Castlegar - BC Hydro has provided $1,500 in support of the Doukhobor Village Museum exhibit Pioneer Scenes As Seen Through Lantern Slides. The exhibit features rare, restored lantern slides and negatives from the early days of the Doukhobor settlement in British Columbia. A majority of the slides and negatives have never been published or seen before, and many are in colour.
"BC Hydro is pleased to support the Museum's efforts in bringing this rare exhibit to Castlegar and the surrounding area," said BC Hydro's Columbia Basin Generation General manager, Willi Friml. "Arts and culture is one of four key areas where BC Hydro contributes funds to community groups through its Outreach Program."
"This
exhibit is an excellent example of cultural and archival work that
museums should be engaged in and for the most part, are not able
to do because of lack of funding," said Curator of the
Doukhobor Musuem, Larry Ewashen. "BC Hydro's assistance
in this project is vitally important to the museum's archival work
and will be of great benefit to international visitors as well as
the local public". |
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The Doukhobor Museum is hoping to attract many visitors next year with this exhibit and are confident that this exhibit will be a success within the community.
The museum has reported an increase in attendance through special tours and tourist visitors over the last several years. In 2004 there were 25 tours, ranging from special Chinese bus tours from Vancouver to bus loads of students from Edmonton. Other visitors originated from 73 different countries, provinces and states, covering the alphabet from Argentina to Wales. Comments ranged from: ‘A truly great museum and learning center’ to ‘First class museum and exhibits’. Throughout the winter, the museums excellent website continues to draw interest and people may visit the site for updates and further information.
This coming auspicious 2005 exhibit
will be officially unveiled by Her Honour, Iona Campagnolo, at the seasonal
public opening of the museum on April 24th.