Payoff worth the price for provincial museum - Local - News - The Guardian

William Thorsell, former director of the Royal Ontario Museum, and Doug Deacon, sustainable economic development coordinator with the Town of Stratford pose in front of a cruise ship parked in front of the Charlottetown skyline. Thorsell gave a presentation in Stratford last evening. - Guardian photo by Al MacLeod

Payoff worth the price for provincial museum

Published by The Guardian on September 25th, 2010
by Al MacLeod

With the 150th anniversary of Confederation on the horizon in 2014, the call for a provincial museum on P.E.I. is gaining even more steam these days.

The current museum presence on P.E.I. is made up of multiple sites throughout the province, with each focusing on specific subjects like fisheries and shipbuilding.

The provincial Liberal government has been promising a centralized provincial museum since November 2008 and has financed a study into the subject, which concluded with the recommendation one be built by 2013.

The report also said the province’s approach to heritage is somewhat erratic and ignores important topics like women’s history and archaeological sites.

With this in mind, the town of Stratford brought in William Thorsell, the departing director of the Royal Ontario Museum, to talk about the challenges and processes he went through while rebuilding the ROM in Toronto and making it a vital part of both the city and the province during a presentation Thursday at Stratford Town Hall.

Thorsell said there are challenges involved with such an institution but the payoff is well worth the price.

“It’s a challenge because museums are complex creatures that are pretty expensive to build and pretty expensive to run,” Thorsell said.

“Museums are pretty important centres of identity, pleasure and culture.”

Thorsell came on board with the ROM about 10 years ago and saw the museum go through a fair amount of projects and changes that required substantial funds.

He said the museum took on the responsibility of the projects without government involvement and eventually the government asked to be included and subsequently, provided some of the funding.
Within a few years the institution was a vital part of the city and people flock to the museum every year to see the wide variety of exhibits and galleries.
The key to this success was to solicit interest from the community, Thorsell said.
“We had to create a landscape of desire.”
This was done in part by holding a contest for the architectural design of the renovation projects, which proved to be huge and drew the community into the process and got the media’s attention, Thorsell said.
“Don’t underestimate the power of architecture. It’s more than just a container.
“That created a firestorm of interest.”
It was also important the building stand out and the ROM has a unique architectural design that stands out in the city, Thorsell said.
“Cultural industries are supposed to be the ones to take the risk. They’re supposed to be pushing the limits and create a new sense of possible.”
Thorsell had some advice for P.E.I. on the potential location of its proposed museum.
“You have wonderful water, you have a wonderful waterfront,” he said.
“Don’t put it in a parking lot somewhere in the middle of the city.”

Capital Lobbies for Provincial Museum

WAYNE THIBODEAU
As published by The Guardian, Oct 15, 2009

The City of Charlottetown is joining a growing list of Prince Edward Island municipalities that want to be home to a proposed provincial museum.

During a meeting of Charlottetown city council on Tuesday, Coun. Kim Devine commended the provincial government for deciding to build a new provincial museum.

Devine said she plans on outlining Charlottetown’s case to the Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour. She said Charlottetown’s proposal would be “sustainable, feasible and a very appropriate location” that would provide year-round traffic to the museum.

“We are a city that has a rich history,” Devine told councillors.

Charlottetown’s pitch is that it is a capital city for the whole province, the centre with the largest population, as well as a well-established tourist destination.

The capital city says locating the provincial museum in Charlottetown would enhance other cultural centres in the city, including the Confederation Centre of the Arts, as well as strengthen existing historical resources, including the Public Archives located in the Coles Building.

Charlottetown isn’t the only municipality looking to be home to the provincial museum.

The Town of Stratford also wants the honour.

But the capital city may have an edge in the competition.

A firm specializing in planning and designing museums has completed a study looking at the possibility of converting the vacant Dominion Building on Queen Street into a provincial museum.

Lundholm Associates carried out the study for Canada Lands Company, the company that has control of the Dominion Building.

But Cultural Affairs Minister Carolyn Bertram said Wednesday no decision has been made on a location for a provincial museum. She did say the province is committed to creating a “centrally located” provincial museum.

“We are not going to prejudge where it is going to be, that is part of the upcoming process,” Bertram said last November.

Last November the provincial government said it was going to build a provincial museum.

But it may be years yet before construction actually begins. While a provincial museum has been promised, no money has been budgeted for the project.

The former government had promised to build a provincial artifactory in Murray River. The $4.9-million project would have housed more than 80,000 items that are currently being stored at the West Royalty Industrial Park.

But the Liberal government killed those plans, agreeing with some history buffs that Murray River was too far off the beaten track to house the facility.

Devine said creating a provincial museum to interpret and celebrate the Island’s history is long overdue.

“We are currently the only province that does not have a provincial museum,” said Devine. “But we are a province that is rich in its history.”

Architect sparks excitement about bid for museum in Stratford

as published by The Guardian on Oct 1, 2009
NIGEL ARMSTRONG
The Guardian

Passion and excitement swept through a meeting in Stratford Wednesday as the town pushes on with a bid to have a new P.E.I. museum on its waterfront.

An informal committee of interested people, led by Stratford deputy mayor Sandy McMillan, has for the past few days been hosting one of the world’s most famous architects, Douglas Cardinal.

He spoke at a public meeting attended by nearly 50 people at Stratford Town Hall Wednesday. Afterwards, the excitement was palpable.

Edward Rice presented his enthusiasm for the project to area MLA Cynthia Dunsford and Mayor Kevin Jenkins.

“All inclusiveness, the inspiration of a new building that is allowed to be free, to be formed, something new and imaginative, the site — which I think is ideal — somebody put all this together and that hasn’t happened in Charlottetown,” said Rice.

Cardinal spoke of the need for strong, determined vision and commitment to make projects happen even when it seems unlikely. He persevered for many of his renowned, curving structures, be it the National Museum of the American Indian on the Washington Mall beside the Capitol, or a northern Canadian hospital combining aboriginal and western medicine.

“It takes imagination, which everything starts with, your vision, your belief, and (Cardinal) brought that to us tonight,” said Rice. “Somebody somewhere in this group had the brains to put that together. They have a bid committee. Where are the rest of the few communities that could be interested? I see big players here and big dreamers too.

“Remember Frank MacKinnon built Confederation Centre of the Arts on a dream, with not a . . . hope . . . of getting a dime to do that, and he and a few other people did it. Not that I agree with it.”

Jordan Brown is the unofficial co-chair and sometime spokesperson for the Stratford museum bid committee. He lives in Frenchfort but was impressed with the idea of Stratford being home to a P.E.I. museum. He knows that the current town sewage lagoon will have to be moved if the museum is to occupy the open waterfront space south of the Hillsborough Bridge approaches.

“From a provincial perspective it makes so much sense to have it there, it is almost nonsensical to think of it being any place else,” said Brown.

He invited any interested Islander to contact him, McMillan or the Stratford town office to volunteer for the growing ad hoc museum committee.

“Government right now has announced its intention to build this museum and is currently undertaking a study . . . to define the scope of the museum, where it would go, what kind of facility it would need, parking, etc.,” said Brown. “Like (Cardinal) said here tonight, we have stated our intention that we want it here, now we are enrolling the people to do that.”

“The first step is to declare a very powerful intention,” said Cardinal in his address Wednesday.

Then it must be nurtured, he said.

“When you state your word, and you say it in a powerful way, the hardest thing is to keep your word because human beings have a whole bunch of agendas going on in their heads,” said Cardinal. “To bring a vision into reality, you keep your word, you keep your intentions pure which requires an unwavering commitment. You operate by commitment, rather than fear.

“Fear keeps us powerless and small and collapse the power of our intention.”

See public responses to this article at the Guardian site.

Stratford waterfront a perfect site for provincial museum

Letter to Editor published by The Guardian - January 28, 2009
by DOUG KELLY

I have read with interest your recent articles and letters regarding a site for a provincial heritage museum. I must say that I am in agreement that a museum must interpret the story of P.E.I. by showcasing both our natural and human heritage.

If a museum is to accomplish these goals, and draw Islanders and tourists alike, refurbishing an old, surplus building would not be the way to proceed. The old Dominion Building in Charlottetown was an office building, and would be a poor fit for a museum.

While no expert, I do think that a purpose-built building would be required given the strict environmental controls needed for an artifactory and provincial archives. I am quite sure that among the goals the province might have for investing in a provincial museum, finding a use for surplus office buildings is not among them. A retrofit building would be hard pressed to provide the necessary archival standard for conservation and preservation.

In Harry Baglole's letter on Jan. 5, he stated that a provincial museum should be housed in a purpose-built building located in a setting near woods or the shore. I would like to put forth the idea of Stratford's waterfront as the perfect location.

Central location: The IRIS Group's heritage study recommended a museum be centrally located to make itself accessible to the highest number of visitors. Stratford is in the capital region, and is now connected to Charlottetown via public transportation. The location has the added attraction of sitting on the bank of the Hillsborough River, a designated Canadian Heritage River.

- Space: Stratford's waterfront has adequate space not only for a museum and provincial archives but also for car and bus parking. The location would provide dramatic views of the harbour and Charlottetown's skyline.

- Government presence: The provincial government has demonstrated its commitment to the concept of 'one Island community' by finding new homes for government departments. As the third-largest municipality in province, there is a conspicuous absence of government presence in Stratford. Locating the provincial museum in Stratford would go far to address this deficit.

- Showcase opportunity: A purpose-built museum has the potential to be an architectural gem, reminiscent of the Canadian Museum of Civilization across the river from Ottawa. A provincial museum on the Stratford waterfront would be highly visible from Charlottetown and the Hillsborough Bridge. The design of a museum should be a drawing card in and of itself.

- The future: At some point, a marina is planned for Stratford's waterfront. Both municipalities would benefit if summertime tourists were able to take a pedestrian ferry from historic downtown Charlottetown across the Hillsborough River to the provincial museum in Stratford. A ferry could even complete the triangle, connecting to Rocky Point (Port la Joye/Fort Amherst) before returning to Charlottetown.

Before a location is chosen for the wrong reasons, let's hope the province follows the IRIS Group's recommendation and allows a professionally led study to recommend the preferred site for a provincial museum and archives.

Doug Kelly is chair of the Stratford Heritage Committee.
28/01/09

Stratford a good site for provincial museum

as published in The Guardian March 28, 2007
SANDY MCMILLAN Chair, planning and heritage committee, Stratford

Editor:

All the discussion surrounding the artifactory relocation to Murray River has raised a larger question as to the value and need for a centralized provincial museum. The majority of opinion seems to support the idea of having one facility presenting a global display and interpretation of our Island history and that this facility should itself be centrally located. I would like to suggest that ‘centrally located’ casts a wide net.

Before the residents and elected officials of Charlottetown get too comfortable with the idea that a future provincial museum is a natural entitlement within their municipal boundaries, they should look to our nation’s capital for a preview of a possible local challenge.

Douglas Cardinal’s tour de force, The Canadian Museum of Civilization, is located not in Ottawa proper but directly opposite Parliament Hill, across the Ottawa River, in Gatineau, Que.

Following that example, what better place to site a provincial museum than on Stratford’s waterfront? Visitors would have the opportunity to view the birthplace of Confederation from almost the same vantage point our founding fathers first enjoyed as they sailed into Charlottetown Harbour in 1864.

Aside from Stratford’s waterfront being a visually spectacular and inspirational location, ideal for a significant cultural institution, there are other arguments in support of this proposal.

Stratford currently lacks a footprint in the Island tourism industry. A provincial museum would largely eliminate that deficit and serve as a much-needed economic anchor/catalyst within our waterfront core area.

Locating it in close proximity to the Hillsborough Bridge and the Trans-Canada Highway would ensure ease of accessibility by foot, bicycle or car to all points east, west and downtown Charlottetown.

Future spinoffs might include: a summer ferry service transporting tourists and residents to and from Peakes Quay; off-season the facility could serve as a cultural centre for our community.

Far from being a lost opportunity for Charlottetown, a Stratford-based provincial museum could in fact serve as a complementary economic engine benefiting both communities.