, have created a lasting and meaningful legacy in the Ontario museum community. Mark Badham has spent his career working tirelessly at the Miller Museum of Geology, and has been a crucial member of the broader Kingston museum community.
Mark has been the curator of the Miller Museum of Geology for thirty years where, in addition to developing its collections and outreach, and running traditional educational programming, he was instrumental in establishing, and hosting the pilot session of, Beyond Classrooms Kingston, a program which brings school classes into a museum or community site for a week, and which is currently in its third year.
Beyond this, Mark has also been an important figure in the development of Kingston’s museum network, as a founding member of the Kingston Association of Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Sites (KAM), and through his various positions on its board.
At the founding of KAM, Mark made sure that collegiality and community partnerships would be core elements of its vision, and helped ensure the development of the City of Kingston Heritage Fund, which provides crucial funding to Kingston’s heritage organizations.
Kingston, and all of Ontario, has benefited from the work Mark has done to encourage community and museum partnerships and to promote the importance of local heritage engagement and education.
“Mark Badham is a quiet leader and mentor for museum professionals. Building Kingston’s museum team through his dedication and hard work is Mark’s legacy” shared Caroline Petznick, Managing Director, KAM.
Mark is active in the museum community, having recently been responsible for the establishment of two museum walking routes through Kingston, and continuing to work to establish collaborative events between Kingston museums and other organizations, including such creative events as “Loud Day,” featuring the sounds of Kingston’s museums’ collections.
Release and photo source: Kingston Museums
