Historical AGT building infested with clothing moths and in need of a paint job
After almost four months on the job the new manager of the Mountain View Museum and Archives is urgently appealing to the community for donations.
And the appeal is not for artifacts. It's for essential household items, like something to keep the bugs away.
Clothes moths have infested the building. The paint is peeling from the walls. There is an urgent need to have new tiles for the main entrance.
The museum, located in the old historic AGT building on 50 Street, is desperate for even a modest makeover. There is also a dire need for donations of office furniture.
And to make matters more challenging, the museum is soon hosting a big exhibition. Horse Power begins Oct. 5. The exhibition, produced by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, will feature artwork and archival photos depicting the bond between man and horse in this area.
“Donations in kind would be wonderful, like a freezer, new tiles for the main entrance floor or maybe a business can donate a couple of cans of paint so we can do the walls,” said Anne Lindsay, the museum's manager who came to Olds in June after managing two museums for 11 years at CFB Petawawa in Ontario.
“The museum needs a little TLC.”
The deteriorating conditions at the museum, which has a less than enviable 1,600 square feet of exhibition space, is just one of many issues confronting the new museum manager, a paid employee and also the Main Street coordinator for Uptowne Olds and the Olds Institute.
“They (the Olds Historical Society) want to see change. They want to see improvements made. They know it (the museum) can be better,” said Lindsay. “Our biggest challenge is funding.
“We are trying to cut wood with a rock – struggling, struggling, struggling. It is frustrating because we know our potential,” she added. “This is a wonderful, wonderful community. It has got great history. I don't think we are doing it justice.”
She said the museum is now funded by both Uptowne Olds and the Olds Institute. There is also occasional funding from the Alberta Lottery Fund and the Mountain View Film Group. The town donates in kind, providing the building and covering the cost of utilities.
Lindsay is trying to secure a $12,000 grant from the Alberta Museums Association. The grant is intended to fund collections management and preservation at the museum. In other words, if the grant is approved the money will go in part to buy a badly needed freezer to kill off the clothes moths.
“They (clothes moths) will feed on textiles, fur, hide, silks and natural fibres,” she said. “With the freezer we will freeze almost every artifact that comes in the museum. It will kill off any pest infestation.
“We are going to blitz every artifact in this place. We literally don't know where those clothes moths are coming from.”
In the meantime Lindsay will meet with members of the Central Alberta Museums Network next month to exchange ideas on partnerships that can be developed. As well she has formed a partnership with a Calgary museum to print graphic panels to be used as backdrops for the Olds museum's exhibit gallery.
Lindsay said there are other federal grant options available but added neither she nor the local historical society are ready yet to pursue that avenue.
She said it is vital the museum and society first create a business plan with a “solid” strategic direction.
“The other challenge of these large government grants is that you have to come up with 50 per cent of that money on your own,” she said, adding any large-scale attempts to revitalize the museum, including a plan to enlarge it or finding a new venue, must be a community effort.
“One person can't do it themselves,” she said. “There needs to be a buy-in. If one person tries alone he or she will likely face resistance, or get lots of grey hairs. This museum could be a perfect little jewel. It comes down to support, financial or in kind.”
Meanwhile, Olds councillor Murray Ball, who is the treasurer of the board for the local historical society, said the museum is doing the best it can with what is has. He said the society is fortunate to have the building it currently has but admits that expansion is something that will eventually have to be looked at.
“In order to expand our operations we have to find new revenue sources. I believe if a more suitable facility became available we'd make use of it. We are not actually pursuing it at this time. For now it is the status quo,” said Ball, who has high praise for Lindsay.
“We are happy to have her. We see her influence as helping us shape our thinking.”
