Just as VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown has many hidden secrets, the Royal B.C. Museum has mysteries of its own to unveil.
Like the new brick-lined entranceway to the Chinatown section of the museumB次元官网网址檚 Old Town exhibit.
B次元官网网址淲e took the image of the bricks from Fan Tan Alley,B次元官网网址� says Tim Willis, the RBCMB次元官网网址檚 vice-president of visitor engagement and experience. B次元官网网址淭his used to be a storage closet.B次元官网网址�
The bricks look very real, yet a quick touch to the wall finds them to be photographed.
The people who oversee the way visitors experience the decades-old museum, including CEO Jack Lohman, have also been rethinking how to connect people with the myriad items in the museumB次元官网网址檚 vast collection.
Using individual artifacts or groups of pieces to tell and elicit stories of a communityB次元官网网址檚 history is one way of broadening that community connection. Future plans involve blending the larger, high-profile exhibitions that take over the museumB次元官网网址檚 second-floor temporary gallery with smaller, more intimate displays that draw on individual stories and snapshots from B.C.B次元官网网址檚 history.
B次元官网网址淥ne of the things Jack has challenged us to do is focus on more on our collection and our own community,B次元官网网址� Willis says. That not only includes displays, but B次元官网网址渞eally lively programming that digs into what we have right here in this building.B次元官网网址�
A good example of this fresh approach was the unveiling last week of an early 20th-century Chinese FreemasonB次元官网网址檚 lantern, acquired in 2010 and believed to be the oldest existing lantern of its kind from VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown.
The timing for trotting out the artifact, along with conservator Lisa Bengston B次元官网网址� her preservation work on the piece is part of a live display B次元官网网址� was ideal with Chinese New Year happening last Sunday.
Perhaps more important, however, was the attendance of many of Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Chinese elders at the unveiling.
Royal B.C. Museum history curator Tzu-I Chung says many of the people interviewed in conjunction with the new exhibit Tradition in Felicities: Celebrating 155 years of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown, were on hand and grew up together in the area.
B次元官网网址淢any of these people havenB次元官网网址檛 seen each other in years,B次元官网网址� Chung says. B次元官网网址淲e know there are many, many stories waiting to be told.B次元官网网址�
She acknowledges that given the ages of people who can give personal accounts of life around Victoria and across B.C. from generations past, itB次元官网网址檚 important to do more interviews sooner than later.
Working with people who can recall our community history is critical to reconnecting with the community at large, Lohman says.
B次元官网网址淕enerating a variety of cultural perspectives, then pairing those with the rich collections from the museum and archives, help tell us B.C.B次元官网网址檚 diverse stories,B次元官网网址� he says.
Besides making better use of artifacts, Willis says, the museum plans to utilize its galleries more as backdrops for poets, artists and musicians who have been inspired by B.C. history to create their own works.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great environment for things to happen, for us to present, but also for other people to come in and be inspired,B次元官网网址� he says.
B次元官网网址淚t also relieves us from being the only authority. The museum is a trusted authority, but people donB次元官网网址檛 necessarily want to hear the museum lecture them on every topic. This is a scenario where there is a conversation, from First Nations and other (groups). ItB次元官网网址檚 an opportunity for their voices to be heard.B次元官网网址�
editor@vicnews.com
Get a taste of Chinatown through the generations
B次元官网网址� Multimedia display Tradition in Felicities: Celebrating 155 years of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Chinatown, is on now through Sept. 29 in the third-floor foyer at the Royal B.C. Museum. Exhibit is included in museum admission or free for pass holders. Visit for more details.
