James Coe and Matthew Kerr (history)
UVic history students James Coe and Matthew Kerr spent a summer bringing history to life at the Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum. From giving tours to curating their own museum exhibit, they made history accessible and exciting for the public.
Writing stories for the Lookout
Behind the scenes, Coe and Kerr updated the museum’s catalogue record base, getting in-depth experience with the archival collection, and created content for the Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt newspaper, The Lookout.
Sharing history
For Coe, working with the museum’s collection was a great chance to learn about history outside the classroom. “I now know a lot more about the history of the Canadian Armed forces, especially local naval history on the West Coast,” he says.
Curating a display on the Korean War was a welcome challenge for Coe and Kerr, who put their research and writing skills to use for the project. “We had to tell a story for the visitors to follow,” Kerr explains. “The artifacts we used provided a tangible glimpse into the stories we were telling, while the written components explained the artifacts and helped provide the wider picture.” Though both co-op students have since returned to their studies, the exhibit on the Korean War remains in place at the museum.
“Curating the Korean War exhibit was also very impactful because it continues to inform people about Canadian history even after my co-op has ended,” says Coe.
The impact of co-op
The co-op students allowed the museum to expand its hours to seven days a week during high season by operating the museum on weekends, which helped visitor attendance soar beyond pre-pandemic numbers.
Coe and Kerr’s co-op work terms are just two of more than 100,000 that students UVic students have completed since the program was established in 1976 in the Departments of Chemistry and Physics. The program secured 58 placements in its first year; today it includes 13 co-op offices that provide opportunities for students in nearly every academic program at UVic. Today, many co-op employers are alumni of the program.
For Chief Curator Tatiana Robinson, hiring and mentoring co-op students is a way to pass on her own experience as a UVic humanities and fine arts co-op graduate: “My work terms were great learning experiences and so it is fulfilling to provide that for present day students.”