Local history and art now share one roof in Winkler.
The Winkler Heritage Museum & Archives is in the midst of moving to its new home at Winkler Arts + Culture.
The transition is one step in preserving a variegated history — and legacy — that some would argue is slipping from memory.
‘Having all three venues under one roof enhances all three’
For Brian Dyck, the treasurer of the Winkler Heritage Museum & Archives, the move is an exciting one for local history buffs and art enthusiasts alike.
“We're really looking forward to this. I think having all three venues under one roof enhances all three of them,” he said.
“It's in a location that fits — it’s with the other recreational facilities that are there, and so I think we're in a good location and we'll have lots to offer for anybody who has made the decision to come visit us.”
‘We have a very colourful, exciting history’
Neil Schmidt, the chair of the museum committee, became a part of the Winkler Heritage Society for the same reason its move is so important to him.
“We have a very colourful, exciting history, and we need to share that with the people,” he said. “A lot of people are not aware of all that is happening and when it started, so we're going to start way back in the 1400s to the 1500s, and then bring everything to life.”
While much of the area’s history centres on the Mennonite migration, Dyck said Winkler’s history also includes foundational Lutheran and Jewish communities, which the heritage society reflects.
We're on a floodplain, so what did we do about that? We had a shortage of doctors. How did we deal with that? How did we deal with all the adversities that we had, like a shortage of water? There has been really strong leadership in our community, and a lot of businesses that have really supported this community.
-Brian Dyck on learning about the hurdles the area has overcome throughout his journey of collecting history.
“There are lots of stories behind that and why they came, so we want to tell those stories. It's about the people that lived here and built this community,” he said.
“There have been lots of things that have happened, and we're starting to forget about them, so it's important to record that and have that somewhere so that people can ... look back.”
Highlighting strong leadership
The Winkler Heritage Society has an extensive collection of artifacts that help tell the story of the area. Schmidt said that one of the goals of the organization is to bring these pieces to life by providing as much information as possible about them.
One observation the pair has made from compiling artifacts and historical information is that throughout history, the area experienced as many hardships as there were determined leaders to address them.
“We've overcome a lot of adversity,” said Dyck.
"We're on a floodplain, so what did we do about that? We had a shortage of doctors. How did we deal with that? How did we deal with all the adversities that we had, like a shortage of water? There has been really strong leadership in our community, and a lot of businesses that have really supported this community.”
The vision for the museum
With a new space, possibilities for the new museum abound.
Dyck and Schmidt, who toured other museums for inspiration, have many ideas on how to create an engaging atmosphere through features like overhead projectors, kiosks, and keypads.
The pair is also passionate about murals.
“Pictures tell a thousand words,” said Dyck. “Murals are important because we also want to reach out to the people who can't participate in a lot of the activities that we have [in town] .... We have an aging population, and we want to be able to do tours maybe for Salem, or school tours.”
Dyck said that, especially for an aging population, visuals help the history land.
“When ... you're struggling trying to remember things and you see a picture that sparks something inside of you, then you remember things,” he said. “It engages people, especially that group of people.”
You need special lighting, and you need exhibit areas, [and then] you build an 8-foot section, and that part tells one story. Most of it is going to be permanent, and then some of it is going to be swapped out every six months so that it’s always fresh for people that are returning.
-Brian Dyck on the vision for the new Winkler Heritage Museum.
The work at Winkler Arts & Culture has already begun with its specialty room for the archives, for which Dyck and Schmidt have taken courses to learn the technical craft of preserving the collection.
“[The room] had to be properly insulated, so we had a contractor, and we explained to him what our needs were,” said Dyck. “We had to have it humidity-controlled, temperature-controlled, and bug-free.”
Dyck added that the boxes in which the artifacts are stored are made of a particular acid-free material.
“There are all kinds of things,” he said.
An ambitious goal
As the future of the Winkler Heritage Museum and Archives takes shape, the heritage society also has another large project ahead — raising the funds needed to execute its vision of the museum, now that it has collected a substantial body of artifacts.
The end goal for fundraising is approximately $613,000; however, to start building and moving into the space, Schmidt said the group aims to raise half that amount.
“You need special lighting, and you need exhibit areas, [and then] you build an 8-foot section and that part tells one story,” said Dyck. “Most of it is going to be permanent, and then some of it's going to be swapped out every six months so that it’s always fresh for people that are returning.”
On September 16, the Winkler Heritage Society held its fundraising kickoff at Winkler Arts + Culture, where the organization shared plans for the museum and the journey of creating its archival room.
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- A new chapter for the Winkler Heritage Society
- How the story of Mennonite perseverance is supporting Eden Foundation
It was also an opportunity to get involved.
“We're going to need the community to help support this project,” said Dyck.
“We've had awesome donors in the past. They've helped with providing funds for operating purposes. Once we're in this building, we don't pay any rent anymore, so we've reduced our costs, and we can then do the things that we want to do as a museum.”
Schmidt added that the City of Winkler has also shown its support in spades.
“They helped us with it, and they're totally on board with this,” he said. “They are as excited as we are.”
To contribute to the future of the Winkler Heritage Museum and Archives, click here.
With files from Ty Hildebrand