Biography
Catherine C. Cole has been the Principal Consultant of Catherine C. Cole & Associates in Edmonton since 1993 and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM) since 2013. CAM is an Edmonton-based international non-governmental organisation – a network of postcolonial museums that reflects on colonial legacies and develops new international relationships and working practices. Through CAM
, Catherine administers a distance learning programme; develops international internships and exchanges; organises international conferences and workshops; implements demonstration projects on shared issues such as Indigenous rights, reconciliation, migration, climate change, and gender equality; and empowers museum workers to use their resources – their collections, exhibitions, programmes, and expertise – to address the sustainable development goals for the benefit of their communities. She has led a project on
Human Remains Management in southern Africa since 2016 in collaboration with museums, museum associations and universities in the region. Catherine is also the Vice-Chair of ICOM CAMOC (the International Committee for the Collections and Activities of Museums of Cities) and is collaborating on
Migration:Cities I
(Im)migration and Arrival Cities, a project focused on museums and migrants. A former social history curator, she maintains an independent curatorial practice, teaches museum studies, and conducts municipal cultural plans, institutional strategic plans, sectoral studies and program reviews for governments and cultural organizations. She works throughout Canada and internationally with a focus on decolonisation particularly in the Arctic, Western Canada and the Commonwealth.
