Red Deer Museum Blog - February, 2012
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Concept Design for Permanent History Exhibition to be Presented
The 2013 Permanent History Exhibition project is on schedule.
The firm of Reich & Petch, the awarding-winning design firm from Toronto contracted to create the exhibition, will present the concept design at an Open House at the Museum on Wednesday, February 29th, starting at 7:00pm.
“We are very enthusiastic to share this phase of the project with our members and stakeholders,” states Jean Graham, President of the Museum Society. “We are extending an invitation to the general community to come out to see first hand what our excitement is all about.”
The footprint planned for the permanent history exhibition is 4200 square feet, approximately one-half of the existing gallery space. The remaining 3300 square feet of gallery space will support the changing exhibit program.
The Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery and the Red Deer & District Archives have extensive collections that will be the core anchor the exhibition. Themes in the exhibition will highlight the stories of leadership, ingenuity and community spirit, and tell stories of the lives of ordinary people, stories of success and sacrifice over 100 years.
Lorna Johnson, Executive Director and Project Manager, admits, “Our community has asked for a permanent display of Red Deer's history. The designer has worked closely with the team to create an experience that establishes this sense of place; one that "connects the dots" and identifies where we came from and how we got to this point in time.”
Doors will open at 6:30 pm on February 29th. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Lorna Johnson, 403-309-8439, or Karin Richardson-MacKenzie, 403-309-8446.
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MAG hosts Inuit Artist in Residence, Tim Pitsiulak
The MAG is currently showing Uuturautiit: Cape Dorset Celebrates 50 Years of Printmaking, organized by the National Gallery of Canada in collaboration with Dorset Fine Arts, and the only venue in Alberta to host this significant exhibition.
Uuturautiit (oo-to-raw-tee) features 80 of the most recent and innovative works with the complete inaugural 1959 collection. Extremely rare, the latter has been re-assembled for the first time in five decades.
Tim Pitsiulak, whose work is featured in the exhibition, will be spending two weeks as artist-in-residence at the MAG. Pitsiulak will be set up in the Discovery Studio, demonstrating his techniques, and speaking with visitors between February 20 and March 4. A portion of his time will be spent visiting Red Deer College and other local schools, taking time to speak with students in various visual art programs.The land and landscape is predominant in Pitsiulak’s early works, and represent life in his community and Canada’s North. In recent years his large, pencil crayon and ink drawings and colourful lithographs chronicle modern realities in Cape Dorset.
Lorna Johnson, Executive Director at the MAG states, “We are so fortunate to have an artist of Tim’s calibre come to Red Deer. This is a rare opportunity to learn about the art form and meet one of the up-and-coming artists from the Cape Dorset community.”
For additional information, please contact Rod Trentham, Education and Programs Coordinator. Phone 403-309-8445, or email at rod.trentham@reddeer.ca.
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Family Day @ the MAG
Today more than 500 visitors passed through our doors to take in activities, games, Inuit throat singing and storytelling, live fiddlers and they helped us to eat over 1000 pieces of freshly made Bannock.
We had a lot of fun and look forward to sharing family day with everyone in 2013!
Check out the photos and videos at the below links.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76720983@N02/sets/72157629361239849/
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Making History Fundraising Campaign launched…
Exciting details for new permanent museum exhibit announced
Red Deer…. Red Deer’s Museum and Art Gallery announced details about the new permanent history exhibit which is being created to open in time for the City’s Centennial celebrations in 2013.
The $1.5 million project is already in the early design stages by internationally renowned design firm, Reich + Petch of Toronto which has engaged the services of local interpretive planner, Anna Robertson. The public will be invited to see preliminary sketches in late February.
Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery, Executive Director Lorna Johnson, says, “This exhibit will entice all ages, mixing items from the collection of the Red Deer Museum and the Red Deer and District Archives with high tech interactive centres and multi-media that make our City’s history come alive with characters, stories and artifacts from our past.”
The exhibit called The Place Between: Stories from the Heart of the Parkland will utilize more than 40 per cent of the facility space. Ten themed components will bring Red Deer’s history to life, showcasing the diverse heritage of Alberta’s third largest city.
The exhibit will open March 2013 to coincide with the City of Red Deer’s centennial and is expected to become a centerpiece for Red Deer, attracting visitors from all over the province and beyond. It also provides a starting point for discovering Red Deer and a way of building a sense of community by sharing the City’s historic roots.
A fundraising campaign, entitled “Making History” is being launched to invite members of the business community, individuals and groups to participate in making this exhibit come alive. A goal of $500,000 has been set for the campaign.
For additional information, please contact Lorna Johnson. Phone: (403)309-8439. lorna.johnson@reddeer.ca