Image: © Manitoba Museum / Ian McCausland
(Winnipeg, MB: June 21, 2019) At its Annual General Meeting last night, the Manitoba Museum announced that 2018-2019 marked its 27th consecutive balanced budget in a year that saw a much celebrated reopening of the Nonsuch Gallery after a six-month closure for renewal. The Museum maintained its financial health while also marking the Planetarium’s 50th lap around the sun, hosted a hockey exhibition from the Canadian Museum of History, presented commemorative exhibitions on the end of the First World War and Winnipeg General Strike along with an exciting line-up of public programming.
A balanced budget was achieved in great part as a result of increased admission revenues, steady donations and sponsorship, and growth in Museum memberships. “We remain fiscally responsible with a continued commitment to balanced budgets. The Manitoba Museum is on a solid foundation as our capital campaign heads into the final stretch and we plan for our 50th anniversary in 2020 – a year in which the Bringing Our Stories Forward Gallery Renewal Project comes to completion, a legacy project for Manitoba’s 150,” says James Cohen, Chair of the Museum’s Board of Governors.
Overall on-site attendance to the Museum during the 2018-2019 fiscal year was 353,609, including 77,176 student visits for curriculum-based programs and 36,635 complimentary visits through the Access for All community initiative designed for individuals who live in challenging circumstances and would otherwise be unable to attend.
The Museum hosted Hockey:The Stories Behind Our Passion, developed by the Canadian Museum of History, in Alloway Hall. This exciting exhibition was complemented by an internally-produced mini-exhibition highlighting Manitoba’s hockey stories, entitled Manitoba: Heart of Hockey and dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos.
The reopening of the Nonsuch Gallery marked the first of four galleries to be renewed as part of the Bringing Our Stories Forward Capital Renewal Project. Currently the new Winnipeg Gallery is under construction with opening slated for fall 2019, and Grasslands and Orientation Galleries scheduled for reopening in 2020, as the Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The fiscal year ended with the opening of Strike 1919: Divided City, an immersive intervention experience in the Urban Gallery commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike.
Learning and Engagement staff and Science Communicators delivered dynamic public programs in 2018-2019. Families, students, and adults participated in curriculum-based school programs, Indigenous craft workshops, Treaty programming, After Hours events, From Talk to Table presentations, programming for babies, and even a visit from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
“2018-19 was an exciting year as we commemorated the 100th anniversaries of the end of the First World War and the Winnipeg General Strike. We also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Planetarium opening. On top of all of this commemoration activity we reopened the iconic Nonsuch Gallery, while also playing host to a major hockey exhibition from the Canadian Museum of History,” says Claudette Leclerc, Executive Director and CEO of the Manitoba Museum. “The Museum continues to serve our community with remarkable exhibitions and exciting new public programs – from adults to babies – we’re developing relevant and impactful programs, and we look forward to next year when we will celebrate the Museum’s 50th anniversary.”
Answering the Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Museum became a signatory to Winnipeg’s Indigenous Accord and established an Indigenous Advisory Circle, who are providing invaluable insights, particularly for work on new exhibitions and programs.
The 2019-2020 Manitoba Museum Board of Governors are: James Cohen, Chair; Penny McMillan, Vice Chair and Revenue Committee Chair; Bob Brennan, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair; Jeoff Chipman, Secretary and Capital & Endowment Campaign Chair; Scott Craig, Past-Chair and Nominating & Governance Committee Chair; Linda Burch, Human Resources & Compensation Committee Chair; Brigitte Sandron, Chair, Revenue Committee; and, Board members at large include Kathryn McBurney, Mike Radcliffe, Maureen Matthews, Fred Mazepa, Sam McLaughlin, Douglas Tkach, Jackie Wild, and Claudette Leclerc, Executive Director and CEO (ex-officio).
The Manitoba Museum is a charitable, non-profit organization. The Government of Manitoba is its primary benefactor – but the Museum secures approximately 46% of its annual budget through earned revenue and fundraising initiatives. The Museum could not be sustainable without admissions, memberships, donations, sponsorships, and the invaluable work of over 300 volunteers.
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For interviews or more information, contact:
Jody Tresoor
Communications Specialist, Manitoba Museum
w: 204-988-0614 c: 204-228-2374
[email protected]
