Ghiz pledges to explore options for provincial museum

Teresa Wright

Published on November 13, 2014 by The Guardian

Premier says he is working on strategy to glean some federal dollars

The Ghiz government is once again talking about a provincial museum for P.E.I., but this time is making no promises.

In his 2014 speech from the throne, Premier Robert Ghiz says his government is “exploring options to establish a provincial museum as a legacy project of Canada’s Sesquicentennial” in 2017.

This is very different language than in November 2008, when his government hosted an event at Province House where a commitment was made to creating a centrally located provincial museum facility.

Carolyn Bertram, who was the minister of heritage at the time, said she hoped to see the museum open within “the next few years.”

Six years later and still no museum, despite many calls for one this year as a 2014 legacy project.

Ghiz says he has met with the provincial museum association and is working on a strategy to glean some federal dollars in 2017.

He admits, however, this is not his No. 1 infrastructure priority.

“Would I love to announce it in the speech from the throne and say it’s starting tomorrow? Absolutely. But to be honest, it’s not our top priority right now,” he said Wednesday.

“But it is something that we want to do in the future and we think that 2017 is probably our best opportunity for it.”

The premier added he would work toward matching whatever federal dollars could be made available, but did not give any concrete dollar amounts.

A provincial museum was one recommendation in a $60,000 report completed by the IRIS group, called Charting A Course, commissioned by the Ghiz government after taking office in 2007.

That report also called for government to develop a strategy to guide future planning for heritage.

In his throne speech Wednesday, Ghiz announced consultations would be held this year to develop a 10-year strategy for cultural development.

Ideas for creating a Prince Edward Island museum

As published by The Buzz - November 2014

Art Speak
by Donald Andrus

The title of this article has an impressive ring to it, but like a turtle bereft of its shell, this rather wonderful and naturally diverse collection remains hidden, by and large, in storage since there is no building as yet to house it. Yet again, very recently the topic surfaced momentarily. 2014 it goes without saying, would have been the perfect year in which to celebrate this Museum, in its very own building—a permanent memorial in a year that has used much money to create so many impermanent celebrations. Cost figures to build from scratch have been bandied about ($50 million, $70 million…) without any serious study having been made to present to the public what the costs might actually be, and who in fact should foot the bill.

There is a seemingly, annual mass migration of box stores in this city, busy moulting one shell in order to fit into an even larger one? Whether it be hardware franchises or supermarkets there seems to be on their part a constant hunger for more space. Soon the Canadian Tire Store, recently the Kent store, either one of which with modifications would have provided the area, the breadth and height, for exhibition areas, storage, work areas and offices, not to mention large parking lots. No need to build something from scratch, there’s always another box store on the move leaving yet another glorious opportunity to house the Museum.

Now most people realize that it isn't the cost of the “physical plant” so much that alarms government, no, it’s the long-term and ongoing costs ( a Director, Curators, Preparators, Security etc. etc.) with all the attendant salaries, pensions and so on, not to mention the cost of establishing a collection and of maintaining it. At the same time, a visible Provincial Museum would provide yet another important cultural destination in order to attract visitors to PEI, not to mention the teaching possibilities that would be made available to our schools, college and university.

While we are on this topic what about a Provincial Art Gallery as well, something that does not exist at all? In fact, although the general public might believe that this is what the Confederation Centre Art Gallery is: not so. The CCAG is a national monument and its first and foremost mission is to represent Canada to Canadians. The CCAG has always done a fine job of acknowledging the fact that it is located here on PEI, exhibiting work by professional Island artists as often as it can possibly manage, still its wider commitments do not permit a concentrated focus upon the growing community of artists here on PEI.

I bring up the topic of a Provincial Art Gallery here (are we the only province without one?) because with some imagination, both a Museum and Gallery could occupy the same re-purposed ex-box store structure. Loading platforms, work spaces, parking areas, even some personnel such as preparatory, security and custodial services could be shared between them. Such a Gallery, I would suggest should take the function of a “kunsthalle” a purely exhibition space, without a collection and hence without many of the attendant space and personnel costs of most public art galleries.

What a wonderful 2017 project (the 150th Anniversary of Confederation looms) this could be, to house both of these homeless “institutions” leaving Islanders with a proud heritage to mark that anniversary year. I know we are still in the thrall of the somewhat-manufactured excitement commemorating the events of 1864 but it will be a long wait for another commemorative moment if something like this project is not undertaken for 2017 and that means that the planning and development for such a project should begin now.Source: www.BUZZon.com

Bold action needed for Province House

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian)

Published on February 25, 2014

Editor: The timing is right.

Stop the patchwork at Province House. It is time to make three complementary decisions: a totally renovated Province House becomes a memorial building/provincial museum, the Coles Building becomes the provincial library/archives, and the legislature/offices move to a new modern facility located on the Experimental Farm property.

Sterling Stratton,

Charlottetown,

Author of The Streets Of Charlottetown, 1864

Provincial Museum Promises Remain Unfulfilled

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian) Published on December 30, 2013

Letter of the Day by Ian Scott

Editor:
Recent statements by both the Board of Governors of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation and by readers of this paper (Heritage Blues Back on Agenda by Andy Robb on Dec. 2) show the growing frustration from many quarters with museum development policy. The province has indicated both while in opposition, on the campaign trail and since forming government of the importance on moving ahead with provincial museum development —yet little tangible evidence of a clear plan exists years later. While five-year capital priority plans are updated to outline planning in other areas, the needs of our provincial museum continue to be avoided.

A provincial museum mandate was granted “to study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of Prince Edward Island for the use, benefit and enjoyment of the people of the province” by the legislature in 1983. Since then, many aspects of this mandate have not been fulfilled. Perhaps most evident is the lack of staff and resources to fulfil the natural history mandate. Every year the legislative assembly receives an annual report from the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation on progress in fulfilling this important mandate. Each year the report is adopted by the assembly as a matter of course, despite the fact that many of the activities mandated by the Museum Act could not be fulfilled.

Even without the ability to study, collect, preserve, interpret, and protect the human and natural history of our province, the need for these roles continues to increase with each passing year. Increasingly biodiversity grows as an important topic, as we see many species facing a variety of pressures. The spread of foreign invasive species and new diseases present challenges when we lack the basic science about the flora and fauna of our own province to know what species already exist here. It is not uncommon for researchers to discover species that have likely existed for centuries yet have never been recorded simply because of the lack of research in many areas of local biology. Complex environmental decisions are based on scientific data yet without basic data on many aspects of Island ecology these decisions are made without a complete understanding of their impact.

To grant a mandate without appropriate funding of the organization charged with fulfilling the mandate can only lead to frustration for staff and board members faced with the impossibly of moving forward. Museum development requires a clear, well-thought-out plan. It is only appropriate that government works with the Board of Governors of the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation, to ensure that a workable plan is in place.

Nature P.E.I. involves members from across the Island with an interest in natural history and is prepared to assist both parties in moving ahead with this planning process. Sitting on the fence is not a viable position when it is time for action in living up to promises that have been made. The time has come to address the real needs of our provincial museum system; there is a compelling story to be told and all Islanders deserve a chance to hear that story.

Ian Scott,

President,
Nature P.E.I.: The Natural History Society of Prince Edward Island