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Friends of The Whyte: Meet Summer Interpreter Julie Fesseler


Friends of The Whyte is a series celebrating community, featuring Whyte Museum members, donors, staff, and friends, to get to know them a little bit better.


We're midway through our summer season here at The Whyte, with the interpreter team sharing the history of the area, engaging with visitors, and sharing what The Whyte has to offer.


Let's get to know Julie Fesseler! In this Q&A, we learn more about her experience as an Interpreter.


Childhood photo of Wendy Bradley and her horse Strawberry on Tunnel Mountain Road. Personal Collection of Wendy Bradley.

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself! What brought you to the Whyte Museum interpreter team?


I worked as a Heritage Interpreter for seven years in a museum in France. After Covid, I decided to leave my job and my home to travel. After three years doing all kind of jobs while travelling in New Zealand and Australia, I wanted to settle down for a while and work in my field again. At The Whyte, I can once again share my passion for history and heritage with visitors from Canada and all around the world.


I’ve always been passionate about myths and legends. In France, I worked as a guide and storyteller in a museum dedicated to the Matter of Britain and the legends of Brittany. So I can tell you many stories about Merlin, King Arthur, or the Breton fairies!


I’ve always loved talking with all the different visitors. Everybody has a different background, different knowledge, and is visiting for different reasons. So no two days are the same. But nothing makes me happier or prouder than when a visitor thanks me at the end of a tour because they learned something new or understood the exhibition better. That’s exactly what an interpreter’s goal is: to be the link between the museum’s collection and the visitors.


2. What has been your favourite moment or highlight of the summer so far?


I had a lot of interesting interactions with visitors this season, but I particularly remember doing a tour of The Ancestors are Talking exhibition one day, and there was a family with two kids. When I started to talk about Daphne Odjig, I saw this young girl – probably 11 or 12 years old – with a big smile on her face. At the end of the tour, the mother explained to me that the girl’s name was Daphne and that she wanted to be an artist too, so she was thrilled to learn that she shares her name with an artist. The girl then showed me some of her drawings, and went back to this exhibition to study Daphne Odjig’s work more closely.


3. What have you enjoyed most about working at The Whyte?


What I really love about The Whyte is the diversity of the themes addressed. If you visit the museum, you can learn more about the history of the Canadian Rockies by visiting the Heritage Gallery. You can also see how people were living in Banff in the early 1900s by visiting the Historic Homes. And you can discover really cool art and artists in the Main gallery. It also means that, as a guide, I have the chance to deliver very different tours and talk about a vast range of subjects.


Working with Joseph Sanchez to create the exhibition gallery tour was an amazing opportunity. Joseph was very easy to talk to and always eager to share his knowledge and anecdotes with us. Joseph is a mentor, and there’s no doubt that transmission is important for him. He is a kind person, and he talked more about the other artists than his own works.


Want to learn more about Canadian Rockies history? Discover our private and public tours at the Whyte Museum this summer.


  • Historic Homes Tour - a 25-minute guided tour of the historic homes of museum founders Peter and Catharine Whyte and notable locals Philip and Pearl (Brewster) Moore.

  • Hertage Gallery Tour - a 25-minute guided museum tour. Learn how the mountains were opened up to all through stories of some of those drawn to these peaks.

  • Historic Banff Walking Tour - get off the beaten path with a 60-minute guided tour through the Banff townsite, learning about the men and women who helped build and shape the town.

  • The Ancestors Are Talking Summer Exhibition Tour - learn more about our summer exhibition at this guided gallery tour in the Whyte Museum.


Check out our tours page for the most up-to-date information!




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