News Release - The Great War comes to the Alberni Valley Museum

The Royal BC Museum has dug deep into its collections to unearth powerful material about the First World War, creating a travelling exhibition that has set up camp at the Alberni Valley Museum.

The exhibition, called British Columbia’s War, 1914–1918, and which aims to educate British Columbians about the contributions of their forebears in the First World War, will be on display in the Alberni Valley Museum in from November 9, 2016 to mid-January, 2017.

“The Great War had a monumental impact on the formation of British Columbia as a political entity, with its own emerging sense of identity,” said the Royal BC Museum’s CEO, Professor Jack Lohman. “The Royal BC Museum’s collections help show how the province coalesced around this traumatic global event, as soldiers and nurses from all corners and various ethnic groups of the province signed up for service.”

The exhibition began touring the province in March 2016 and the Alberni Valley Museum is pleased to be hosting this special display.

One of the strengths of this travelling exhibition is its deeply collaborative nature. Partnering community museums have been encouraged to expand upon the exhibition’s major themes by adding content from their own collections to tell the stories that matter most to their visitors. Here in Port Alberni Museum Education staff has been working with ADSS Grade 12 students to research the stories of select men and women who answered the call to service. The students work will be featured in the exhibit along with items on loan from descendants.

This exhibit has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. The Port Alberni loan has been supported through the BC Arts Council, City of Port Alberni and Port Alberni Parks, Recreation & Heritage. The museum is located in Echo Centre and is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and on Thursdays to 8pm.

The Museum is offering programs in connection with this exhibit:

A Program for Schools: Remembering World War One - Grades 5-12
November 7, 2016 to January 13, 2017
The Museum will be hosting the traveling exhibit: “British Columbia’s War 1914-1918” from the Royal BC Museum. This multi-grade program will provide an opportunity for your class to visit the display and take part in tours, discussion and activities, that focus on the stories and memories of BC’s WWI soldiers.

Public program: A Re-enactment of a Different Sort.
Knitting socks for the soldiers during WW 1 was done here in Port Alberni by women and children. As we continue to recognize the 100^th Anniversary of the First World War the museum is hosting a special exhibit from the Royal BC Museum.  Join us at the museum in this new exhibit for a sock knitting adventure using a pattern from our own archives from 1912. Our SOCK KNITTING class is being offered at the museum Thursday evenings. If you have always wanted to learn how to knit socks this class is for you!
Time: Thursdays: November 17 and 24 and December 1 – 6pm to 8pm
Cost: $55.00 (includes three classes and a kit that includes yarn – sourced from a Canadian Mill that has been in business for over 150 years - needles and pattern). You must have basic knitting skills. Register at Echo Centre.