Museum Education in Quebec: New Ways of Sharing and Learning

Anik Meunier is a professor of museology and education in the Department of Didactics at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). She holds doctorates in education (UQAM) and information and communication sciences (Avignon Université). She heads the Groupe de recherche sur l’éducation et les musées (GREM). Her research focuses on cultural mediation, examining the professional practices of those working in the field, the methods they use and their impact on audiences. She has a particular interest in museum education, understood as the range of mediation practices carried out in museums and heritage institutions. In recognition of her contributions to the field of museum education, she received UQAM’s Faculty of Education’s Research Excellence Award–Achievements category in 2021.

Pascale Grignon is Senior Director, Programs & Engagement at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal, where she oversees exhibitions, education and community engagement, communications, partnerships, and visitor experience. A member of the Museum’s executive leadership team, she plays a key role in shaping institutional strategy and advancing audience-centred museum practices.

Since joining the Museum in 2010, Pascale has led communications, marketing, digital engagement, visitor experience, and, from 2021 to 2025, the institution’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Her work has focused on strengthening the relevance, accessibility and social impact of the Museum and facilitate the transformation of the organization by the adoption of decolonized museum practices.

An active participant in the international research groups, Pascale regularly contributes to discussions on the future of museums, audience engagement and institutional transformation. Prior to her museum career, she held senior leadership roles in strategic communications and marketing at Cossette. She is also a frequent speaker, facilitator and trainer.

Clara Chouinard holds a Master’s degree in Art History and a Master’s degree in Museology. Since 2009, she has worked within the City of Montreal’s library network and Cultural Services Department. She has also served as a cultural facilitator at the Sherbrooke Museum of Fine Arts, the Stewart Hall Cultural Centre, and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art before being appointed Supervisor of the Facilitation Team at the McCord Stewart Museum in 2018.

In 2019, she became Project Manager, Education, Community Engagement and Cultural Programs, at the same institution, where she has led a variety of initiatives, including the workshop Looking After Our Stories in Montréal/Tiohtiá:ke; a community engagement project with the residents of Disraeli; another project developed with vendors of L’Itinéraire; an educational program for French-language learners (MIFI); and the educational activity Trickster for students in preschool and the first cycle of elementary school.

She also developed family tours for the exhibitions Montreal 1976: An Olympic Odyssey and Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870–1927.

Leïla Afriat is Community Relations Officer in the Education, Community Engagement and Cultural Programs team at the McCord Stewart Museum, where she has worked for the past seven years. She has 18 years of experience in museum education across various Montreal institutions.

With a background in ethnography and cultural organization management, Leïla also holds a diploma in documentary filmmaking. Her interests focus on the development of collaborative museology in intercultural contexts and the practical application of decolonial theories. At the heart of her professional practice is a commitment to building genuine, meaningful relationships through a dialogical approach.