One of Ottawa’s historical museums has added something new to its collection. The Bytown Museum, located on the Rideau Canal between Parliament Hill and Chateau Laurier, has appointed a new director, Mike Steinhauer.
Steinhauer says he is looking to reach three audiences in Ottawa – those who frequent local heritage sites, tourists who stumble upon them and local residents who are unaware they exist.
“The market in Centretown is ever-changing and so diverse,” says Steinhauer. “This is a really exciting time to keep old partnerships and develop new ones.”
Steinhauer says he wants to create an accessible collection both in the museum and online. He plans to update the museum’s website and online cataloguing system so that artifacts in storage are still available to the community through photographs.
Steinhauer’s long-term vision is to link contemporary art and photography with the history of Ottawa.
“In order to examine the past, we also have to look at the current life in Ottawa,” says Steinhauer.
Christina Tessier is the former director of the museum. She laid a valuable foundation during her time at the Bytown. The new director has big shoes to fill, says Glen Shackleton, president of the museums Board of Directors.
Amongst a field of strong candidates, Steinhauer was an impressive applicant from the start, says Shackleton. He adds that the museum needs another director who can tell the story of this city.
“Mike will bring a new energy and creativity to the museum,” says Shackleton. “He has a great background and some very exciting ideas.”
Steinhauer, who moved to Ottawa in 2003, has worked at both the local and international levels. After studying and working in Italy and Germany, he worked for the Library of Parliament and the Curatorial Services of the House of Commons. Most recently he spent three years at the National Gallery of Canada, loaning works of art to exhibitions around the world.
Steinhauer says his experience will help lead the Bytown Museum into its next phase. His employers agree.
“Mike is a wonderful employee, as well as a great negotiator whose feathers don’t get ruffled easily,” says Greg Spurgeon, chief of Collections Management at the National Gallery of Canada.
Steinhauer says his main challenge will be trying to bridge the different gaps that exist in a large city. He says there is room to further link the national and regional, French and English and urban and rural aspects of Ottawa.
“I find residents of Ottawa are associated with a national capital that just has Parliament Hill and the government,” he says. “But, we are also all just locals of
Ottawa who live and work here.”