Peterborough Museum & Archives Recognized By the Canadian Museums Association With National Award

The Peterborough Museum & Archives has been recognized with the Canadian Museums Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Exhibitions category for “To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales, 1860” (April to November 2023) announced on Thursday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The award was presented at a ceremony held on Wednesday.

The exhibition “To Honour and Respect” featured 13 quilled wiigwassii makakoon (birch bark baskets) lent by His Majesty The King from the Royal Collection in the United Kingdom. The makakoon were created by highly skilled women of what is now Hiawatha First Nation. The stunning makakoon were gifts to the Prince of Wales on Sept. 7, 1860, when he visited Hiawatha as part of a cross-Canada royal tour.

The many visitors admired the beautiful quillwork and explored the cultural knowledge, love, respect, and diplomacy that went into the makakoon, reflecting on Michi Saagiig and settler histories in the region. Indigenous-led programming included gallery tours, workshops on quillwork provided by Hiawatha First Nation artist Sandra Moore, and sessions on Michi Saagiig language provided by Curve Lake First Nation member Jonathan Taylor.

“Congratulations to the entire team at the Peterborough Museum & Archives, to the To Honour and Respect Planning Circle, the guest curators Dr. Lori Beavis and Dr. Laura Peers, and to the Royal Collection Trust for this well-deserved recognition. The exhibition truly symbolizes the massive contributions of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices, perspectives, and institutions,” said Gayle McIntyre, past Chair of the Peterborough Museum & Archives Advisory Committee.

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Peterborough Museum and Archives Announce New Exhibit With Fleming College

Fleming College students and Peterborough Museum & Archives have launched a new exhibit ‘Words & Beyond: How Communication Brings Us Together’ that started Saturday.

File Photo.

The Peterborough Museum & Archives is curating the exhibit by Fleming College’s Museum Management and Curatorship program students that explores how communication has shaped Peterborough and the surrounding area.

Everyone is invited to visit the exhibit to discover how we connect and the wider world.

It opened in the Heideman exhibit space on Saturday and continues until June 16. The official exhibit will open on April 17 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., featuring music, snacks and activities.

“We’re excited to share this fun, new exhibit by the talented up-and-coming museum professionals from Fleming. Communication shapes our lives now more than ever, but has also played a key role in our local history,” said Susan Neale, Peterborough Museum and Archives director. “There’s so much to say so come talk about it.”

Admission is by donation. The PMA is wheelchair and stroller-accessible and free parking is available.

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Peterborough Museum & Archives Granted the 2023 Tourism Award By Peterborough Chamber

Peterborough Museum & Archives has been recognized with the 2023 Tourism Award by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, presented at the Chamber’s Excellence Awards ceremony at The Venue on Wednesday.

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“Peterborough Museum & Archives delivers exceptional programming and curates exhibits showcasing our history and culture,” said Councillor Matt Crowley. “It creates exhibits that are both local and speak to broader societal topics, like the fascinating Michi Saagiig basket exhibit that draws interest from our community and from throughout the greater region.”

He also congratulated the other finalists in the Tourism category: Kawartha Country Wines and Otonabee Region Conservation Authority, for their activities that contribute to the success of the Peterborough Region.

Award recipients and finalists for all the Excellence Awards categories are available online.

Peterborough Museum & Archives is a City of Peterborough service and facility that promotes local heritage and culture, providing various programs, special events and exhibitions. It is located at 300 Hunter St. E., next to Ashburnham Memorial Park on Armour Hill, in Peterborough.

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Peterborough Museum & Archives' Newest Exhibition Terry Fox: Running To The Heart Of Canada Is On Loan From Canadian Museum of History

Peterborough Museum & Archives' newest exhibition titled Terry Fox: Running to the Heart of Canada is a must see for people of all ages.

The exhibition is on loan from the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, with support from the Terry Fox Foundation, and will be on-site in Peterborough for public viewing until Sunday, December 9th.

Photo courtesy Peterborough Museum & Archives

The exhibition provides a unique look at Terry’s epic 143-day, 3,339-mile (5,373-kilometre) journey from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1980. It explores Canadians’ deep and abiding affection for Terry and examines his unique place in our collective memory.

Developed by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with Terry Fox’s family, the exhibition traces Terry’s journey and shows the impact he had on modern Canadian life—the numerous schools, community centres and features of the landscape named for him, and the Canadian coins, stamps and passports bearing his image.

Photo courtesy Peterborough Museum & Archives

“During the Marathon of Hope and the months that followed, Canadians filled our home in Port Coquitlam, B.C., with scrapbooks, written tributes and gifts reflecting a collective compassion and admiration for Terry's unselfish act,” says Darrell Fox, Terry’s brother. “More than 35 years later, it is time to share the Terry Fox collection and the compelling story that the memorabilia evoke with the world.

Photo courtesy Peterborough Museum & Archives

The Canadian icon’s coast-to-coast journey in 1980 ended near Thunder Bay, when the cancer that had claimed his leg returned, forcing Terry to abandon the project.

He died a national hero in June 1981, at the age of 22, having collected some $24 million. To date, more than $700 million has been raised in his name for cancer research.

Terry Fox – Running to the Heart of Canada is being presented at The Peterborough Museum & Archives (300 Hunter Street East) from September 29th until December 9th.

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