@CHWKMuseum

Chilliwack, BC – A new exhibition, Contours: The Shape of Our City, is now open at the Chilliwack Museum. The first exhibition to be hosted in the Museum’s recently renovated Gallery Space, Contours gets up close and personal with Chilliwack’s surveying and mapping history.

The Exhibition opened on September 8, 2020 and will run through to April 24, 2021. Travelling from the field survey to the chart as the map is being drawn, the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect upon the use of maps as an influential and powerful tool with multiple uses – as a wayfinding device, a way to create and divide communities, share knowledge, and have fun.

“This exhibition explores the impact maps and the processes associated with mapping had and continues to have in our daily lives” says Anna Irwin, Curator, “we have highlighted this by asking members of the community to submit photos of maps being used in their own lives”.  

These images have been gathered into a slideshow that will play throughout the exhibition. “It’s not too late to submit your photograph!” adds Laurie Benton, Archives Technician, “all you have to do is upload a photograph to social media and tag it with #CHWKcontours, it will then be added to the slideshow”.

Admission to the Museum is currently by donation. The Museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Return to full operation is targeted for later this month.

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Media Contact:

Anna Irwin
Curator
Chilliwack Museum & Archives
P: 604-795-5210 ext. 105
E: [email protected]

Chilliwack, BC – The Chilliwack Museum & Archives is seeking creative pieces to display in the upcoming “Creative in Quarantine” Exhibition. The exhibition will be hosted from September 25, 2020 to December 23, 2020 and will feature imaginative works that the community of Chilliwack created at home during the COVID-19 economic shutdown.

The Exhibition will open on September 25, 2020 to coincide with Culture Days, a national celebration of arts, culture, and heritage. This year’s Culture Days theme, Unexpected Intersections, is meant to encourage creative and outside-the-box thinking to reveal new avenues of discovery, learning, and expression.

“During the pandemic, creativity has been flourishing at home; often as a method of expressing how we feel in these unprecedented times” says Sarah Belley, Education and Engagement Coordinator, “our goal is to bring multiple demographics of our community together to highlight the talent and experiences of Chilliwack”.

There are minimal specifications on what can be submitted and there is no age requirement! There is no limit to how many pieces can be submitted, however, the number of pieces displayed will be dependent on total submission and display space. Submissions may be of any medium including, but not limited to: crochet, textiles, polymer clay, ceramics, felting, paint, drawing etc. Wall mounted submissions must be submitted in a frame with a hanging mechanism.

Submissions are being accepted at the Chilliwack Museum from September 8 to September 18, 2020 and must be accompanied by a Submission Form, which can be picked up at the Museum or printed ahead of time from chilliwackmuseum.ca.

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Media Contact:

Sarah Belley
Education & Engagement Coordinator
Chilliwack Museum & Archives
P: 604-795-5210 ext. 103
E: [email protected]

The Chilliwack Museum & Archives will reopen to the community with modified hours on July 6, 2020. Details are provided in the attached Media Release. We look forward to welcoming you back!

The Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2019 are now available!

Thank you for your continued support of the Chilliwack Museum & Archives.

Written by: Laureen Benton, Archives Technician

I love geocaching! Geo-what? I started geocaching about 17 years ago using an older handheld Global Position System (GPS) device, long before the ease of smart phones.  I was at a heavily wooded park in Washington State, searching for a random box or container holding some unknown objects.  It was illusive and exciting all at the same time.  It was also tricky to trust this new GPS device with capabilities we were only just realising.  

Geocaching uses latitude and longitude coordinates to search for a hidden treasure; basically an electronic scavenger hunt.  The first cache was hidden by Dave Ulmer in the woods near Portland, Oregon with the location of said goodies found only by geographic coordinates and the rules being, “take some stuff, leave some stuff.” This first “stash” was found in May, 2000 and included a log book, pencil, videos, books, and a slingshot. Since then, there are now more than 3 million active geocaches worldwide with more than 600 million “found it” logs being recorded.  Have a look at the first note to lead geocachers to their first treasure. https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!topic/sci.geo.satellite-nav/mchHczyzVHo

Within two years of inception, environmental initiatives developed to help preserve the natural area that the cache is found in by cleaning up litter, removing invasive species, planting trees etc.  Not only does geocaching help explore our natural environment through discovery and adventure, but it also helps to learn about our community, locally and beyond.

The idea of placing a geocache in our community is to give residents an opportunity to go back in time to what their neighbourhood might have looked like.  Did you know there was a Chinatown near Central Elementary school? There was!  

We will be hiding a container near this historic area of Chinatown North and you will be able to find it with your smartphone through the “Geocaching” app or website, and will house a collection of newspaper articles, photographs and other interesting archival information about the neighbourhoods you live, work and play in. The idea is that we will have a series of caches around the community that collectively tell a few stories of Chilliwack and its inhabitants through the built environment, sporting culture and social life.  Keep your eyes open for more geocaches popping up from the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, but also make sure you take part in finding some of the already hidden caches around our town.  The people that have created and hidden these caches have taken time and energy to create some fun and adventure for children of all ages.

We hope that you enjoy this new outdoor learning opportunity created by the Chilliwack Museum and Archives.  Remember that all the information found within must be placed back in the containers for others to enjoy, BUT the history inside can be researched further in the archives and seen at specific exhibitions at the museum.  Keep your eyes and ears open for more chances to learn about mapping technology like GPS, maps and other historical geography. Check out the link for other opportunities to participate in some geocaching activities. https://www.geocaching.com/play

This summer, as the Education and Engagement Assistant once again, I have experienced many new and exciting experiences at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives. Working as the assistant for Sarah Belley, the Education and Engagement Coordinator, I have learnt new educational methods, teaching practices, and artistic approaches, while also applying some of my own skills to assist her in redeveloping programs and events.

At the beginning of the summer, preparation for the temporary exhibit Five Faces, Five Corners, was being completed. During this time, Sarah and I worked on finalizing aspects of her interactive project for the exhibit, which depicts the economic differences between the value of money today and that of 1919. After the exhibit opened, we focused on engagement objectives as the Hops and Heritage event was right around the corner. Once Hops and Heritage ended, we began completing projects to prepare for the outreach events we attended this summer, including Cultus Lake Days and Canada Day. After July 1st, we switched our mindsets and focused on redeveloping the education programs and organizing the department’s files and storage space. Finally, Sarah has envisioned many innovative and captivating projects for the educational programs at the Chilliwack Museum, so, to finish the summer season, we have researched and drafted new proposals for educational activities and kits. Overall, I have learnt a significant amount this summer about events coordination, engagement with the community, and education methods that involve intriguing and new ideas that encourage participation from all the students.

To prepare for the outreach events we attended this summer, Sarah and I created activities that reflected historical aspects of Chilliwack, British Columbia, and Canadian history. As I learnt last year, the people of Cultus Lake value the history of the area. Therefore, for Cultus Lake Days, we brought printed historical photos to show how the area has developed, while the atmosphere has remained inviting and entertaining. At Canada Day this year, Sarah constructed a photo booth using props that reflected Canadian culture, like the beaver. As a quick trivia game, we printed and researched Canadian inventions to quiz visitors at our booth. Did you know the caulking gun was invented in 1894, by Theodore Witte of Chilliwack?

Overall, my experience as a summer student again this summer has been fascinating and full of incredible learning opportunities. Working as the Education and Engagement Assistant for Sarah, I have learnt new historical facts along with many artistic and educational methods that I can apply to my future career.

Written by Cari Moore – Coordinator of Volunteers and Administration

Hello, my name is Cari Moore and I have recently joined the amazing staff at the Chilliwack Museum and Archives as the Coordinator of Volunteers and Administration, and I am loving this new opportunity!

I have lived in Chilliwack for 28 years and have seen our city grow and thrive through many changes that have come up, and I am honored to call this place my home. Chilliwack has so much to offer, from arts and culture, sports and leisure, to the nature and beauty that surrounds us. It is a great place to work, a great place to raise children and a great place to retire. There is so much to learn from our history and that is something I look forward to in the future.

The roll I stepped into at the museum has been very rewarding. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the volunteers that are so dedicated to their positions, and for whom without we would not be able to operate our charming little gift shop! The volunteers here greet visitors, help with gift shop displays, and answer questions from the public about our community and our museum. They are the face of who we are, and they brighten everyone’s day who walks through our doors.  Some of our volunteers are very new and some have been around for years, all are very reliable and make my job that much more rewarding. Each of our volunteers have something unique and special that they bring to their volunteer position and it makes each day different from the next.

We are however always recruiting for new volunteers. If you would like to  join our fun fantastic team please give us a call today – I look forward to hearing from you!

May 8, 2019

Chilliwack Museum & Archives to Host Opening Reception for Latest Exhibition

Chilliwack, BC – The Chilliwack Museum & Archives will be unveiling its latest exhibition Five Faces, Five Corners: The Social Experience of Chilliwack’s Downtown at an Opening Reception on May 16, 2019 at 7:00pm.

“This exhibition explores the evolving social landscape of Chilliwack’s Five Corners area,” said Anna Irwin, Curator at the Chilliwack Museum & Archives. “It really is a fitting time to showcase this area as the downtown redevelopment project proceeds, it all ties together nicely.”

The Opening Reception will feature appetizers and refreshments while viewers enjoy the first look at the exhibition. Admission to the event is $5.00 for the general public and Free for members of the Chilliwack Museum & Historical Society.

Five Faces, Five Corners: The Social Experience of Chilliwack’s Downtown will be on display from May 16, 2019 to April 18, 2020.

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Media Contact:

Shawna Maurice
Executive Director
Chilliwack Museum & Archives
P: 604-795-5210 ext. 101
E: [email protected]