With the close of the season and only a few more tours in October, the newly- christened Doukhobor Discovery Centre is making plans for next season’s exhibit. With that in mind, the Centre is happy to announce a recent grant from the British Columbia Arts Council for assistance in preparing the new exhibit.

In a letter from Richard Brownsey, Executive Director, the Council observed: The Advisory Committee noted that the Doukhobor Village Museum has developed interesting exhibitions and on-line projects in recent years and that the project will extend public access to hitherto inaccessible collection material.

Work has been proceeding on next year’s exhibit for some time now and will be completed throughout the winter months for next year’s opening. This exhibit has also been aided by a grant from the Castlegar Arts Council and the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood trust fund.

‘These grants are recognition of the wonderful work we are doing’, commented Curator Larry Ewashen. ‘The days of the static museum with a few yard sale items and a gift shop selling made-in-Japan Mounties and locally made wooden cows is over. For a museum dealing with culture and heritage, new exhibitions focussing on specific aspects of history are pre-requisite.’

The Doukhobor Village Museum, now known as the Doukhobor Discovery Centre, has been producing annual exhibits since 1999, when BC Heritage sponsored the very successful Doukhobor rug display. The policy of new exhibits encourages return visitors, and one can no longer say that since they have been there once, there is no need to return. In addition to major new exhibits annually, other venues are constantly undergoing renovation and alterations, to make all of the exhibits worth a second and third look.

The Village Gallery has become a major centre for local Doukhobor craftsmen, featuring traditionally crafted rugs and ladles, as well as a complete list of Doukhobor music, history and recipe books, as well as prints from past exhibits. In conclusion, Richard Brownsey, Executive Director of the BC Arts Council noted: ‘Please accept my best wishes for a successful exhibition project.’