summer 2016 newsletter niagara historical · pdf filethe kid curators camp is generously...
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SUMMER 2016 NEWSLETTER
June 3: First Fridays - Down the Rabbit Hole,
7-10 pm
June 4: Janet Carnochan Day- Free
Admission; walking tours start
June 6: 5 & Dime Film and Music Series,
8:30 pm
June 13: 5 & Dime Film and Music Series,
8:30 pm
June 15: Truth & Reconciliation Seminar, 7pm
June 16: Lecture 7:30 pm
June 19: Famous & Infamous, 2 pm
June 20: 5 & Dime Film and Music Series,
8:30 pm
June 27: 5 & Dime Film and Music Series,
8:30 pm
July 1: Canada Day in Simcoe Park
July 4: 5 & Dime Film and Music Series,
8:30 pm
July 11: 5 & Dime Film and Music Series,
8:30 pm
July 11-15: Kid Curators Camp
July 17: Famous & Infamous, 2 pm
July 21: Lecture 7:30 pm
July 23: Music Niagara Concert in the gallery
August 1: Past is Present Heritage Festival,
11 am - 4 pm
August 15-19: Kid Curators Camp
August 18: Lecture 7:30 pm
August 21: Famous & Infamous, 2 pm
Chronicles UPCOMING EVENTS
MUSEUM
NIAGARA HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM
BATTLEFIELDS TOUR
Our Museum sets out many opportunities for learning and interaction through their programming and also through the participation of other community groups at the Museum. It is a place of healthy participation in education through social interaction. I have just had the opportunity, through the planning of Lorraine Joyner and Amy Klassen, to experience the first Museum organized travel – Tour of European Battlefields 2016 (A First World War Canadian Battlefield Tour) with the Normandy in WWII extension. The Museum’s exhibit of the Niagara Camp and the lecture series over the past year helped to set the scene for this tour
of commemoration but what I experienced was much more profound. We were guided by LCol (Ret.) Ed Rayment (Ed has been giving excellent military talks at the Museum once a month through the winter and spring) through the battlefields, cemeteries and museums in Belgium and France. The sense of gratitude that the people in these regions have for Canadians who fought for their freedoms is profound and the experience of their gratitude is very humbling. The enormity of sacrifice by the people who fought this ‘great’ war is doubly felt when in one cemetery you look out across the field to see another and then another cemetery. There are 1,600 cemeteries cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for WWI and the number of grave markers is staggering. It truly brings home the incredible sacrifices made by these soldiers. I was privileged to share with Lorraine Joyner and Lewis Ford the honour of placing a wreath at the Menin Gate during their sunset ceremony on behalf of the Niagara Historical Society and Museum. All of this made for an incredible experience that will help me to ensure that ‘we shall never forget’. Through the generosity of Ed Rayment (Canadian Legacy Tours) the Museum benefitted in a donation of $8,500 from the participants that signed up for the tour through the Museum. Travel, education and fundraiser all in one, this was a wonderful experience.
- Faith Bell, Society President
CONTACT US 43 Castlereagh Street, PO Box 208 Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 Phone: 905-468-3912 | Fax: 905-468-1728
Visit us at www.niagarahistorical.museum
Niagara Historical Society & Museum
MUSEUM HOURS The Museum is open daily year-round . May-October: 10 am to 5 pm | November-April: 1 pm to 5 pm
The Museum is closed: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve.
@NHS_Museum Niagara Historical Society & Museum
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Faith Bell, President Julian Rance, VP Museum Elizabeth Surtees, VP Society John Sayers, Treasurer David Aurandt, Secretary Dennis Kam, Past President Martin Richardson Lorraine Joyner Denise Ascenzo Doug Phibbs David Hemmings Suzanne Hebert Paolo Miele - Town Representative
HONORARY LIFE SUPPORTERS Joy Ormsby Richard Taylor Dr. Richard Merritt Christopher Allen Robert Knight
MUSEUM STAFF Sarah Maloney Kaufman - Managing Director [email protected]
Amy Klassen – Society Administrator [email protected]
Mary Alice Hanson - Educational Programmer [email protected]
GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM:
www.niagarahistorical.museum
at the museum
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happening
Chronicles
LECTURE SERIES
We celebrate 120 years of our collection by looking at the foundation of our Society and Museum, other early
museums and the importance of collecting.
JUNE 16 | SARAH KAUFMAN Memorial Hall: Niagara’s Own
Cabinet of Curiosities
JULY 21 | CECILIA MORGAN Loving History, Loving Niagara:
Janet Carnochan, 1839-1926
AUGUST 18 | MICHELLE HAMILTON Dr. Oronhyatekha: Memory and Legacy
SEPTEMBER 15 | NICHOLAS CLEMENS
ROM Wasn’t Built in a Day
Tickets are $10 or free for Niagara Historical Society Members.
Reservations required as seating is
limited. Lectures start at 7:30 p.m.
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY:
SEMINAR: Truth & Reconciliation -
Planting the Seeds for Dialogue
JUNE 15TH, 2016 | 7 - 9 PM Knowing the Truth will begin Reconciliation. Understanding the foundational relationship between the settlers and the Indigenous nations of Niagara through historical agreements, contributions and traumas is the first step on the journey towards reconciliation. It is important that we are aware of the true history of the development of this country we all now call home. This workshop will equip us with a greater understanding so that we can fuel the peace that is required to begin reconciliation for ourselves and our descendants. Join us for a seminar facilitated by local Indigenous educators as we explore the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations. Registration is $25 and includes a tasting of local indigenous foods, music, open dialogue and education. Space is limited so reserve today! Facilitators: Kelly Fran Davis & Celeste Smith Music: Niagara’s Strong Water Women’s Drum Group This seminar will be a follow-up to the viewing of a film about Residential Schools on June 13th.
Canada House, Juno Beach - taken on the Battlefields tour.
Summer 2016
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From March 14-18 of 2016, the Niagara Historical Society & Museum partnered with the Niagara Pumphouse to offer a March Break Culture Camp. The focus at the Museum was “hands on”, traditional childhood activities such as calligraphy, embroidery and paper making. This was interspersed with some more modern activities like making coloured sand art and our own flubber! We offered a traditional “day camp” structure from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a focus on registering participants for the full week. Camp participants spent the morning at the Museum engaged in various activities in Memorial Hall, ate lunch and then were blessed with nice enough weather to walk over to the Pumphouse in the afternoon. Thanks to Rima Boles and her art instructor Sarah, the Culture Camp participants were able to create some lovely works of art!
The return of March Break programming to the Niagara Historical Museum was a success. We are very pleased with the overall response of the children who participated in the program, as well as the positive feedback from parents of participants. In the future, we think that a collaboration between the Museum and the Pumphouse with educational programming is a wonderful way to enhance our programming and continue to build partnerships throughout the local heritage and cultural community.
- Mary Alice Hanson, Educational Programmer
Photo: The kids have a morning stretch by practising some yoga.
MARCH BREAK CULTURE CAMP
Culture Camp was generously funded by:
Kid Curators Summer Camp is Back! The Museum is running our popular Kid Curator’s Camp again this summer. Our July week, focused on
military history, is already sold out! There is still some room for August 15-19. Participants for this week
will discover “Niagara: Sights Unseen” and activities will have an art focus. If you are interested in
registering a child or perhaps a grandchild, please contact the Museum as soon
as possible. The cost of registration is $125 for the full week - 10 am to 4 pm,
Monday through Friday.
The Kid Curators Camp is generously sponsored by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Bed
& Breakfast Association.
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Chronicles
Life Under Canvas... During our “Life Under Canvas” exhibit you would have seen a large image blown up of the tuck shop at Niagara Camp. We asked visitors to caption the photo on a paper postcard. Here were some of the best ones! “I’m not moving ‘til someone brings back my pants.” “May I please have an egg salad sandwich and a ginger beer. My friend has no arms so he’ll have soup with a straw. Thanks!” “Who emptied the whiskey jug!” “No - we do not sell ice cream sundaes! Be a man!”
Some visitors actually wrote out postcards: “Dear Mom, I haven’t had a bowel movement since I arrived in camp. My hemorrhoids must be thrombosed! Love Charlie” “Dear Mom, Thx for the cuddly monkey. Would’ve rather had something useful - the thought doesn’t count when there’s a war on.”
At the Annual General Meeting
last October we celebrated
Amy Klassen’s 15 years with
the Historical Society. Amy
began as a summer student
and over the years took on
contracts such as a Special
Events Coordinator, Curatorial Assistant and
Volunteer Coordinator. She even came back during
the winter months to clean the museum for several
years!
In 2006, Amy became the Society’s Administrator.
She is responsible for bookkeeping, public
relations, human resources, member services,
volunteer coordination, event management and
other administrative duties. BUT we all know she
does so much more than that!
Amy has become an integral part of the Historical
Society’s operations. Please join the Board of
Directors and staff in thanking this amazing and
talented woman for all that she does!
2016 RISING SPIRITS Writing Contest The Niagara-on-the-Lake Writers' Circle announces the 2016 Rising Spirits Writing Contest is now open to everyone in the Niagara Region. We each have a story to tell. A unique and compelling story of what stirred our senses. It could be as simple as a walk in the woods, the roar of an engine, the sound of distant life across a lake. This is an invitation to share what Rising Spirits means to you and to join in the celebration. General entries and Youth Category entries (for young writers 14 - 18 years old) are now open for fiction and nonfiction short stories, and poetry. Winning entries will be eligible for prize packages and the chance to be published in the 2016 Rising Spirits Anthology. Awards Celebration, Sunday, October 30 at The Old Winery Restaurant. Deadline for adult and youth entries is Monday, September 26, 2015. Entry forms are available at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library and at the Niagara Historical Museum. For additional entry forms and complete contest details visit www.notlwriterscircle.com. Our generous sponsors: Crabtree Publishing, Ghost Walks, Niagara College, Niagara Historical Society and Museum, Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre, The NOTL Public Library, The Odd Fellows, The Old Winery Restaurant, The Shaw Festival, Taste The Town Tours.
Summer 2016
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FAMOUS & INFAMOUS
Join us each month for a presentation and lively discussion about the life and
times of a famous or infamous person from the past. Free, starts at 2 pm.
June 19: Baldour Steffanson July 17: Agatha Christie August 21: Max Aitken [Lord Beaverbrook] September 18: J.C.R. ‘Lick’ Licklider October 16: William Hamilton Merritt November 20: Albert Speer [Part 2]
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Summer 2016
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Chronicles
From the Managing Director
2016 marks 120 years of collecting by our
Society. When 15 residents came together in
December, 1895 to start the Niagara Historical
Society they were told by many that there
wouldn’t be anything left to collect! Well, if over
50,000 pieces currently in our collection doesn’t
prove them wrong, I don’t know what would!
This exhibition is a testament to the early
Society and Janet Carnochan’s efforts during
the first 30 years. We’ve poured through the
early collections ledgers and have pulled out a
selection of pieces with topics ranging from First
Nations, domestic, naval, 1812, general military
to curiosities. Several pieces have not been on
display for many years. Make sure to write down
what you think of the display for our comment
box!
In other news, we’re currently working on the
Request for Proposals for the new build and
renovations to our current facilities. We’re very
excited for these much needed upgrades and will
keep you posted on how things progress!
- Sarah Maloney Kaufman
Phoenix Circle an important and significant part of our annual revenue Many of our members have heard about the Phoenix Circle but are not quite sure what it is so we thought we would take this issue of the Museum Chronicles to explain it more clearly. The Phoenix Circle is a Director’s Circle that was developed back in 2008 as a way to recruit annual donors who would contribute to our fundraising goals each year. As you are aware, the Museum has been working hard over the years to gain better financial support from the municipality. The Town grant is the largest contributor to our operating revenue, but it does not cover the full cost of staffing the Museum, mounting exhibits, marketing, collection maintenance and running and maintaining heritage buildings. It is up to the Society to fundraise approximately $45,000 for the Museum operation. We do this through gift shop sales, donations, memberships and fundraising events. Many charitable organizations have Director’s Circles as a way to engage a group of significant donors. What is important for us with the Phoenix Circle is that the money donated by each individual goes straight toward our operating costs. There are no large expenses incurred like there is with a fundraising event, and the donations are not project-specific or tied to a particular fund. Our Society is currently recruiting people to join the Phoenix Circle in order to meet our objectives of collecting, preserving and interpreting our past. The Phoenix Circle enables people with a passion for history to help ensure the continuing success and development of this remarkable institution which has been dedicated to preserving the rich history of Niagara-on-the-Lake since 1895. An annual gift of $500 offers a special experience and exclusive access to the Society’s vast resources. A donation of $500 per individual provides you with:
After-hours events or special receptions with Museum staff and/or special guests
Exclusive off-site day trips
A special phoenix pin emblematic of your membership
Invitations to exhibition openings and special events
Recognition in the annual report & newsletters
Your own Curator/Director–led tour for you and six friends
Priority booking in renting the Museum’s galleries for social events (for groups under 20 and subject
to availability)
15% discount in the Museum’s gift shop
The most exciting aspect of this group are the off-site day trips and special receptions for the Phoenix
Circle. Each year, three or four exclusive activities are planned. In the past we have enjoyed tours of
private historical homes, behind-the-scenes tours with the curators of other historic sites and museums,
and exclusive receptions and lectures here at the Museum.
In 2016, the group will enjoy a tour of Nelles Manor in Grimsby on July 14th, a behind-the-scenes tour of
the Welland Museum on August 25th and a third tour in November to be announced.
Join the Phoenix Circle and ensure the future of the Niagara Historical Society & Museum.
Request for Proposal - Artist Drawings The Niagara Historical Society is seeking one or more local artists to assist in the preparation of an adult colouring book with 20-25 pen-and-ink line drawings covering selected structures in located in the municipality of Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is intended that this colouring book be published in the fall of 2016 by the Society as a fund-raiser. The artist(s) will be recognized in the book, and rights to all published line drawings must be held by the Society. A list of potential buildings can be obtained by contacting the Museum. Any local artist interested in supporting this project is requested to provide a brief description of his/her artwork, full contact details, any required honorarium for service and at least 3 examples of appropriate pen-and-ink line drawings as a part of a proposal to Sarah Kaufman, Managing Director of the Niagara Historical Society & Museum by 5:00pm, 18 July 2016. By Mail: 43 Castlereagh Street, PO BOX 208, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S1J0 By Email: [email protected]