The Winkler Heritage Society’s new museum is going to be a place of interactive education for all ages, the society shared last week.
Researcher Mackenzie Dunseath shared how they hope the space will be both fun and informative
At the society’s March 19 AGM, project leaders unveiled their plans for the museum, which is moving from its spot in the Southland Mall into undeveloped space in the rear of Winkler Arts and Culture’s building on Park St.
Mackenzie Dunseath, who is working on the museum’s plans alongside designer Anikó Szabó and Manitoba Museum curator of history Dr. Roland Sawatzky, says it’s going to look very different from the current setup, which has been in the mall since 2011.
“In my opinion, the room in the mall is more of a showroom than a museum,” she said. “The artifacts are there but the stories aren’t.
“With this new museum, it’s going to be completely different … we’re going to have the stories, we’re going to have the information, we’re going to have the context, the artifacts, and people who work or volunteer there to help guide you through if you have questions or if you need further understanding for something.”
The displays will included large pictorial histories of Winkler, hands-on artifact areas, audio stations, and even a toddler play space so the entire family can come and be engaged in the community’s history.
After months of research, they’ve narrowed the museum’s permanent sections into nine areas: treaty and Indigenous people’s history, immigration/settlement/education, the railway, agriculture, industry, medicine, music/sports/entertainment/community events, police and fire, and the 21st century.
“We were able to narrow down to what would be the most interesting and also what’s the most important to tell the stories that we want to tell in terms of the development of the community,” Dunseath explained, noting there will also be a temporary exhibit space that can be changed out regularly.
She hopes the museum will be “a place where anyone of any age can come through and enjoy what they are interacting with, enjoy what they’re reading, enjoy what they’re learning.
“I do also want it to be a place that honours the people who built this community, honours the people of the past, and shapes the way people view the community today and hopefully inspires them to also dream big and put in the work to achieve those dreams and continue to make this community a great place to live.”
Society board members Brian Dyck and Neil Schmidt have been leading the charge on planning and fundraising for the museum project. Financially, they’re well on the way towards their goal.
“Our budget was set at $613,000 for this whole project, and to date we have raised just over $400,000,” Schmidt shared.
“I’m just blown away by the generous contributions that have been made by some of these businesses,” Dyck said. “It’s just amazing. We’re really blessed.
“We think we can reach $600,000 no problem, and hopefully within the next few months,” he added, noting work on the space—which hasn’t been renovated since the facility was decommissioned as Winkler’s water treatment plant 15 years ago—is slated to get underway any day now.
“As soon as the engineers have stamped off, they’re starting,” Dyck said, explaining that they have $250,000 in bridge financing from the City of Winkler to get started.
The work will include building a mezzanine level for storage and office space as well as putting in new flooring and walls. They’ll move out of the mall as soon as they can once that’s complete, though the new displays won’t be ready right away. Much of the work happening in the year ahead will include photographing and cataloguing the museum’s extensive artifact collection in preparation for the big move.
“The design of a museum takes time,” Dyck said. “There’s a lot of little details. You want to tell the story just right. You want to make it exciting, interactive, something people are going to enjoy, something grandparents can take their grandchildren and talk about what it all represents.”
Challenging year, but better times ahead
As it prepares to embark on a new era with a new and improved museum, the Winkler Heritage Society finds itself in the best shape it’s been in financially in years.
They finished their fiscal year with an $18,243 surplus owing to a significant increase in both donations and grants. But tight finances earlier in the year meant they had to lay off their lone museum employee and rely instead on limited volunteer hours to keep the space open to the public.
“This has been a difficult year for the Winkler Heritage Society,” noted outgoing board chair Ed Falk. “We have seen our membership numbers drop. We have had to deal with limited finances.”
The society currently has about 100 members who pay annual dues to support its work.
Last summer saw the agency move its archives from storage into space at Winkler Arts and Culture. The light, temperature, and humidity-controlled room is a perfect new home for the archives, Falk said.
While the organization is run by a dedicated group of volunteers, more help is needed. They’re looking for new board members, volunteers interested in working at the museum, and someone to take on the role of editor of its quarterly Heritage Happenings newsletter.
You can learn more about getting involved at winklerheritagesociety.ca.
