Art Exhibit Opening was a Success!

INSPIRED BY THE PEACE!
On Friday evening, April 19th, the Museum hosted the opening reception of the current exhibit, A Retrospective of Art in the Peace. This event was very well received and a grand ole' time was had by all! The Museum welcomed over 70 people to this event, which featured refreshments, fabulous music by three of Sharon Krushel's students and Danya Auger with her flute, and much mingling and chatting. Artists were on hand to speak to guests about their works and their inspirations for their work.

The exhibit celebrates 25 years since the art club was established as a society and it also celebrates  Peace River artists of the past who offered classes and enthusiasm for the pursuit of art. The Museum is grateful to artists and art collectors who have loaned works of art from early members of the art club, such as Isabel Levesque, Marilyn Moro, Fred Fox and Doreen Hutchinson, as well as works from contemporary members of the Peace of ART club.

Below are a few photographs from the evening's festivities.

 

The Museum sincerely thanks all those who attended this opening reception as well as all of the artists and community members who have loaned personal works or works from their private collection.

April and May Events

As spring is slowly but surely arriving, the Museum has a few events on the go for the months of April and May:

Val Palmer is our Artist of the Peace for April! Come enjoy her selection of her etchings and drawings.

CIBC celebrates 100 years of continuous operation in the Town of Peace River this year. Until April 27, the Museum has a small exhibit in our foyer featuring a model of the first incarnation of the CIBC building, it's log cabin home from 1913.

Thursday, April 18: This month's travelog will feature select countries in the continent of Africa with Larry and Jeanette Kaytor. It will be at 7 pm at the Library.

Friday, April 19: ‘A retrospective of Art in the Peace’ – in this exhibit, the Museum and Peace of Art (formally known as the Peace River Art Club)  have collaborated to celebrate the club’s 25^th anniversary. Works featured include some very early ones, right up to contemporary pieces. You can meet many of the artists whose works are on display and enjoy the incredible variety of art that makes up this exhibit during the opening reception on April 19th from 6:30 - 8 pm.

'A Retrospective of Art in the Peace'

PEACE Project students will be displaying artwork for during the month of May, coordinated by Sue Johnson.

Saturday, May 11: Culture Trail - Explore the art on exhibit in Peace River, Berwyn and Grimshaw through a self-driving tour of galleries, shops and museums. Car pooling is encouraged, as we travel to several locations to view the art and enjoy refreshments. Check back on our blog for more information as we get closer to this artistically inspired tour.

Thursday, May 16: The last Travel series will be held May 16^th at the Library, 7pm, with traveller Pauline Spinney and her trip to China.

Monday, May 27: Lucie Heins from the Royal Alberta Museum will be set up at the Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre to photograph and document local quilts and quilters for the Quilt Index project (www.quiltindex.org) between 1 and 4:30pm. She would like quilters to bring their quilts for this documentation. Lucie will present a public session “Quilts and the Settlement of Canada” the same evening from 7-8pm at the Museum.

Peace River Art Club, 25 Years

The Peace River Museum is currently hosting an exhibit designed by Peace of Art (formerly Peace River Art Club) to celebrate their 25th Anniversary!
Our main gallery is filled to the brim with an incredible variety of art from painting to photography to glass and ceramic works. We have pieces from local artists of the past like Isabel Levesque, Vi Hopkins, Fred Fox, Doreen Hutchison as well as contemporary members.
The exhibit will be running through April and May of 2013 and we encourage everyone to view Peace of Art's hard work and celebrate Peace River's Artists, past and present!

This Old House: Caring for Peace River's Historic Homes

The Town of Peace River, along with the Peace River Museum's Heritage Places Committee have been working over the past two years on preserving Peace River's historic buildings and sites. For more information on our efforts, please see these blogs. Northern Sunrise County has also embarked on a heritage survey and inventory this year. Both municipalities are working with consultants, Donald Luxton & Associates, to identify and promote the Peace country's built heritage.

We now want to begin giving homeowners and building industry workers in Peace River the knowledge to care for their own historic homes! A speaker series with heritage consultants from Donald Luxton & Associates will begin this month. The first presentation will be  Wednesday, April 3 at 7 pm at one of our own historic buildings - the Athabasca Hall.

This presentation will outline heritage conservation in the modern world and how it applies to the Peace River context. It will discuss some basic conservation principles that a building owner can do to improve energy efficiency and preserve the historical integrity of their home.

There is no charge for this event!

This is a highly recommended presentation for anyone in the construction and related trades and those who own historic homes.

 

St. James Anglican Church and Athabasca Hall, ca. 1940s.

 

 

 

Vintage Guns at the Peace River Museum

 

The Peace River Museum will be hosting local collector, Vern MacRoberts on Saturday, March 23rd from 2 to 4:30 pm. He will be bringing his fine collection of vintage firearms and Hudson's Bay artifacts. They will be available for viewing and to chat with Vern during that time. *EDIT: He will be speaking specifically to his collection at 3 pm*
His knowledge about the fur trade, trapping and antique firearms is extensive.

This is also the last day for viewing of our current exhibit: From Peace River to Paris: Fashionable Furs of our Century which focuses on historic and contemporary trapping as well as the fur industry over time.

Our next exhibit will launch in early April and will be curated by the Peace of Art Club. It is entitled: Peace River Art Club, 25 Years. Please keep an eye on our blog for more information!

Peace River's Built Heritage

Peace River's Main Street, 1916

The Town of Peace River Council recently passed a Municipal Heritage Management Policy! An established application process is now in place for property owners who want to protect their building through Municipal heritage designation. This document demonstrates Council’s commitment to preserving the Town’s built heritage. Our built heritage includes buildings and landscapes within the town limits.

The people behind this Heritage Policy are the Museum staff and the Heritage Places Committee which is comprised of six community members who have dedicated time and energy to identify and research historically significant places over the past three years.  The committee consists of Karen Rumball, Audrey Randall, Norm Brownlee, John Clarke, Judy Bowcott, Ken Herlinveaux, Beth Wilkins, Megan Purcell and Laura Gloor.  It was formed in 2010, with a matching grant from the Municipal Heritage Partnership Program with Alberta Historic Sites (www.mhpp.ab.ca)  and since has developed promotional material for prospective property owners, visited sites, photographed places, conducted research and interviews and promoted this community-based project at Open Houses, Trade Shows, and to Town Council and organizations. With the permission of their owners, ten places were studied in 2011 for their heritage value and ten more will be selected in 2013. The 2011 list can be found on our website www.peacerivermuseum.com

This year the Committee will be offering historic walks about the town to showcase some of this built heritage and with the help of heritage consultants at Donald Luxton & Associates will consult with the community through open houses and a speaking series about practical ideas of caring for your vintage home.  The first of the series will be April 3^rd, 7pm.

If you have suggestions for the Committee to consider, your input will be welcomed! You can post your idea here on our blog or on our online Survey .  If you have any questions, please feel free contact one of the committee members or the Museum (780-624-4261 or museum@peaceriver.net).

Family Day Fun!

On Family Day, the Museum held a snowshoe presentation and demonstration. Here are some great photos from the fun time our participants had, including a snowshoe race between presenter Norm Brownlee and Museum Coordinator, Laura Gloor!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

On February 6, 2013, the museum was the starting point for one of Peace River’s Winter Walk Day enthusiasts. This group of eight hearty walkers departed the museum at 5:30 pm after posing for the below picture. They walked for 45 minutes (30 minutes over the requisite 15 minutes to be part of the Winter Walk Day tally!) around downtown Peace River, learning a bit about the history of the area and the historic buildings and houses in the area. The lovely leaders of this walk including the Museum’s own Beth Wilkins, and Audrey Randall and Karen Rumball of the Heritage Places Committee.   

Winter Walk Day is an annual event that encourages Albertans of all ages and groups to get outside in the cold, and walk! The cold doesn’t need to hold you back or stop you from getting out there. A healthy lifestyle can be maintained year-round. These are the messages that event partners SHAPE (Safe Healthy Active People Everywhere) and the Be Fit For Life Network through the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation are aiming to pass along.

Local community member, Sharon Krushel came up with the idea of being involved in the Winter Walk Day and asked the museum to be involved. While the museum led the downtown walk, Sharon led a hike through the hills, which started at the gates of Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Congratulations to all of Peace River’s walkers!!!

February events

February is another great month for cultural events in the Peace! It is always exciting to see such an active and vibrant community in these cold, winter months! If you have any events to add, please comment on our blog to let us know what else is going on.

February 6th: Peace River Winter Walks:
Step Up Alberta! is inviting communities to do a winter walk and Peace River is stepping up! On February 6th there will be two different walks available. 
5 pm: Walk in the Hills: Enjoy the gorgeous scenery of our valley! Participants will meet at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery gates and please dress weather appropriate.
5:15 pm: Historic Downtown: Learn about the history of Peace River's downtown district. Participants will meet at the Peace River Museum (10302 99th Street) and please dress weather appropriate.
Afterwards, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Java Domainn will be open with soup and biscuits and Stuart Barr will be showing his DVD compilation of Northern Lights set to Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Winter Movement.
Finally, at 7:30 pm, there will be a meeting for anyone who is interested in planning, coordinating and raising awareness of cultural events in the Peace River area.

February 15th - 18th: Family Day Weekend events:
Family Day, and the weekend around it, is always filled with events around the Peace!
Snowshoe Adventures: On Feb. 18th, the Museum will be hosting 2 short snowshoeing presentations and walk-abouts with families and guests from either 12:30 to 1:15 pm or 1:30 to 2:15 pm. The event is free. Please call the Museum at 624-4261 to pre-register for the 12 pairs of snowshoes that are available or bring your own!

Carnaval de St. Isidore:  Each year, St. Isidore hosts Carnaval! Visit the link to learn more!

Alberta Pond Hockey: Pond Hockey is alive and well again in the Peace this year! From Feb. 14th -17th, teams from across Alberta will compete on Lac Cardinal. See their website for more details, to register your team or to volunteer.

Murder at Cafe Noir: The Lac Cardinal Regional Performing Arts group is putting on this Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre. The event will be February 15th & 16th, 22nd & 23rd and March 1st & 2nd. Tickets are available at Beyond 2000 in Grimshaw and are $30 each.

February 21st: Travelog: Gordon Troup on Scotland: The next in the Travelog series at the Peace River Municipal Library will be Gordon Troup on his trip to Scotland with information on the genealogy research he did there as well. The presentation begins at 7 pm.

February 23rd: 2nd Annual Fashion Show Gala: The Peace River Aboriginal Interagency had a very successful event last year and is bringing it back. Come see local fashions, performers, share a great meal, bid on the silent auction and honor the winner's of the first Spirit of the Peace Aboriginal Youth Awards (nomination package). See their poster for more information.

All month long: Sharon Doucet is our Artist of the Peace for February. We encourage everyone to come down and see her beautiful glassworks!