I love to collect things when I travel and bring them home as reminders of the trip. They help me tell stories about the things I saw and the experiences I had on vacation. Some of those things disappear over time (sea shells break, photographs fade or get filed) but some last and have become part of my life collection that includes my school souvenirs, my wedding album and my kids’ mementos. All of those help tell my story and define what I think is important.
If Edmonton were a person, what kinds of things do you think it would have in its memory collection? How could we use that collection to tell other people – new immigrants to the City, visitors, and even our children and families – what Edmonton has been through, what has shaped it, and what kinds of ideals and values it has because of those experiences? What would we include in telling Edmonton’s stories?
The idea of establishing a city museum has been discussed many times over the past 60 years. Often, the focus has been on the cost of building such a museum, rather than building an understanding of its potential benefits to the citizens of Edmonton. While Edmonton already has a number of museums and we are looking forward to the renewal of the Royal Alberta Museum downtown, none of these places focus on Edmonton and the region as a subject itself.
One of the emerging ideas for a proposed City museum is that it will serve as a place or forum where Edmontonians can learn about Edmonton’s past (including its ancient and Aboriginal past) and connect this with the contemporary life of the city, including its diverse communities and neighbourhoods. The role of such a museum would be educational, but would also build a strong sense of identity and connection with this place.
The City of Edmonton, working with the Edmonton Heritage Council, is conducting a study to develop the vision and mandate for a city museum. A public online survey is part of this study, seeking input from Edmontonians on the thematic focus (what stories to tell) of a city museum and what kind of experience (how we would tell it) that Edmontonians would like to have at such a museum. You should log on and express yourself. Share it with your friends and neighbours too, so they can give us their ideas of what should be included and how we should tell Edmonton’s stories.