George Jacob is a museologist who has greatly contributed to the creation of museums globally, and on January 16 he’ll be sharing his knowledge with the UFV community. Jacob trained at the Smithsonian and attended the Birla Institute of Technology and Science and the University of Toronto. His work can be seen in over 10 countries, including Singapore, India, Hong Kong, Egypt, and all across North America. Jacob is the founding president and CEO of the $46 million Phillip J. Currie Museum in Alberta and continues to make a significant impact in the museum industry.
The Cascade had the opportunity to interview George Jacob via email and speak to him about his experiences within the museum industry, what he plans to share with UFV students during his special presentation, and the impact of museums within Canada. To learn more about George Jacob’s experiences, drop by room B101 in the Abbotsford campus on Monday January 16, where he’ll be speaking to UFV students from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m
What are you planning on speaking about during your special presentation at UFV?
The talk focuses on the multi-billion dollar museum industry and the importance of creating cultural capital. What is the role of museums and culture in our increasingly virtual and changing interconnected world of accelerated communication and global mobility? Museums are the souls of civil societies and they serve as repositories of our collective memory. They are an important catalyst for education, tourism, cultural infrastructure, and the quality of life in communities. But museums are more than memory keepers. Museums are engines that drive cultural diplomacy — an art, whose soft power has tested true through the course of history in bridging relationships, forging allies, and facilitating the exchange of ideas.
Is there a particular message you would like to convey to UFV students?
For those interested in pursuing a career in museums, it is important to know that there are skills that can be applied to the commercial side of the museum industry ranging from design, project implementation, master planning, policy development, museum law, cultural affairs et al. It is also important to know that there are all kinds of museums that celebrate life beyond the conventional history and / or art based institutions. The spectrum of topics includes culinary arts, wine-making, design, fashion, jewelry, healthcare, living traditions, comics, chocolates, broken relationships, peace, war… the list is long!
You have been a prominent figure within the growth of the museum industry during your career. What type of impact do you believe museums have globally?
Apart from sharing history, culture, traditions and customs through exhibit experiences, the extension and educational aspects of museums impact augmented learning, attract tourism investment, rejuvenate economies and often anchor communities around a collective cause that they can take pride in. At a national level, they may foster a sense of identity, conserve and protect heritage, research, cultural exchanges, and foster growth of knowledge through primary and secondary source curatorial discourses and publications.
The future of museums will be impacted by spatial and visual platforms and the continued interactive and immersive power of virtual and augmented reality tools. It is inevitable for content to move to the cyber realm in times ahead and there would be swathes of potential visitors who would be content surfing the tech-induced web of learning and discovery. However, there is no substitute for material culture. The classical appeal of museums and the need to preserve, conserve, and celebrate material culture will always be there.
Did working in places such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, France, and North America inspire you for different projects?
With global connectivity, the museum industry is experiencing seamless integration of professional talent. Canadian architects are designing museums in Saudi Arabia, Dutch designers are working in Singapore, British curators are engaged in Egypt … this growing trend has created a confluence of creativity that the world is increasingly experiencing in the recent year, directly impacting best practices and professional standards. Not only has the cross-pollination resulted in free exchange of creative innovation, it has also induced an inherent appreciation of pluralistic perceptions and multicultural work environments.
Being from India originally, what inspiration do you draw from your hometown while working on museums?
India is a cultural mosaic like no other. It has been an interesting melting pot that still savours purity of the classical and distinctiveness of folk traditions. The cultural continuity and living traditions require a different notion of a “museum” for them to be relevant to the Indian society and psyche that struggles with identity and postcolonial angst. Indigenous perspectives, intangible heritage, and oral traditions seek a different lens for interpretive curatorial narrative. While I never grew up in my “hometown” I have carried the notion of a global citizen in most of my work, often seeking to push the paradigm to discover the undiscovered.
Regarding your work with the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, how did you want this particular project to impact Canada? And what kind of impact would you like your future projects to have on Canada?
The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum dispelled many myths. First, it was the fastest museum design-build project in Canadian history. Second, it reversed an accepted norm of endless delays and budget overruns by opening precisely on the intended date and coming under budget. Third, the entire team consisted of only two professionals prior to the opening, making it the leanest endeavour ever. Fourth, the museum designed its own website, merchandise, branding, media taglines, feature documentaries, publication, signage, and billboards — an unprecedented measure. Fifth, it bagged nine awards in nine months, clocking 127,000 visitors despite its remote location, Sixth, it became the first museum in the world to offer helicopter rides over the world’s densest dinosaur bone-bed sites.
Oddly, it also became the first museum in Canada to engage a visible minority president and CEO. The museum is a national asset that has successfully raised the bar for planning and project execution. Its business model offers a viable frame of reference for future museums across Canada.
Would you like to work on any projects within B.C., especially within the Vancouver area? And if so, what kind of projects would you have in mind?
If opportunity presents, I would like to develop a non-traditional First Nations museum of living cultures on a scope and scale never conceived or witnessed before.
As a previous student yourself who attended a Canadian university, what advice would you have for post-secondary students who would like to work in the museum/arts industry?
As a Canadian, and a lifelong student of creative thought and cultural conservation, my advice would be to explore the world, its diversity, its limitless ocean of knowledge that could enrich our souls in boundless ways. Museums are but mere vessels where narratives resonate with those who open their minds.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
