Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre is fondly considered by most as the ‘gem’ of Bruce County – a centre of culture and history.
Looking back over 2018, Executive Director, Cathy McGirr, points out the many projects, exhibitions and achievements that were completed with programming elements carefully created in-house or in partnership to enhance the visitor’s experience.
“2018 has seen the completion of the transformation of the permanent gallery space with the re-opening of the Anishnaabwe Gallery and the Anishnaabwe Endaat exhibition. The collaboration and partnership with SON (Saugeen Objiway Nation) and members of both Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation have resulted in a new gallery representing Anishinaabe culture with endless programming possibilities. The journey to revitalize the permanent galleries has taken several years and each one of the new spaces has been purposefully designed not only to house new stories from the Collection but to encourage interactive participation with community groups and our visitors.
Another long-time project was completed with the addition of the impressive Riding the Rails interactive diorama in the lower level gallery focusing on train history in Bruce County. Many dedicated and talented individuals made this project a reality under the direction of Randy Schnarr and they continue to be part of the exhibition on an ongoing basis.
Along with the new permanent exhibitions, we were fortunate to be able to host several temporary exhibitions with local artists Alan Weinstein and Roly Fenwick. The “Breaking the Silence” exhibition was a first for the BCM&CC in starting the important dialogue about mental health and one that will be continued in 2019 with another exhibition curated by Melissa Comyn. All of these projects were completed with programming elements carefully created in-house or in partnership to enhance the visitors’ experience.
With the work completed on the Financial Feasibility Study in 2017 and the commitment of County Council towards the Museum Archive / Community Wing expansion, we will now focus on next steps for the project, so stay tuned.
We continue to focus on aligning our goals and projects to that of our strategic plan and enriching our visitors’ experience. But we don’t do this alone. The success of the BCM&CC is only possible through a strong community network and support from our members, visitors, sponsors, volunteers, donors, business and community members. We are grateful that people like yourselves choose to make the BCM&CC part of your lives!
As another year comes to an end and we look towards 2019, I would like to thank everyone for your continued support in making the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre a welcoming place for all! All the best for the New Year!”
Best regards,
Cathy McGirr
To read the entire Year in Review, CLICK HERE
