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Dufferin County Museum & Archives will re-open to public on August 1

May 25, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

After closing its doors in December of 2017 for renovations, the Dufferin County Museum and Archives is slated to once again welcome the public during the opening of a new exhibit on August 1.

However, the opening will only include the main floor and lobby area as renovations on the mezzanine level are still being completed.

The museum closed to the public in December after wrapping up its Holiday Treasures arts and crafts sale as the final event of the season.

The $150,000 project is the first major renovation to the facility since it opened in 1994. The funds were made available through a Canada 150 Infrastructure grant.

Most of the funds will be used to create a new exhibit space for the museum’s renowned Corn Flower glass collection that is housed on the museum’s second floor mezzanine.

The lobby and gift shop area are also getting a facelift.

“The mezzanine level will hold the entire Cornflower exhibit,” explained Museum and Archives marketing and events coordinator, Nanci Malek. “The mezzanine had the exhibit but not the entire exhibit. Now it will have the entire exhibit including space for storage, enhanced lighting and audio, and new exhibit cases. Things are being built, it’s now a matter of putting things in order.”

The entire gallery is changing including the lobby and visitors will see a fresh appearance when they enter the main exhibit area on the main floor. 

The Corn Flower glass collection, the largest of its kind in Canada, is a main permanent feature at the museum and has quite a following of collectors with an appreciation for the glassware with the distinct floral design.

“Once we started to see the calibre, quality and beauty this Corn Flower exhibit will bring, we went back and started to take stock of the entire visitor experience, from the very moment people turn onto our driveway. We’re going to be out in the grounds, putting up signs for all of our features around the site. We’ll be freshening things up on the inside too – it’s an exciting time for everyone with ties to DCMA,” said DCMA General Manager Darrell Keenie.

When the museum is again open to the public, the first exhibit will be called Temperance and Temptation and will chronicle the history of illegal bootlegging in Dufferin County.

The Museum and Archives is also now hosting the Mulmur Farmers’ Market in the parking lot every Sunday from noon until 4:00 p.m.

The full museum will not be open to the public during the August exhibition as the renovations to the mezzanine area are still underway.

Currently plans indicate that renovations should be completed and the new Cornflower exhibit area ready to welcome the public in October.

“We are looking forward to having people back here, joining us and having fun” Malek said.

The Museum and Archives hosts several fun events each year.

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