With the Hudson’s Bay Company being in the news quite a lot lately, some people have expressed concern for the objects in the Hudson’s Bay Company Museum Collection. Join Dr. Amelia Fay in the HBC Gallery to learn a bit more about how this collection came to be here at the Manitoba Museum!
Grizzly bears sighted along the coast of the Hudson Bay have made it into the news in recent years, but did you know they once roamed as far as southern Manitoba too?
Join Dr. Randy Mooi in the museum collection and the Prairies Gallery to learn how we know grizzlies roamed this far southeast.
The Manitoba Museum’s newest Planetarium show will take you to the edge of space and the bottom of the sea.
Premiering Saturday, March 29, Voyage of the Stars: A Sea and Space Adventure is an exciting experience for all ages.
Astéria, an adorable little starfish, dreams of going on an adventure, just like her hero, Captain Octopus.
Aboard Stella’s submersible spacecraft, the two friends explore the wonders under the sea. ©RSACosmo
Realistic and stunning underwater scenes complement the planetarium’s awesome space imagery. ©RSACosmo
One morning, as she gazes at the starry sky giving way to dawn, a spaceship from outer space crash-lands next to her. On board is Stella, a daring shooting star who urgently needs to find fuel to be able to return to space!
Together, they embark on an exciting quest under the oceans. During their journey, Astéria introduces Stella to the fascinating diversity of marine species, while Stella shares her knowledge about Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. Exploring the deep oceans of Earth and exploring deep space have many similarities, which the two friends discover during their adventure. Gradually, they realize the magical connection that ties underwater life to the vastness of space.
Authentic underwater visuals will enchant audiences of all ages. ©RSACosmo
Astéria and Stella explore the motions of the Earth and Moon. ©RSACosmo
This film, designed for younger viewers, offers authentic underwater visuals that will enchant audiences of all ages. With a fun storyline and endearing characters, the show is appropriate for all ages.
Voyage of the Stars: A Sea and Space Adventure premieres Saturday, March 29 at the Manitoba Museum Planetarium and runs daily during Spring Break programming. It will continue to run weekends starting April 12.
If you live in North America and are set to have clear skies the night of Thursday to Friday, then you’ll have a chance to see a total lunar eclipse this week!
Join Planetarium Astronomer Scott Young to learn how lunar eclipses occur, and when to be on the watch for this one.
Have you heard of Manitoban E. Cora Hind? Renowned agricultural journalist, world traveler, and suffragist, she has a pretty fascinating story! Join Cortney this International Women’s Day to learn more about E. Cora Hind and see some of the objects from her in our collection.
Chris is here to lift our spirits with the science behind Bernoulli’s principle of lift! Join him in the Science Gallery to do a simple experiment that you can try out at home with nothing more than a strip of toilet paper.
February may be coming to an end, but our love of reading sure isn’t! In this video, our resident Book Girly, Cortney, shows us some of her favourite items in the museum’s book collection – a comic strip series about the life of Louis Riel.
Only a small percentage of the 2.9 million artifacts and specimens in the Museum Collection are able to be displayed at one time. The rest are kept carefully preserved in collections storage, but that doesn’t just mean they’re just piled on shelves or in cupboards out of sight. Everything is carefully stored to ensure its preserved for as long as possible, and for some artifacts that means keeping them cold!
Find out why cold storage is important for preserving certain artifacts in this video with Senior Conservator Carolyn Sirett.
You might be surprised to learn that cougars are found in Manitoba, but they’ve likely existed here for thousands of years!
In this video, join Dr. Randy Mooi in the Parklands Gallery to learn about the features that make this animal such a powerful predator.
A birthday card, photograph, diary, or hand-written note – these little archival pieces can be some of the most treasured fragments of family history. Small and unassuming, paper objects tend to get pushed to the back of drawers where they become crinkled, creased, folded, and stained. The good news is that it does not require an archival conservation lab to preserve these historic heirlooms. With a few simple Conservator tips these pieces can last for many generations to come.
In the same way that Conservators control the environment in a storage vault of the Museum, the location of where to store these collections in your home is the first place to start. It is best to avoid an attic or basement where temperature and humidity can fluctuate, leading to possible mould or insect damage. A combination of a stable environment, away from outdoor walls, off the floor, and away from any heat sources will help the preservation of personal memorabilia.
Image: Senior Conservator Carolyn Sirett repairing a map from WWII that was once folded and taped together.
In addition to an optimal environment, adding a second layer of protection to your archival assets is beneficial. Paper is a porous material, and will inherently absorb anything that surrounds it, this can include odours, colours, and acids. A method Conservators use to keep these deterioration factors at bay includes the use of storage enclosures. When choosing a box or paper folder as a storage enclosure make sure to choose a product that is lignin-free, acid-free, and buffered. Additional tips include removing staples or paper clips that can rust over time, and if choosing to use plastic enclosures make sure they are made of polypropylene or polyethylene.
Poor storage environments can cause staining, tears, and mould on sensitive archival documents.
Examples of archival storage enclosures used to keep collections preserved.
Our personal collections are important in different ways and can spark memories of events or people once cherished. Preserving these physical memories can be done without breaking the bank, and with a few small steps anyone can ensure they last into the future.
