Opinion - as published in The Guardian on Feb 2, 2009
Now that the federal stimulus budget has been passed, let's not forget our government's promise of a new provincial museum. Since a potential location and edifice already exist in the form of the Dominion Building, the Island has a project that is far beyond 'shovel ready'.
The 176,000 square feet of this six-storey structure would provide an ideal location for a provincial museum of culture and nature, with space for a children's museum, as well as for the provincial archives and library. A purpose-built institution may be an ideal, but it would cost more and take longer to realize than recycling an older building.
Many successful museums and cultural complexes have been created in structures where money was spent not on their site or their construction but on their renovation. The Dominion Building's need of new windows, humidity controlled areas and a serious facelift are not unusual ones.
Successful renovations of older structures are too numerous to list but an exemplary one was the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. The institution grew out of an old bakery made of steel and concrete to become one of Canada's most popular museums during the 1970s and 1980s. Others include a 19th-century prison recently integrated into Quebec's provincial art museum, and an old train station transformed into the Quai D'Orsay, one of the most talked about art galleries in Paris.
The large Dominion Building can accommodate a comprehensive museum, the provincial archives and library and their collections. Centralizing these institutions would facilitate synergies between archivists, curators and librarians and create much-needed efficiencies in space, equipment and personnel. The building could also support complementary educational and entertainment facilities for community and special events.
A cultural centre in a renovated space could work well for teachers, as object-based learning is an excellent complement to that found in schools. Partnerships between the Confederation Centre, the Arts Guild and the MacKenzie Theatre would facilitate the creation of a cultural cluster and in so doing increase educational, leisure and commercial activities for everyone.
The economic and socio-cultural impact of museums and libraries on the revitalization of cities is well documented. Examples include new museums and libraries in Copenhagen, London, Paris, Vancouver, Hull, Montreal and Quebec City. As more residents and tourists are drawn to these institutions, the surrounding neighbourhoods are transformed.
For Charlottetown, the creative use of the Dominion Building would do much more than help counter the flight of businesses from the downtown core.
The creation of a cultural complex and cluster in our capital will create an ambient area where people will converge, where creativity and knowledge will abound, and where business will thrive. As people learn more about the full scope of Island history, they would be directed to regional centres that possess additional artifacts and information concerning different facets of our past and present. A central cultural complex would act as a lead institution, providing leadership, as well as better access to advice, support and training for professionals and volunteers.
As Catherine Hennessey wrote in a recent article of
The Island Magazine, people have been dreaming of and planning for a provincial museum since the 1880s. Isn't it time for our governments to seize the occasion to provide Islanders with a dynamic facility that connects them with each other, as well as to their pasts and future?
Terry Ruddel is a former curator of the National Museums of Canada and a former director of Museum Studies at the University of Toronto. He is presently working on the history of blacksmiths in Victoria.
