I’m a public folklorist passionate about the stories that connect people to place and the meaningful ways they are told.
Hi!
I’m Crystal Braye.
My background has made me a strong proponent of working closely with community members and stakeholders to ensure the development of opportunities that attract visitors to the region, while also benefiting local communities.
I believe I have the passion, skill and drive to help realize your project and I would love to talk about how we can work together to safeguard and promote your local history, heritage and folklore.
After being raised by nostalgic Newfoundlanders living in Ontario, I moved “home” to pursue an M.A. in Public Folklore at Memorial University. During my degree, I worked as an intern with the Heritage NL where I spent a summer traipsing around the island documenting root cellars. After completing a second internship with the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador (WBMNL), I was hired as a full-time folklorist where I had the fortune of doing research in more than fifty communities and interviewing people in all corners of the province - from New Bonaventure to Nain. This research was shared through webpages, articles, booklets, pamphlets, presentations, and museum exhibits in Winterton, Twillingate and Trinity.
In my work with museums, I soon discovered a genuine love for big picture planning and visitor experience design, leading me to become a Certified Interpretive Planner in 2017. I’ve since worked with heritage societies, community museums, tourism operators and municipalities on a variety of projects including exhibit planning and development, digital tour creation, oral history collection and more.