The tiny museum has made its debut in the community, and has a busy schedule of events and festivals ahead.
Designed to look like a tiny replica of the NOTL Museum, it was ready to hit the streets when the pandemic hit, but its introduction to the community stalled with no events to attend, explains Shawna Butts, the museum’s assistant curator and education programmer.
The intention of the mobile structure, which can be towed behind a pickup truck, was also for the NOTL Museum staff to take exhibits and programs to local schools, as well as to town events and festivals, where they would be set up with displays that include changing elements of the museum’s collection.
Plans are now back on track, and began with the first trip for tiny museum to Brock University in December. It was an opportunity for Brock students to curate an exhibit that would relate to sports and the upcoming Canada Summer Games, says Butts.
Students were then invited to visit the exhibit, “Backhands, birdies, boats, and bowls: How sport has shaped Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
It will be recreated ias part of the 2022 Canada Games celebrations.
There is a set number of displays to take to various communities and events, Butt says.
On July 1, more than 550 people visited the tiny museum at Fort George during its Canada Day event, with an exhibit about Niagara Camp during the First World War.
Its next appearance was at the Cherry Festival at St. Mark’s Church Saturday, which saw people of all ages visit its People of Niagara exhibit.
The displays tell the stories of early settlers in town, including Loyalists, members of the Black community, Mennonites, the Rye Girls and the Polish soldiers.
The tiny museum interior was designed to make it easy to curate different exhibits, changing them to suit the occasion, says Butts.
Its next exhibit will be at the museum itself, for its Aug. 1 Heritage Festival.
Then it will travel to Simcoe Park for the Canada Summer Games 13 For 13 event on Aug. 10, showing how sport has shaped NOTL.
It then travels to the Peach Celebration on Aug. 13, with an exhibit called Photographic Memories. “This was an exhibition that was in our memorial hall gallery from October 2021 until April 2022. We shrunk it down to fit into the tiny museum,” says Butts.
And then it’s on to the commons during the Niagara Polo event Sept 10, with the exhibit about Niagara Camp during the First World War.
It might not be the end of its itinerary for the year — it was expected to take part in the town’s Santa Claus Parade, which was cancelled.
This might be the year for that.
