Madeline Bronsdon Rowan

Person

Madeline Bronsdon Rowan

1940 -

Madeline Bronsdon Rowan is a Canadian citizen, born on February 21, 1940. Her educational background includes a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and English Literature in 1963 and a Masters degree in Anthropology in 1966 from the University of British Columbia. Madeline Bronsdon Rowan was formerly in a joint position as the curator of education/public programming at the Museum of Anthropology and senior instructor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia from 1975 to 1987. Her curatorial responsibilities included establishing and supervising school programmes for students and teachers, and to train members of the Volunteer Associates to conduct these programmes. In addition, she was responsible for providing professional development workshops for teachers and students in the Faculty of Education department at the University of British Columbia, and to develop units of curriculum and "touchable" artifact kits (in co-operation with various natives groups and experts). Rowan was also the supervisor for the Native Youth Project and the Coast Salish Project, these two projects are designed to encourage First Nation's youths to conduct lectures and give tours to museum patrons on traditional and contemporary Northwest Coast Native culture. Rowan's teaching areas of specialization for the anthropology department are: Introductory Anthropology, Material Culture and Education, Netsilik Inuit Culture and Northwest Coast Indian Studies. She was also an active board member of Native Indian Youth Advisory Society from 1982 to 1987. The society, under the direction of Mrs. Brenda Taylor, sponsored the Native Youth Project. Rowan was the curator in charge of the following exhibits: Dress and Identity, a cross-cultural display on the nature of attire expressing identity and status within a community (1977); East African Medicine, an exhibit based on the artifact collection of Dr. T. Margetts that demonstrates various methods of healing (1978); and Cedar, the use of trees in the Northwest Culture, co-authored by guest curator Hilary Stewart (1984). She also designed the "Netsilik Culture" artifact and raw materials teaching kit and a supporting curriculum unit, An Introduction to Netsilik Culture: A Seasonal Station Study, in 1983. Madeline Bronsdon Rowan authored and co-authored several published and unpublished articles relating to the Native Youth Project, Netsilik culture, native education, museums in relation to anthropology, museums and the school environment, and artifacts as art. This includes her articles "Making Museums Meaningful for Blind Children", co-authored with Sally Rogow, Faculty of Education, Gazette, July 1978; Guide to the U.B.C. Museum of Anthropology co-authored with Dr. Margaret Stott; and "U.B.C. Museum of Anthropology Native Youth Project", Urban Indian Multicultural Conference. Vancouver, October 1981.

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