Royal Alberta Museum reopens with 2 new exhibits showcasing Canadian heritage
The Royal Alberta Museum opened its doors to the public on Wednesday with two new exhibits: Quilt of Belonging and Abandoned Alberta.
After closing in December due to COVID-19 restrictions, RAM employees said the museum has come back to life again after undergoing a “rollercoaster” of changes.
“We’re very excited. We’re delighted to welcome visitors back to the Royal Alberta Museum -- it’s wonderful. The museum really feels like its come alive again after being closed,” said Executive Director Alwynne Beaudoin. “We’ve all had to adapt on the fly and adapt very quickly to changing circumstances.”
The museum adapted to the temporary closure by bringing exhibits online for Canadians to experience. “RAM from home” was created to ensure Alberta’s remarkable displays could be enjoyed safely from home. The virtual experience allowed people to stay engaged from home with various programs, talks and virtual displays.
“It gave us an opportunity to connect with many visitors from Alberta. We were able to connect with remote areas,” said Beaudoin.
The museum, which requires visitors to follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks and pre-book a time slot, showcases a display of photos from Edmonton-based photographer Joe Chowaniec. His exhibit, “Abandoned Alberta,” offers a wide range of photographs from “forgotten locations."
“I don’t know what it was but it was something one day where I decided to take my camera with me on a road-trip and I started snapping photos and what I saw in the camera lens just drew me in more,” said Chowaniec.
Capturing approximately three to five thousand photos, the photographer was drawn to the history of Canada.
“I found myself asking more questions and wanting to know more. Why is that church abandoned? Why is that school abandoned?” he said.
Chowaniec has eagerly awaited the opening of the museum to share his photographs with visitors, after travelling a total of 10,000 kilometers to gather Alberta’s unique properties.
RAM also features a collaborative textile known as the Quilt of Belonging. Celebrating the diversity of Canada, the quilt features 263 blocks representing the Indigenous people in Canada and every nation.
The quilt is designed so each visitor can experience a sense of community.
“This piece really represents who we are as a nation. What Canada represents is all these various nations including our Indigenous communities,” said assistant curator for Daily Life and Leisure, Lucie Heins.
The bottom row is referred to as the “foundation” – representing all First Nations, Inuit, and Metis.
“I think what the quilt of belonging does during this time of social distancing and isolation, it reminds us that we are connected. We are united even though we are existing in this new normal of how we interact with each other.”
With files from Touria Izri
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of ‘Hockey Night in Canada,’ dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.