Biography for Dr. Dickenson

Victoria Dickenson, FCMA, PhD

Victoria Dickenson initiated the post of Chief Knowledge Officer of the new federal institution, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2009. She was formerly Executive Director, McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal from 1998-2009. She is a graduate of the Master in Museum Studies Program at the University of Toronto and has over thirty-five years experience working in the Canadian and international museum communities.
Dr. Dickenson has worked in collections and research, as well as public programs. She has been involved with the development of numerous exhibitions and interpretive projects, within the museum community and in the private sector. She is an acknowledged leader in the application of information technology to museum practice. She also works and writes on the relationship between museums and communities, particularly in the related contexts of diversity and globalization. In 2003, she was chosen by the Canadian Museums Association as one of the recipients of The Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee, in recognition of her significant contribution to the museum community in Canada. In 2005 she was named a Fellow of the Canadian Museums Association.
Victoria obtained her Ph.D. in Canadian history from Carleton University in 1995. Her thesis on the role of visual imagery in early science was published by University of Toronto Press in 1998 as Drawn from Life, Science and Art in the Portrayal of the New World, and was a nominee for the prestigious Klibansky Prize. Her current scholarly work continues to focus on issues around visualization and knowledge, and on the understanding of novelty. She is an Adjunct Research Professor at both Carleton University and at University of Manitoba.