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Shelburne Free Press https://shelburnefreepress.ca/?p=12305 Export date: Tue Jul 23 6:13:56 2024 / +0000 GMT |
Making history at home The mandate for the Dufferin County Museum and Archives (DCMA) is to collect, preserve, present and interpret the history of Dufferin County, all the while creating a enjoyable and valuable experience for their visitors. “If the Walls Could Talk” the main exhibit for 2015, exemplifies the passion and care that goes into fulfilling that challenge in every display at the museum. The DCMA's new Curator Sarah Robinson says the staff at the museum “wanted this exhibit to mean a lot to the people of Dufferin County – something they could relate to, as well as educating visitors who were from outside the County.” She says one of the most common questions from visitors relates to local homes and buildings; “If the Walls Could Talk,” a title borrowed from DCMA Archivist Steve Brown's book about buildings in Orangeville, will display artefacts from multiple building's once prominent in the area, including churches, the county jail, post offices, and hotels and taverns such as Shelburne's once and long ago Royal Hotel and the Paisley House hotel in Orangeville. The exhibit will also feature the OPP Museum's touring exhibit from Orillia – “Arresting Images” opening July 5th in the Silo gallery. The travelling display includes 100 mug shots from OPP archives. There will also be canine demonstrations, finger printing and guest officers from local police departments. Sarah says that “travelling exhibits keep what the museum offers fresh and provide local visitors with learning opportunities they might not get otherwise. In late February, the museum closed down for a week to carefully remove folk art displays and begin the work to set up “If the Walls Could Talk.” With the invaluable help of local volunteers, 98% of the 2014 displays have been painstakingly removed and put in their resting spots in museum archive rooms safe from light and dust to be preserved for the future. The museum has a small archive room that securely protects all textile antiques such as gowns, First Nations clothing, and the museum's over 200 quilts. There is also a larger storage room for non-textile and larger antiquities that is open to the public. The storage rooms that house the museums precious “secrets” are temperature, light and moisture controlled for preservation purposes. Sarah Robinson, an Orangeville area native, officially became the curator of DCMA in June of 2014, but she started as a volunteer five years earlier. A graduate of Guelph University with an Honours BA in History and Applied Museum Studies at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Sarah was a summer student, and Curatorial Assistant before taking over as Curator. She said former Curator Wayne Townsend was the best mentor she could have hoped for in preparing for her new position. “I learned many things in school, but I learned so many things from Wayne that I could not learn there; communicating with the community, the importance of sharing stories and showing your passion for history, as well as having a sense of humour.” General Manager of the DCMA, Darrel Keenie says that “2015 is all about the family.” The museum has lots of kid's activities planned as well as more accessible displays to let families get closer to the history of their home County. For more information on “If the Walls Could Talk” or special events contact the museum at 705 435-1881 or visit their website at info@dufferinmuseum.com to find out how you can learn about the history of your home or a local building contact Laura Camilleri Archive Assistant. By Marni Walsh |
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Post date: 2015-03-11 21:41:25 Post date GMT: 2015-03-12 01:41:25 Post modified date: 2015-03-18 16:18:25 Post modified date GMT: 2015-03-18 20:18:25 |
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