May 18th is International Museums Day!

 

Canada Celebrates International Museums Day

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 17, 2013 -- The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) is encouraging all Canadians to visit and show support for their local museums and galleries in celebration of International Museum Day, Saturday, May 18.

The goal of this annual event, held on May 18 every year, is to raise awareness about the importance and value museums bring to society. Institutions around the world can participate by offering free admission, special offers and unique events. Visit your community museums' websites to learn more about their involvement.

The first International Museum Day was organized by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977. The event has since provided museums with an opportunity to get creative and raise awareness about the challenges they face every day. This year, ICOM is aiming to inspire museums to make a difference in their communities by promoting the theme Museums (memory + creativity) = social change.

"This year's theme is significant because it reminds us of our mandate to contribute to the future of Canadian society by remembering and honouring the past," says John McAvity, Executive Director of the CMA. "Museums have the power to promote creativity and innovation in their role as keepers of our national heritage. Canadians of all ages benefit from a visit to a museum and International Museum Day is an ideal time for it!"

Canada's 2,600 museums attract more than 59 million visitors every year and nearly 15% of those visitors are students, our youth. Museums serve as ambassadors to our rich culture and attract more than half of all international tourists who visit our country.

Museums make for a stronger local and national community. Serving as forums for public engagement and discussion, Canada's museums are more than repositories of preserved artefacts. Unfortunately Canadian museums continue to struggle to maintain their collections and keep our culture alive. The CMA urges the public to support their local museums in an effort to preserve our heritage for the sake of future generations.

For more information on this year's celebrations, visit the International Council of Museums' website and follow the activity on Twitter using the hashtag #IMD2013.

George and Charlotte Gibson Day 2013

The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives present:

George and Charlotte Gibson Day

Saturday, May 25th, 2013

Open House from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Cake Cutting at 1:00 pm

Slide Show at 2:00 pm

George and Charlotte Gibson Day is the SCMA’s annual event commemorating the arrival of the Gibson family to West Howe Sound in 1886. To celebrate this historic occasion, we will host an Open House with cake and refreshments and a slide show on the history of Gibsons. You will have a chance to meet some of the living descendants of the Gibson and other pioneer families, as well as our Board of Directors. Come on out to this all-ages event, support your museum, and learn more about our local history!

For more information: Call 604-886-8232; email at scm_a@dccnet.com;

go to “News & Events” on our website http://www.sunshinecoastmuseum.ca; 

Our New Summer Museum Assistant

Hello all, I’m Terri, the museum’s new Summer Assistant.  

 I grew up in Sechelt and so I’m very excited about this opportunity to learn more about our beautiful Coast and its rich heritage.

I’ve just finished my third year at the University of Victoria studying creative writing. It’s always been my dream to be a writer.  Although I don’t know where I’ll end up in life, if it involves writing, I’ll have met my goal.

Over the summer, I’ll be sharing some of my experiences at the museum with you. Join me right here on this blog where I’ll post weekly journal-style updates of my exploits. Ask me questions! Tell me what you want to hear about!

I’ll be here until August 18^th, so come and say hi! It’s much more fun to see me fumble for answers to your questions in person.

Our new summer hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 10:30 – 4:30.

And no, before you ask, I’m not normally this enthusiastic about ironing.  

What's Up at the SCMA?

We have been working hard over the last few years to establish relationships with the Squamish and Sechelt Nations so they can interpret their own histories here at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Back in the fall of 2011, we launched our newly developed collaborative exhibit Kwekwínmut Pieces of the Past. One half of the first floor has been dedicated to the exhibit which features over 70 Squamish stone artifacts , large-scale archival images, maps, interpretive text panels, and an innovative soundscape piece that includes the Squamish Origin legend.  The exhibit was groundbreaking for us in that it marked the beginning of a collaborative relationship with the Squamish Nation based on principles of co-management.

We are now in the midst of making arrangements with the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler to do a year-long exhibit exchange. They will be borrowing our stone artifacts in exchange for pieces from their outgoing exhibit entitled “SnexwÍlth / T’laoz’ The Crafts and Culture of Squamish Canoe Building”. This exhibit showcases canoe building and fishing activities and is a celebration of Squamish and Lil’wat waterways and culture that has sustained their people for generations.

The key piece from this exhibit is a dugout canoe called Stelkaya, or “Striking Wolf”. It was carved by Sessiyám (Ray Natraoro) a member of the Wolf clan. A modern master of the ancient Squamish craft, Sessiyám carved this vessel from a single piece of ancient red cedar as a wedding gift for his wife, Noelle. Carved over a period of two months in 2009, this nexws chá7chu, or hunting canoe, measures 8.5 meters (28 feet) long, 138 centimeters (54.5 inches) across the beam, and weighs approximately 227 kilograms (500 lbs.). It has traveled throughout the Salish Sea and taken part in two Tribal Canoe Journeys. As this goes to press, we are still working out the logistics of transporting and installing the canoe. It really is stunning and I’m crossing my fingers that everything will fall into place! The plan is to have the exhibit ready for launch by June at the latest so come soon if you want to catch the last few weeks of our current exhibit and stay tuned for the launch of the canoe exhibit this June.

I am also pleased to announce that we were successful in our application for the 2013 BC History Digitization Program and can now complete Phase II of our Newspaper Digitization Project. Adding to our online database of 37 years of Coast News newspapers, we plan to complete the Coast News collection (77-82, 88, 90-95) and include the entire run of the Peninsula Times (January 1963 to June 1980). We are aiming to have this second phase available online by November. We have received extremely positive community response to our project and are excited to build upon this success with the second phase.  If you haven’t already, visit sunshinecoastmuseum.ca to access this wealth of free information.

Film Screening: The Manzanar Fishing Club

Join us at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives for a screening of The Manzanar Fishing Club, a powerful and moving film about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and a courageous few who took back their freedom through fishing.

Although the film is set in California, Japanese Canadians from the Sunshine Coast and beyond faced similar hardships as they were forced to leave their homes and families to live in a number of prison camps across our country.

The Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives will be screening this documentary on Saturday, January 26^th at 2pm. Admission is by donation and seats are limited so come early. (Running Time: 2 hours)

Watch the film's trailer:


 
FILM DESCRIPTION
 
Locked away in the California desert, more than 10,000 Americans of Japanese descent faced an uncertain future at the WWII internment camp at Manzanar. Armed military police, guard towers and barbed wire sent the clear message that they were prisoners in their own country.

The Manzanar Fishing Club is the uplifting tale of those who sought and found moments of freedom by escaping the camp to fish the surrounding waters of the famed Eastern Sierra.

And in the process, they gave new meaning to the old phrase "Gone Fishing". (From DVD cover)