Master’s grad finds her place with unique Canadian historical services company
By Susan Hickman
Watching historical movies set in different time periods and cultures piqued Emily Keyes’ interest in history from the time she was a young girl.
Now, with a bachelor of arts degree in history and a master’s in public history from Carleton University, the 26-year-old is working for an Ottawa-based historical services company, which specializes in Canadian history.
It’s been an exciting route for Keyes, who first thought a history degree would land her a teaching job. But her year at the University of Exeter in England on an exchange program and her successful master’s “script” that performed to three sold-out shows sent Keyes in a completely different direction.
Just before she graduated with her undergraduate degree, Keyes began to work for Know History, a relatively new company that helps policy-makers, museums, filmmakers and Aboriginal organizations research and document Canada’s history. As the company’s outreach and operations officer, Keyes handles its social media presence, and represents the company at networking events, including at Carleton.
Know History’s founder and director Ryan Shackleton, also an alumnus of Carleton’s history department (MA 2003), has often addressed history students about working outside academia. Keyes was introduced to him through a family friend and has worked for the company now for about five years.
Keyes, who completed her master’s last year, credits her years at Carleton for introducing her to archivists, conservations and many alumni who are involved with the history department.
Most memorable for her was her work as a research assistant and then as a master’s student of history Prof. David Dean, who specializes in public history, particularly historical representation and performance in museums, film and theatre.
“(Prof. Dean), who was the National Arts Centre (NAC) English theatre company historian at the time, was studying 17th century Iroquois clothing for a production of King Lear in 2012. I saw original paintings and drawings from that period and it was an eye-opening opportunity, and a very formative experience for me.
“My second summer working with Prof. Dean involved a couple of different projects, including research into an NAC original production of a play about Louis Riel.”
Keyes’ master’s studies flowed naturally from her work in performance history as she delved into the late 19th century Ottawa event of a woman who shot her lover and did time at the old Ottawa jail (now the HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel).
She created a script, had it adapted by The Cellar Door Project theatre company of Kingston and watched it performed to sold-out houses. “I focused on how history is created in theatre and the creation of the script was part of the script. It was an opportunity for me to have a dialogue with myself and the audience about re-creating history and performing it.”
In October, Keyes moved to Calgary to open a new Know History branch. “This is our second office,” says Keyes. “We are very excited about the opportunity to grow and work with new people, and I am looking forward to taking on new responsibilities.”