Museum Beat

New Galt museum programs focus on seniors

Tuesday, 02 February 2010 17:03 Richard Amery

Get ready Lethbridge and area seniors. You are invited to experience southwestern Alberta history and culture at a new weekly program developed by the Galt Museum & Archives with a diversity of entertaining topics, including presentations by special guests, lectures, hands-on learning activities, and behind-the-scenes tours commencing Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.
"One of the things I think is amazing about the program is the number of people who have volunteered to lead the topics, from dance groups to professors at the University of Lethbridge," said the Galt's Community Program Coordinator, Leslie Hall in a press release.

The Feb. 3 - May 26 schedule is as follows:

Feb. 3 — Artifact Bingo Get a sneak preview of artifacts featured in our upcoming exhibit Treasures & Curiosities, and other treasures from the Collection.
10 — Archives 101 Learn the basics of archives during this behind-the-scenes tour.

17 — Into the Past: Blackfoot History and Culture with Blanche Bruisedhead.
24 — Lethbridge History Album Celebrate Lethbridge's history by creating an art piece using photos and articles from the Archives. Learn techniques you can use tomake your own digital or paper memory albums at home.
March 3 — Museums 101 Learn the basics of museums and their collections in this behind-the-scenes tour.
10 — Métis History: A Blast from the Past Join Jacqueline Guest, author of 16 novels, to discover how the history of the Métis people in Canada continues to be a source of inspiration. Learning and laughing are guaranteed as we recreate the past. An interactive session involving artifacts and actual facts.
17 — Line Dancing Show and Lesson Watch a line dancing show and then learn some dances, or cheer others along as they try out the steps. Brought to you by the YuTuKanDanz group.
24 — Coming of Age During the Great Depression In this talk, Professor Heidi Macdonald will use excerpts from 1930s diaries to examine how Canadian youth experienced the Great Depression
31— Fibre Art and the Art of Card Making Experiment with card making techniques and embellishments to make a one-of-a-kind greeting card with the Textile Surface Design Guild.

The Galt celebrates Robbie Burns' birthday

Tuesday, 19 January 2010 18:59 Richard Amery

The Galt Museum is celebrating the life of renown Scottish poet and musician, Robbie Burns with a special celebration, Jan. 22 in the Galt Museum atrium. alt

“We’ve been doing this practically since Robbie Burns died,” joked Lori Harasem, Galt Museum special events and volunteer coordinator who has been organizing the event for the past seven years.
The event, which begins at 7 p.m. (though doors open at 6 p.m.) features a group of young Scottish dancers called the Lethbridge Highland Dancers, , the Lethbridge Scottish Country Dance Club and 23 pounds of haggis including a three pound haggis which will be piped in by the Legion Pipe and Drums band. Plus there will be Scotch sampling with Kyle Baines of Andrew Hilton, toasts and singing from Sheena Lawson.
“It’s a chance to learn more about Robbie Burns’ music and poetry and to get to know a bit more about Scottish culture,” Harasem continued adding it is also a tribute to to Stewart Christie, a Scotland aficionado and a big part of previous Robbie Burns day celebrations, who passed away earlier this month.

Café Galt ends series this week

Tuesday, 19 January 2010 08:59 Richard Amery

The final Café Galt of the Galt Museum’s dinosaur exhibit features the movie ‘the Lost World’ and speaker Cory Grosse, Jan. 20. alt

The four Café Galt sessions, which feature special guest speaker speaking about topics related to the museum’s dinosaur exhibit, which closes, Jan. 31, have been very successful.
“It’s been awesome,” said the Galt Museum’s marketing and communication officer Anine Vonkeman, adding most of the programs have attracted capacity audiences of approximately 50 people each night.
The last one features Cory Gross who will be talking about the original film ‘the Lost World,’ which is based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s earth shaking 1912 dinosaur adventure novel, which was originally brought to to silver screen in 1925.
Grosse received his BA in Museum and Heritage Studies from the University of Calgary in 2005 and has great interest in paleontology, archaeology, Western Canadian history, natural history and travel as well as scientific romances and early cinema. He also is webmaster for http://silentmoviemonsters.tripod.com/TheLostWorld/, which is dedicated to Silent Movie Monsters.

Museum passes can be signed out at Library

Thursday, 17 December 2009 15:28 Richard Amery

The Galt Museum is excited to be on the forefront of a new partnership with the Chinook Arch Regional Library System. alt

The partnership will allow library patrons to “take out” week long passes to the museum and museum activities the same way they can use their library card to take out books, CDs, and DVDs at all of the Chinook Arch Regional System’s 31 libraries.
“We’ve seen examples of this in Southern Alberta, but there’s nothing like it in Southern Alberta,” said Galt Museum spokesperson Anine Vonkeman.
“We thought this would be a really great idea to to provide museum services to families who might not be able to afford it,” she continued adding the Galt has been working on this partnership for the past year and a half.
There will be eight passes available at the Lethbridge library, three in Coaldale and two each at Cardston, Claresholm, Fort Macleod, Magrath, Nanton, Picture Butte, Pincher Creek, Raymond, Stirling and Taber and one at each of the other community libraries in the Chinook Arch Regional library system.

Fossil talk at Cafe Galt

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 11:32 Richard Amery

Have you got a fossil you’ve found but can’t quite identify? If so Wendy Sloboda will be able to help at the Galt Museum’s Café Galt program, Wednesday, Dec. 9 at the museum. In addition to speaking about the fossils she has found, collected and prepared in Southern Alberta since her first find in the Devil’s COulee along Milk River Ridge in 1987, she will also identify some of the patron’s own finds. alt

Sloboda also supplied numerous items for the Galt’s exhibit “Dinosour Finds” in the Lower Level Gallery.
"Wendy brought in photographs, fossils and personal items for the exhibit," noted Wendy Aitkens in a press release.
"It is always exciting to be able to feature someone from our own community who has accomplished significant things in their field. I consider her to be a southern Alberta paleontology heroine," continued the Galt Museum and Archives Curator.
Paleontolical Technician Wendy Sloboda graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BA [History] in 2001.

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