Yap & Yarn Fibre Artists Take the Lead on New Exhibit

This amazing group of ladies makes up the core of our Yap & Yarn fibre arts group. In addition to meeting once a month to knit, crochet, and spin (and to help newcomers who are welcome at the meetups) they have also volunteered during Doors Open and the Museum’s Old-Fashioned Christmas to demonstrate their skills to the public. Last year they took the lead on developing the content for a fibre arts exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of confederation.

“We encouraged them to think about the 150th anniversary and produce reproduction period costume or something that’s indicative, to them, of the Canadian spirit,” says Sarah Holla, Acting Education Officer.

The resulting exhibit – Woven Through Time – was supposed to launch last year but with the Museum closed for renovations it had to be postponed until this spring. At April’s Yap & Yarn meetup the Museum presented the artists with gift cards and custom yarn bags in appreciation of their incredible contributions to the coming exhibit (…as well as their patience!).

“It’s too bad we couldn’t display the content during the year of Canada’s anniversary but it is no less valuable,” says Holla.

We finally have the keys back to the Museum so stay tuned for the exhibit launch date!

The next Yap & Yarn meetup will be held in the Stittsville Public Library on Sunday, May 20th from 1:30-3:30 p.m. No need to register, just bring your fibre arts project. Light refreshments will be served.

The Goulbourn Museum is looking for 2 post-secondary students for the following positions:

Collections Assistant: Duties include working with the collection, cataloguing artefacts, and daily operations.

Museum and Exhibition Assistant: Duties include exhibition development, programming, marketing, design and daily operations.

Candidates require excellent English language skills and computer competency. Successful candidates will be post-secondary students enrolled in museum studies, history, arts, business, graphic design or marketing. French is an asset.

Positions are 16 weeks at $14.00 per hour for 37.5 hours per week. Work includes weekends and statutory holidays. There is no public transportation to the Museum site.

Applications accepted by email or in-person until midnight Wednesday, April 18, 2018. Goulbourn Museum, 2064 Huntley Road, Stittsville | goulbmus@rogers.com

Goulbourn Museum’s March Break Craft Camp is a series of three creative workshops geared to children ages 6-11. Workshops take place from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, Wednesday March 14, and Thursday, March 15.

(Due to ongoing renovations at the Museum the camp will be held at the Goulbourn Municipal Building located at 2135 Huntley Rd.)

On the Tuesday kids will make a “Pipe-Size Piranha.” Unplug for the afternoon and make a Super Mario Piranha Plant of your own! These pipe dwelling monsters hide a secret compartment keeping treasures safe from siblings, parents and Bowser himself!

Wednesday’s craft will provide “instant grassification!” Children will create and decorate a “Faux Hawk Friend” whose hair will grow as they water it.

On the final day (Thursday), kids will make a “Pocket Pond.” This ecosystem on the go can be hidden in a pocket! Kids will create a pocket pond habitat and the creatures who live there and then add resin instead of water to “freeze” everything in place!

Camps cost $25 per day or $65 for all three workshops (snacks and materials are included). Kits’ Club members’ rate is $20 per day.

Call 613-831-2393 or email register@goulbournmuseum.ca to sign up.

I am excited to be part of the Goulbourn Museum team for the next few months as the Curatorial Assistant. I graduated from Carleton University (Go Ravens) with a B. A. in History and have recently completed a post graduate certificate in Museum Management and Curatorship from Sir Sanford Fleming College in Peterborough.

I was born and raised in the small town of Milton, a short five hour drive from here. While this is my first time in Goulbourn I have already learned a lot about this area’s fascinating military history. My interest in museum work stems from my love of history which only grew stronger after spending my summers giving three hour lighthouse tours on Chantry Island and volunteering with community museums.

I am looking forward to my time here and will be working with the Museum in multiple capacities ranging from collections, exhibitions and even programming. I have only begun to learn about the community but I cannot wait to see what new people and places I will find just around the corner.

Photo courtesy of Goulbourn Museum. Goulbourn Township Historical Society Collection.

Sadly, late last month we heard that after 60 years of operation, the Stittsville News will be shutting down. The first edition of the Stittsville News was published December 12, 1957 by Goulbourn resident Howard Maguire. The first home of the newspaper was in a building located behind Bradley’s General Store. The paper and his print shop were located on the bottom floor from 1957 through to 1972 when he sold the paper to the Renfrew Mercury. The upper level housed the Bell Telephone exchange explaining the Bell vehicle on the left. In the mid-60s, when direct dialing came into force, Bell relocated to a new Bell Telephone exchange building on Hazeldean Road at Fringewood.

In 1975, John Curry bought the paper and has been involved in keeping residents up to date ever since. This sign, which is part of the Goulbourn Museum’s collection, was on display at the Stittsville News office when it was situated in the Bell Service Centre (Ray Bell’s service station, store and office building) where the Ultramar Plaza now is. Curry’s Antiques was run by John’s mother, Mary.

“(She) helped me with the paper and was an antiques expert who dabbled in antiques,” said John. “Having the antiques in the office helped with expenses, a little.” Mary ran the antiques business for a number of years until the paper moved from the Bell Service Centre to a little white building across from the Legion. It later moved again into a (then) brand new plaza at the corner of Manchester and Main.

Goulbourn Museum is seeking a student for the position of Curatorial Assistant to work with the Museum’s collection and to assist with daily operations, educational programming, exhibitions and special events. The selected candidate will gain experience in collections management, including storage, cataloguing and the photography of artefacts. Deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday, November 26, 2017.

Duration: 12 weeks

Hours:  30 hours a week

Anticipated Start Date: Monday, December 4, 2017

Salary: $14.00/hr.

Save the date! The Goulbourn Museum’s Old-Fashioned Christmas & Outdoor Artisan Market takes place Sunday, November 19, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

NOTE: Due to extensive renovations at the Museum the event will take place at the Goulbourn Municipal Building (350 meters away).

We are excited to introduce this year’s line up of talented vendors. Their handmade gift items include heirloom preserves, baked goodies, natural soaps and candles, stained glass, children’s clothing, toys, pottery, woodwork, jewelry, textiles, dog treats and more!

A Touch of Glass
Baked
Clare’s Old Farmhouse Soap
Classy Carry-Alls
Couture Kids
Crafted by Caitlan
Crazy4Crafts
Eve’s Elements
Harley’s Homemade Treats
His & Hers Home Co.
Marketa’s Creations
Monkey Mud Pottery
Nancy Sinclair Glass Jewellery
Quilts & Material Things
The Beckwitch
The Sugar Tarts
Tweed & Needle
Wild Woolly Handmade & Luxury Soap
Wood & Ashes

So THIS happened today! It became evident in August that we would need a new sill beam poured when the construction team discovered that the Museum’s north wall support had disintegrated.

Kathryn DeMarsh

“I am very excited to be working here this Fall and Winter as the Collections Project Coordinator. I have a bachelor of honours in History from Windsor University and a post graduate certificate in Museum and Gallery Studies from Georgian College.

I am from the Southwestern area of Ontario – around 8 hours south of here. This is my first time in Stittsville and I am excited to learn the area’s local history. I will be spending the next several months exploring the area and discovering all it has to offer. Having worked in several small local museums I love learning all about the local history – the people and places that make the community what it is today.

I will be working on several projects to commemorate the history of Richmond. I am most looking forward to exploring the history behind the objects in the collection and sharing that knowledge with the community. I have experience in helping put together exhibitions and writing artefact blog posts and am very much looking forward to leading projects of my own.”

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Museum renovations will not be finished in October as initially hoped. In order to safely replace the rotted support beams, crews have to pour a new sill beam by lifting the Museum’s wooden structure ¼ inch. Needless to say this won’t happen overnight.

In the interim, Mansion Mayhem will be held in the Stittsville Library and we are relocating our popular Old-Fashioned Christmas & Outdoor Artisan Market to the Goulbourn Municipal Building just 350 meters up the road. The History Center will remain open and research appointments can be made upon request.

At this time we don’t anticipate reopening until January 2018 but we will keep you posted as updates become available.