SUNDRE — A major makeover at the local museum comes courtesy of grants that made the project possible.
Nearly $35,000 in combined COVID-related funding paved the way for the big changes, which involve building a wall separating the viewing public from the collection of artifacts, complete with large horizontal and vertical glass displays as well as shelves and storage.
The Department of Canadian Heritage provided financial support to the tune of almost $25,000 through the COVID-19 emergency support fund for cultural, heritage and sports organizations, said Jaime Marr, executive director of the Sundre & District Museum.
“This fund is used to maintain jobs and promote the continuity of the activities of organizations whose viability has been affected (by the pandemic),” Marr wrote by email in response to questions.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, museums across the country were forced to close their doors to the public. We closed in March and closed again just before Christmas.”
Marr said the goal was to ensure the museum had proper directional signage, hand sanitizing stations, access to personal protective equipment, as well as ample time to educate and train staff as well as volunteers regarding updated policies and procedures such as new cleaning protocols and the admittance process.
“We needed to make sure our doors stayed open, because our museum operates solely on grants, admissions and donations,” she said.
The executive director’s position is typically paid by revenue generated through admissions as most grants do not generally permit staff wages to claimed as expenses. However, the funds from this grant enabled the Sundre & District Historical Society’s board to keep the executive director employed as the project manager, she said.
So, although shortened, her work week has in large part been dedicated to applying for more grants, developing programs, as well as promoting and marketing the museum.
The effort to secure additional funding paid off, and the museum’s application for another COVID-related grant through Travel Alberta worth $10,000 was approved, she said.
This “allowed us to purchase LED display lighting and create a marketing video, which will be very much needed in the coming months as we not only follow the pandemic response, but also encourage people to come out and enjoy the museum,” she said.
“This grant will enhance the already amazing exhibit spaces we have inside the gallery.”
Marr said information about the grant was discovered through the museum’s affiliation and membership with the Alberta Museum Association.
“The purpose of the funds is to modify the gallery space to ensure the objects are safe from future pandemic outbreaks as well as public contact. This was important so we could open our doors and continue to operate. Without the regular revenue, 2020 has had a drastic impact on the museum and historical society budget,” she said.
Since COVID-19’s lifespan varies substantially depending on the type of surface the virus lands on, the museum was given a list of materials — such as wood, fabric, plastic, leather, and metal — along with the recommend amount of time required to quarantine an object before it was deemed safe for the public and staff to be around, she said.
“Typically, in most businesses you can wipe down or sanitize the stations,” she said.
But that approach does not fall under a museum’s best practices, since many cleaning products — including hand sanitizer — can damage objects, she explained.
And while larger museums tend to prohibit the public from touching anything on display, smaller museums like the one in Sundre — where visitors typically feel at ease in handling some objects, especially items that are sitting temptingly on an open shelf — simply do not have enough staff to observe what people are doing at all times, she said.
“We realized quite quickly our facility, specifically the gallery, was not conducive to the new (health) rules and regulations. Without modifying the space, our doors would have had to close indefinitely, and that was not an option on the board,” she said.
“We believe people will support us knowing we have done all we can to ensure visitor safety,” she said.
The museum remains determined to fostering a unique and inspiring space where programs, displays, and conversations can be shared with the community, she said, adding details about the reopening will be announced once the plans are in place.
In the meantime, anyone who is interested is encouraged to follow developments on the museum’s social media pages and its website, www.sundremuseum.com, which she said will be updated to enable donations, membership renewals as well as general store purchases.
“Now, more than ever, ensuring our history is captured so we can share it with our future generations is important," she said.
