It has been a while since we have been able to invite the public into the museum, and we are open. Give us a call at 519-371-0031 or email [email protected] to book a time to visit.
Currently we have two new exhibits on display and both of these exhibits were a joint collaborative curatorial led by members from our community. Liberation Spring: 75 years of Peace, highlighting the Canadian effort to achieve victory in the Netherlands and gain a perspective of the meaning of peace. The Unseen: 75 Years in the Canadian Armed Forces is an exhibit about the 75 years of history in the Canadian Armed Forces after the World Wars. Local Veterans share their own stories and knowledge about about war experience in Korea, Bosnia, and Afghanistan to Canada’s prestigious reputation as UN Peace Keepers. Both exhibits display Veterans own collections from the wars they were part of.
As a non-profit charitable organization, we still need to raise funds through donations, fundraising, memberships and admissions. This past year has put incredible pressure on raising those funds to keep this local community museum continuing. We have been able to open when the restrictions allowed us to do so, and as most of our local businesses know, it has not been easy. First, we want to thank everyone who helped us to get through 2020 and we look forward to being able to do more in 2021.
Our first fundraiser of this year, St. Paddy’s Wine & Beer Swap was a success. The funds raised helped to cover the revenue loss from cancelling the Victorian Christmas Teas back in December and admissions during the lockdown. Our next fundraising event is for Mother’s Day. As we are not able to host a tea in person, we still wanted to offer a lucky mom a beautiful basket of goodies. We have started to receive donations from local businesses and if you want your business to be included, give us a call.
Memberships are available through our website www.billybishopmuseum.org for families, individuals and businesses. Memberships help support ongoing education and public programs such as Bringing the Museum to You and Honouring our Local Veterans. Memberships include unlimited admission, gift shop discounts, exclusive exhibit previews and private tours with our Curator or Collections Assistant.
Throughout last year, we discovered as most people did, how important it is to be accessible virtually. We started the process of bringing the museum online with a new website. We have already held virtual tours for schools with one of our Veterans, Steve Lehman, to discuss and answer questions about serving in the Afghanistan and Bosnia wars. Director and Chief Curator, Emily Jolliffe just recently held a virtual education tour with a local Girl Guide group. It is vitally important for the continued success of Billy Bishop Museum to become accessible for future growth and with your support, we can.
source: media release, Billy Bishop Museum
