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The year 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, and lets not kid ourselves there are still some obstacles ahead in 2021! At the Whyte Museum like at many other institutions our focus shifted to ensuring the safety of our staff and visitors, as a result the museum has closed twice, some staff were laid off and much of our in-person programming was cancelled. This meant that our regular offering of talks, films, workshops, tours, exhibition openings, and annual events such as Canada Day and Whyte Christmas could not take place.
We did however, have a different kind of offer with outdoor and virtual programing. Outdoor programs such as Exploring the Art and Geology of Emerald Lake, Stoney Nakoda Walk and Tea in partnership with the Bow Valley Food Alliance, Chalk-ful of Pride Sidewalk Art in partnership with Banff Pride, Remembrance Day Cemetery Tour, and a Trade Route themed temporary mural and it’s unveiling. The mural was supported by Alberta Culture Days and was led by Edmonton artist AJA Louden, with three of Sitting Winds' grandsons, Kyle Kaquitts, Jarron Poucette, and Chris Morin.
Virtual programing included Cooking with Catharine, Fight the Winter Blues Bingo, a series of local artist videos and a presentation about land acknowledgements called, The Land We Are On: A Presentation about Land Acknowledgement Statements and What They Mean, which was created in partnership with Fort Calgary. We also grateful for the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative for continuing virtually the Y2Y + Whyte Talks.
Regardless of the upcoming hurdles, 2021 is a new year and with that we are hopeful, and look forward to offering you a range of programing, and continue on the positives of 2020. Some of these opportunities include in-person art workshops including drawing a live horse, a Banff specific Stoney Nakoda language class, new content on our YouTube channel, snow sculptures on our grounds during SnowDays thanks to Banff Lake Louise Tourism, virtual exhibition openings, guided walks and hikes in the summer months.
We invite you to check our website in the coming weeks, to find out more about what’s happening at the Whyte in 2021. We thank you so much for your continued support and we wish you all the best in physical and emotional health!
See you soon at the Whyte!