LAC LA BICHE - The Lac La Biche Museum has been chosen to receive the Alberta Museums Association’s (AMA) 2025 Leadership Award for Education
According to information from the AMA, the museum will be receiving the honour during a ceremony at the AMA’s 2025 fall gathering, which is set to take place on Sept. 5, at Sunnybrook Farm Museum in Red Deer.
Jennifer Mueller, manager/director, is looking forward to accepting the award on behalf of the Lac La Biche Museum.
The Lac La Biche Museum was informed that it would receive an award at the end of June. However, staff waited to make a formal announcement until the AMA announced the award recipients in August.
“We were thrilled to learn that we would be receiving the award for the museum's contributions to community education,” Mueller said.
“The AMA Leadership Award is especially significant because our museum was competing against other museums across Alberta for recognition. Only one winner is selected for the Leadership Award for Education category, so being chosen is truly an honour.”
The Lac La Biche Museum is being recognized for its innovative approach to education, which extends learning opportunities beyond the museum’s walls and into the wider community.
“Thanks to partnerships, we bring our exhibits and programs to other community organizations and spaces, enabling the museum to engage more community members, reduce access barriers, and promote inclusive lifelong learning,” she said.
Museum staff create and install over 50 off-site temporary exhibits and pop-up museums annually.
These exhibits are displayed at the Bold Center, McArthur Place, Stuart MacPherson Public Library, Lacalta Lodge, and Golden Sands, throughout he year, as well as at several local schools in Lac La Biche and Plamondon each spring. They can also be found at community events.
Additionally, museum staff work onsite on initiatives such as the monthly Lac La Biche Explorers program, group tours, and installing approximately 20 exhibits at the museum each year.
“We also offer off-site programs such as the Lac La Biche Explorers: The Way Things Were at the Stuart MacPherson Public Library, and the Reminiscence Kit program for residents at Lacalta Lodge, Golden Sands, and . . . the William J. Cadzow Health Centre,” Mueller said.
“Our goal is to make the region's history and heritage accessible to a broad audience, and our off-site exhibits and programs support this mission.”
According to Mueller, the AMA Leadership Award for Education is not the first award the museum has received. In 2023, the Lac La Biche Museum was honoured with an Interpretation Canada Award of Excellence (Bronze) for its Reminiscence Kit program, which supports seniors' mental and cognitive health, recognizing the museum's efforts on a national level.
“In 2022, the museum earned the Lac La Biche & District Chamber of Commerce Business Award of Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism for its contributions to regional tourism,” she said.
Kerrie Sanderson, communications lead for the Alberta Museums Association, said the Leadership Award for Education recognizes those who facilitate a culture of inquiry, adding that recipients in this category are innovative in their approach to educational program development and delivery.
“They view education as a core function of the museum, which is reflected in their collections research and exhibit development,” Sanderson explained, adding, these museums inspire lifelong learning through participatory programming, interpretation, and artifact engagement.
The Lac La Biche Museum, according to Sanderson, was selected in recognition of its collaborative efforts to deliver engaging, accessible, and hands-on heritage education beyond the museum’s walls.
“The Lac La Biche Museum’s approach to programming emphasizes community connection, partnering with a range of local organizations to deliver offsite educational programs and pop-up exhibits that share history and their collection with broader and more diverse audiences,” she stated.
