Danielle megaffin

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, Danielle Megaffin is a PhD Candidate in the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester in England. She has over 15 years experience in the museum sector and has worked at museums around the world from the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada) to the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney, Australia). She also spent those 15 years in and out of rehabs, hospitals and recovery programmes trying to get clean and sober from her drug and alcohol addiction.

Danielle’s museum work focuses on the ethical display of human rights in museums. Her work is trauma and violence-informed, people-centered and socially engaged. She believes museums should benefit the communities they represent while also advocating for social change. Danielle’s current doctoral research examines the ethical development of museum exhibitions on genocide in Canada.

With MOAR, Danielle has combined her two passions - museums and helping to destigmatize addiction. She hopes the museum will help educate people about addiction and help to humanize anyone struggling with addiction.

In 2022, Danielle was awarded the Steve Simons Bursary from Event Communications for her research in developing an ethical framework for museums developing exhibits on settler colonial genocide in Canada. In 2023, Danielle was the recipient of the John C. Carter Award in Museum Studies for the student who will one day lead change and innovation in the museum, gallery, and heritage field.

After years living abroad in England, Danielle moved back to Nova Scotia in hopes to establish the museum as non-profit and brick and mortar sober arts space dedicated to combatting the stigma of addiction as well as bringing the museum around the world through pop-up exhibitions and partnerships.