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February 13, 2009
Winnipeg museum reopens
New space shows rich Jewish history of Western Canada.
REBECA KUROPATWA
When it closed in April 2006, Winnipeg's Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada (JMWC) had been in operation for 10 years. Its main display, of a street in the city's North End over the decades, had been static. Occasionally, it displayed larger exhibits of Jewish life in Winnipeg. But all that changed when the JMWC reopened its doors on Jan. 27 with a new exhibit – Creating a Culture, Forging an Identity: The Jewish People of Manitoba, A Tapestry of Words, Symbols and Images.
"This is the first display of any kind we have had since the museum closed in 2006. It has been a work in progress for a long time," said managing director of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada Inc. (JHCWC), Frances Barrett, at the museum's reopening.
The set up of the museum is very different than it once was. It had previously been in a separate room in the Jewish community centre (JCC), but is now located in a corridor of the building.
"This was a design that came to be because one of our board members had been overseas and saw this kind of display set up there," said Barrett. "It allows us to display a lot of different items within a very limited footprint."
According to Barrett, the reason for the change of the museum venue was an increase in expenses. "In total, we previously occupied about 8,000 square feet, between our offices and the museum. As the cost for renting space at the JCC rose, and the need grew for more space for day cares in the building, we decided to make this change."
It was never an option for the museum to be located outside of the JCC, conveyed Barrett. "We are a part of the Jewish community and this organization, and this type of display belongs here," she said.
Arthur Blankstein, a Winnipeg interior designer, laid out this design. The JHCWC's Stan Carbone is responsible for the content. None of the items on display since the reopening have been shown before.
The exhibit now showing includes an array of artifacts and photos. The introductory panel is titled Creating a Culture, Forging an Identity and focuses on the Manitoba Jewish community.
One of the items exhibited is one of the original Dickie Dee ice cream carts that used to be peddled around Winnipeg streets decades ago. This was Earl Barish's first business, as a young teenaged entrepreneur, that led him to a lifetime of successful business ventures.
Cultural and Sporting Life looks at the arts, traditions and sports life of Jewish Winnipeggers over the years – from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to Rainbow Stage, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Young Men's Hebrew Association.
The section on Rescu[ing] the Past from Oblivion: History, Identity and Empowerment provides an overview of people and societies that have helped to keep the present connected to the past, like the Jewish Historical Society, the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre, and the JHCWC.
Businesses, the Professionals and the World of Politics shows the changes over the years of the Jewish presence in fields such as entrepreneurship, law, medicine, retail and political involvement.
Radicalism and Social Activism showcases local Jewish involvement in movements like social democracy, socialism, Marxism, anarchism and Zionism.
The other displays – Pioneers and First Families, A Jewish Homeland [Israel] and Community Organizations: From the Sacred to the Profane – also convey important information about the evolution and contribution of Manitoba Jews in Winnipeg and beyond.
The JMWC collection was all given to the JHCWC by families and individuals of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan (farm colonies) Jewish communities. The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba provided financial support for the new and improved museum.
On May 31, there will be a grand reopening event for the museum, in conjunction with the Asper Jewish Community Campus and featuring a Monty Hall exhibition. Some other future projects on the JMWC horizon include an exhibit on Jewish communities in Saskatchewan farm colonies, on Jews in military service and on Jewish politicians.
Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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