The   River   Project   Story        
Members of the Valley Peacemakers Quilt Guild are continuously challenging themselves. From year to year, the challenges are different and unique to the Guild. The creative results are displayed in the Guild’s annual show in the DMI Gallery of the Peace River Municipal Library.

The idea for the River Project quilt artwork now displayed in the Museum, gelled following a sighting in a book and seeing a similar installation in Oregon. What better project, with the rivers that merge in our community, thought Carole Gold, as she issued the challenge to fellow quilters.

They had a year to prepare for the 2014 Guild show. It was the Guild’s first group artwork project. What you see is the work of 13 individual quilters (Danya Frank, Jill Wood, Vivian Massier, Carole Gold, Aralee Tailleur, Hildegard Campsall, Beverly Hafstein Pichette, Lois Laurin, Margaret Stewart, Carol Scobey, Chris Warne, Alice Olson, Elizabeth Daigle). They followed the guidelines set out by the issuer of the project challenge. Each panel is an indication of the artist’s self-expression and creativity. Each has a story behind its creation.

The Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre acquired this work of art through donations made in memory of Robert (Bob) Campsall, as well as a donation from the Campsall family.

Bob delighted in not only living by the Peace River, but also by watching, with wife Hildegard, its many moods from their living room window.



Pictured are: Emily Harris, granddaughter; Erin Harris, daughter; Hildegard; Patti Campsall, daughter, and John Errington. The panel behind Erin was created by Hildegard, featuring an eagle, which the Campsalls used to watch as it and its mate enjoyed the wind currents over the river.

 

It's a Mad Hatters Party!

It's a Mad Hatters Party when the Museum and the Toy Library join together for a morning of fun and play! Next Friday, March 27th, 2015, the Museum and the Toy Library (now Peace Playland) are hosting a Mad Hatters Party for children ages 1 - 5, where everyone is invited to wear their favourite hat.

From 10 - 11:30 am, children and their parents or grandparents will be able to play with toys that the Toy Library will bring with them as well as the toys that the Museum has out in our Toy Stories exhibit.

We even have a dress-up station in this exhibit! Of course, once you're wearing your finest dress-up attire, you'll want to strike a pose at the picture station!

We invite you to join us that morning, wearing your favourite hat, for only $2 per child, with $1 each going to the Toy Library and the Museum.

Gift Shop Sales, Donations and Fun with Toys

‘Tis the season to shop for others and the Peace River Museum and Archives Gift Shop is ready to help out. We have a wide variety of unique, locally crafted gifts on hand, as well as a selection of local history books. Perhaps a local outing is more to your liking? Bring the kids along and come visit our new exhibit, Toy Stories, featuring toys owned and loved by local residents. This exhibit is

Special thanks goes out to Paul Martel of St. Isadore. Mr. Martel  kindly donated three beautiful works of art to our gift shop. These unique paintings are on sale now. Hurry in – they won’t last long!

Toy Stories Exhibit Opening

While we were sorry to see our last exhibit, "A Sense of the Land and It's People" come down, we were certainly excited to see our new exhibit, "Toy Stories: You've Got a Playdate with the Peace River Museum" go up.

This new exhibit shows you a selection of toys and games from various eras and how they influenced children's roles in family life and in society. When you stroll through this gallery and play with all of the interactive components (a whole third of the gallery is dedicated to these interactive components), you get a sense of the toys and games popular throughout the decades.

Join us this Friday evening, December 5th, 2014, from 4:30 - 6:30 pm as we officially open this exhibit. Drop by to discover these toys, have a cookie, and play with us to celebrate the opening of this fun-filled exhibit.

If you choose, there will be a hamper for the Toys for Tots Drive accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys for local children.

Thank you to our speakers!

Inspiring Aboriginal Women

Our inspiring speakers panel shared their personal insights and memories as women who have and continue to contribute to their communities as mentors, leaders, mothers and grandmothers with an appreciative audience on the evening of November 20th, 2014. It was also an intimate salutation to the historical women who's artistry and work has been on exhibit these past months in A Sense of the Land and its People: an exhibition featuring the loaned artifacts from Dr. David Welch.

Featured left to right are Dianne Arcand Lavoie, Margaret Cardinal, Dianne Ireland and Tanys Oxman.

It's the last week to see the current exhibit "A Sense of the Land and its People" ...

We've been honoured to feature a personal collection of artifacts for the last year in our main gallery, those of Dr. Dave Welch. He began collecting First Nations artifacts and stone tools when he was 7 years old and it has been a lifetime passion for him ever since.

"A Sense of the Land and its People: A Personal Collection" features Northwest Coast and Plains First Nations artifacts, the majority of which feature the work and artistry of women. As a conclusion to this exhibit, we have invited a panel of women from the local region to speak about the influences their Aboriginal culture and heritage has on their work, community and family lives. Dianne Lavoie, Maxine Elter, Tanys Oxam, Dianne Ireland and Margaret Cardinal are mentors, leaders and artists in  unique ways.

Please join us on Thursday, November 20th, 2014 at 7 pm for the "Inspiring Women" panel discussion. This will also be the last chance to view the objects from Dr. Welch's collection. Check back on our blog next week for information on our upcoming exhibit, "Toy Stories: You've got a playdate with the Peace River Museum"

Lest We Forget

As we approach Remembrance Day, with many disturbing misadventures in real time, it is appropriate to reflect on those who gave their efforts and their lives in each of the wars in which Canada has been involved, to ensure the freedom of democracy in Canada.



Nurses and Soldiers from WWI.
A. E. 'Hoppy' Hopkins is in the back row, second from the left
84.1377.2, gift of Barbara Crawford

During the Second World War, men and women from Peace River defended our country. It was well on its way by September 1940, when John Hopkins joined up with the Calgary Highlanders and leaving the next morning. “Of course, we knew it was inevitable and not long after, Michael enlisted in the Edmonton Fusiliers,” says their mother, Mary. Michael and Dudley Stranaghan enlisted at the “old” Legion Hall. John and Michael were following in the footsteps of their father, Hoppy, who had served in the First World War.

Four years after enlisting, Michael arrived in Europe. In the meantime, he truly was on guard for thee, O Canada, as he patrolled the West Coast after the Japanese might became evident at Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, and protected the Niagara Escarpment and the Welland Canal – a reminder – Canada’s Armed Forces protected from within, as well as without.

All Hopkins men returned home, safe. Many did not.

You are invited to view Museum Remembrance Day displays in the window of the Main Street entrance of Riverdrive Mall and at the Museum (open Tuesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.).

Artifact of the Week - School Strap

If you recognize this artifact it is possible that you were a naughty student during your school days! This is a school strap that was donated to the museum by Pete Gardner who found the strap at Springfield Elementary during some summer cleaning. This would have been used to give bad students a slap on the back of the hand to smarten them up!

Although the strap has generally been out of use in Canada since around the 1970s, corporal punishment in schools was allowed until January 30^th, 2004 when it became outlawed under section 43 of the Criminal Code. Every province in the country had banned corporal punishment in their schools prior to the 2004 law except for one, Alberta. The Peace Wapiti School Division in Grande Prairie was the last division to allow the strap and other corporal punishment in Canada leading up to the 2004 law.

Although it is likely that this strap has been out of commission for well over 40 years, it remains a frightening artifact that may bring back some less than positive memories for a few of us. Come to the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre to see this artifact in our new school display and be sure to stroll by the mall on your way over to see our second school display. We’re showing some artifacts that are sure to bring back some more positive memories of your school days and are helping our younger visitors get excited about their return to school at the end of the month!   

M91.21.1 School Strap 

Artist of the Month - Judy Woods

This month, the Art Wall at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre displays the vibrant work of local artist Judy Woods.

Born and raised near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, Judy moved to Peace River Country when she was sixteen. Judy's work reflects her love of horses and wildlife, although more recently she has been inspired to depict people in her art. While charcoal is her medium of choice, Judy also creates pieces using chalk pastels, coloured pencils, acrylic paints and photography.

As an E.A. with the Dixonville School, Judy has had the chance to share her love and talent for art with students. She inspires them to explore their own talents and organizes a local art show on their behalf entitled The Community of Artists.

We invite you to come and enjoy Judy's highly detailed and life-like work throughout the month of August.

Artist of the Month - Rhonda Warren

Our Art Wall this month features the works of Rhonda G. Warren: a visual artist of many mediums. She paints with watercolours and acrylics, fabric paints on silk, and works in the arts of mask making, papermaking, wet felting, and photography.

Rhonda's northern Alberta roots have instilled in her a strong appreciation for the natural environment and all that it has to offer. She often incorporates natural materials into her works of art.

Rhonda's love of art expands beyond her own work: she works with a kids' art club and organizes various art events. She also makes sure to visit as many art events as she possibly can.

Visit the Museum to see a sample of Rhonda's work and make a stop in the Gift Shop where she has a few pieces for sale.

Rhonda G. Warren standing by her art work

Artist of the Month - Katy Gill

The featured artist for the month of June is Katy Gill. Katy has recently arrived in Peace River, from Toronto. Her acrylic paintings evoke a sense of interconnectedness she feels with nature and the contemporary world around her. Her introspective journeys into the relationships between the earth's flora and fauna and human-animal awareness are reflected in works like "Too fast, too young" which speaks to the power and the demise of the bison. Another piece depicts Angelique LePretre, a Beaver woman, who was a historical figure in the Town of Peace River. 

Katy is also an accomplished poet and creative writer. You will be able to read some of her compositions on this same art wall. 

The art wall is sponsored by the Peace of Art club and the Museum is thankful for their contributions to our exhibits. 

A close-up of one portion of Katy Gill's piece "Too fast, too young".

Dr. David Welch speaking at the Museum on Wednesday, June 4th

This Wednesday, June 4, 2014, Dr. David Welch will be joining us in the Museum to speak about his stone and bone tool collection. Since finding his first arrowhead at the age of seven, Dr. Welch has spent a lifetime collecting worked stones and bones.

A large part of Dr. Welch's collection of Plains and Northwest Coast First Nations objects are currently on display in the exhibit "A Sense of the Land and its People: A Personal Collection". This exhibit includes a selection of stone and bone tools, including the first arrowhead Dr. Welch ever found.

For this Wednesday's presentation, Dr. Welch will be bringing in even more of his stone and bone tools. These items will be going on exhibit in July along with those already on display.

Join us tomorrow, June 4th, at 7 pm to hear Dr. Welch's stories and see a large selection of his stone and bone tool collection.

This event is free. All are welcome.

Label R (bottom middle) corresponds to the first arrowhead collected by Dr. Welch. 

 

Artifact of the Week - Bone Flesher

This week's featured artifact is a flesher, donated by Tom Rumball in 1973. This artifact
would have been used to de-flesh animal skins when preparing hides.

As people who utilized and lived with the environment around them, First Nations Peoples fashioned their tools out of bones and rocks.  In this case, a leg bone from a deer was fashioned into a tool used to scrape flesh from hides. The First Nations people would also eat deer meat, tan and use the hide for clothing and shelter, and use deer sinew for sewing. The First Nations people used every part of an animal, wasting nothing.

While bone tools were used for working meat and hide, rocks were fashioned into arrowheads and spear points to hunt animals.

Our featured artifact this week coincides with next week's presentation by Dr. David Welch. Dr. Welch will be speaking about his collection of stone and bone tools and the fascinating stories associated with them.

Dr. Welch will be speaking at the Museum on Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 7 pm. Everyone is invited to this free presentation.

PRMA 73.540 Bone Flesher. 

Stone tools presentation by Dr. David Welch - June 4th at 7 pm

On Wednesday, June 4, 2014, at 7 pm, Dr. David Welch will be joining us at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre, to talk about his pre-historic stone and bone tools. After a lifetime's worth of collecting, researching and examining stone tools, he is a great source of information and stories.

This presentation complements our current exhibit "A Sense of the Land and its People: A Personal Collection" which showcases a variety of Northwest Coast and Plains First Nations Artifacts from Dr. Welch's collection.

The artifacts in the exhibit are representative of the environments that the Northwest Coast and Plains First Nations lived within and how those environments influenced their food, clothing, lodgings, hunting practices, artistic expression and ceremonies.

Please join us for this free event as we learn more about stone and bone tools, as well as hear Dr. Welch's stories and experiences collecting them.

For more information, please contact the Museum.

Artists of the Month - Holy Family School in Grimshaw

The Museum art wall is pleased to host its annual May Student Art Feature. This year we welcome the amazing and impressive work of Holy Family School's First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) option class from Grimshaw.

First, each student chose a First Nations, Metis or Inuit artist they wanted to learn more about. From there, the students created a painting that was inspired by the artist that they had chosen. Each student thoughtfully created their piece, bearing in mind the spirituality and emotion that goes into the creation of a piece of artwork.

The student artists, Holy Family School, and especially the FNMI coordinator, Tanys Oxman, are very proud of what has been created. We at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre are certainly impressed.

Thank you to the Peace of Art Art Club for sponsoring the Art Wall. Please come out and support the creativity of our local students.

Holy Family School FNMI Coordinator Tanys Oxman, after installing the students work at the Museum. 

Thank you to our speakers!

The Museum hosted three stimulating local speakers in March, who presented on topics relevant to our current exhibit, "A Sense of the Land and its People: A Personal Collection".

Archbishop John Clarke spoke of growing up in Moose Factory, James Bay, Ontario and the 18 years he spent as a clergyman in the diocese of Moosonee. He worked with the community to develop education and training  opportunities for residents in this northern region. He brought cultural objects from these early years and fondly spoke of the people who created them. Some were given as gifts or, like the pair of Inuit dolls, gifted to his father in much earlier times.

Archbishop Clarke shows the audience some of the First Nations artifacts he has from his years in Ontario. 

Lyle Fullerton, of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, began with an historical overview of the buffalo in northern Alberta. He then described the current status of the population in and around Wood Buffalo National Park. His work monitoring the health and the habitat of these herds over the past 22 years makes him a most informative and engaging speaker. He even brought a leg bone from a buffalo recently killed by a wolf to demonstrate the shear size of these animals. Lyle has been asked to return for an update presentation this fall.

Lyle Fullerton speaks about buffalo herds with YL, the Museum's buffalo head, in the background. 

Roger spoke to an appreciative crowd, mainly artists themselves, about how his Cree culture influences the imagery he uses in his paintings. His years of work includes designing the current Northern Lakes College logo, 12 murals in the town of McLennan and works regularly featured in Alberta Native News. You can still see a selection of Roger's paintings at the Museum until April 17th, 2014. He calls the exhibit "My Cree People - the Sacred Circle". These works are for sale.

Roger Noskiye speaking about his art. Photo courtesy of Sharon Krushel. 

The Museum extends a very big thank you to all of our speakers and all those who attended the presentations.

Please stay tuned to our blog for information about our upcoming Speakers Series in May. We are in the process of firming up plans now and will bring that information to you soon!

March Speaker Series - Roger Noskiye speaks this Saturday about his art

Roger Noskiye makes his home on the Whitefish Lake first Nation 459 at Atikameg in northern Alberta. He started drawing and whittling as a child and his interest in art was supported at the Northland Elementary School in Atikameg.  He says he ‘drew his way through middle school’ and carried on with his schooling at Grande Prairie Regional College where he finished a visual arts program and from there transferred to New Mexico where he received a scholarship of $75,000 through his art in 1992. Unfortunately, in those days the Band was unable to help him stay and study further so he returned home and today continues to work with his art and his culture.  The Town of McLennan commissioned Roger to paint 12 murals on town buildings and he created a mural for the Lakeland Eagles Hockey club too.

The Alberta Native News featured Roger’s art on the cover in December, 2011 and included a story about his work and his journey as an artist.

Roger will be at the Museum, Saturday, March 22, 2014 between 2 and 4pm painting and talking about his work and how his culture inspires the images he uses.  He will have some works on exhibit and for sale.

This painting, by Roger Noskiye, is titled "Tea Dance". 

Artist of the Month - Dianne Ireland

This month at the Museum, we are featuring the works of Dianne Ireland on the Art Wall. Her acrylic and raw hide works range in topic from scenery to sports to dancing to portraits.

Dianne was born in Peace River and grew up on a farm east of Grimshaw. She and Jim married in 1968 and have children and grand-children to fill their lives.

Dianne has always been interested in art and drawing; she added to that passion for art in the 1970s when she first started painting with acrylic on raw hide. Since then she has taken various Bob Ross oil painting classes and more recently watercolours with Willie Wong.

Having used the mediums of oils, acrylics and watercolours, Dianne can conclusively say that working with oils are her favourites.

The Museum is open from 10 am - 5 pm, Monday through Saturday, there is no fee to view Dianne's work.

March Museum Speaker Series: Lyle Fullerton talks about buffalo this Saturday

Continuing on with our March speaker series, we bring you Lyle Fullerton this Saturday (March 15, 2014) at 2 pm. Lyle is the Special Projects Coordinator, Fish and Wildlife, with Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

Lyle will be talking to us about buffalo: their history, herd management, herd health, and Wood Buffalo National Park. This park was classified in 1983 as a UNESCO world heritage site and further classified as a Dark Sky Preserve in 2013. This promises to be an engaging and interesting presentation from a speaker who is both passionate and knowledgeable about his subject.

The second of three talks in our March speaker series, Lyle's subject relates to our current exhibit "A Sense of the Land and its People - A Personal Collection". This collection, composed entirely of Plains and Northwest Coast First Nations objects from Dr. David Welch, tells the story of the environments that helped and hindered the lives of First Nations peoples. The buffalo played an essential role in the Plains First Nations' lifestyle, providing them with meat, bone tools, hide, furs and many other resources.

Join us this Saturday, March 15th at 2 pm for an engaging afternoon of talk and discussion. 

A buffalo partial skull on display at the Museum. 

March speaker series at the Museum: Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the first in the Museum's March speaker series. This series supports our current exhibit entitled "A Sense of the Land and its People - A Personal Collection". This exhibit is a collection of Plains and Northwest Coast First Nations objects collected by Dr. David Welch over the last 50 years.

The first in the series features Archbishop John Clarke, a local theologian, who will speak of his childhood in Moose Factory, on James Bay in Ontario as well as his 18 years in the diocese of Moosonee. Archbishop Clarke joins us at 7 pm tomorrow night (Thursday, March 6) at the Museum.

This event is free for all to attend. Please join us.

St. James Cathedral, the congregation of which is one of 33 congregations in the Diocese of Athabasca. The diocese, for which Archbishop John Clarke was responsible, is scattered over an area more than 317, 000 square kilometres.