Nelson’s Tressa Ford, assistant archivist at the Nelson Museum Archives & Gallery, has been nominated for a B.C. Heritage award for their work engaging new audiences with local history.
Ford has been nominated under the Professional Achievement: Emerging Heritage Professional category.
Heritage B.C. said the nomination reflects Ford’s significant contributions to the museum, including strengthening collections, exhibitions and public programming, while helping engage new audiences through writing, tours and social media.
Ford said the nomination feels good, but a little surprising.
“Well, I heard about it when Cindy [Fillion] said she would nominate me, but it’s still very nice to get some recognition for what I do.”
Ford credits creative outreach efforts for success in engaging new audiences and making local history accessible.
“The Museum Mondays are a fun way of reaching out to people. These are short videos that we post every Monday on Facebook and Instagram. I pick out an item from the collection… and that’s a way for people to see local history,” Ford said.
Ford also highlighted monthly “history buff” articles published in the Nelson Star and Cold War bunker tours as other ways of connecting the public with Nelson’s history.
Ford said the stories that tend to resonate most with the community often highlight the people behind Nelson’s unique character.
“There’s a very beautiful element of what makes this community special… the people who put a ton of work into making it feel like a community and function like a community,” Ford said.
“I’ve done some articles on arts history in Nelson and the dedication to Nelson being an arts and culture hub. People really connect with those stories because anybody who’s lived here for a while can tell you there is something unique about this place.”
When asked why preserving local history is important, Ford said it’s about connection.
“There’s a real beauty in small-town history and recognizing that history is composed of all of us. When you dig into a small topic like Nelson history, you realize just how interconnected we all are. It’s lovely to see people make those connections.”
Ford has been working at the museum since 2017, starting as a summer student, and has been assistant archivist since 2021.
Ford earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Simon Fraser University, while also taking several history courses.
Looking ahead, Ford hopes to continue expanding what’s offered at the museum.
“We’ve had this long project of the Nelson Sports Museum, so I’d like to get some more sports museum display cases in the NDCC. And there are some pretty cool topics planned for the next couple of history buff articles.
Really, it’s going to be dependent on what people come down with. You never know what sort of questions you’re going to get,” Ford said.
Ford, who is 27, said the recognition feels particularly special.
“This feels really special, so I appreciate it.”
The B.C. Heritage award winners will be announced on May 5.
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