February 24, 1999
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

The Stuff We're Made Of
A project of Soiree'99 and the Newfoundland Museum

WHAT IS THE STATE OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR CULTURE?
DO WE STILL POSSESS A UNIQUE IDENTITY? IF SO, CAN IT BE DEFINED?

In commemoration of our 50th anniversary of Confederation with Canada, Soiree'99 and the Newfoundland Museum are developing a project which explores these questions. The end result will be an exhibit of 50 objects which, when viewed together, present a definition of the contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador identity.

What makes this project unique is that the selection of objects for display (and by extension, the definition of Newfoundland and Labrador cultural identity presented) will not be made by a single curator, or even by a team of museum professionals. Instead, the process of object selection will be opened up to include all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. To facilitate this process, we will ask the people of this province the following question:

If you had to describe who and what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are, using objects instead of words, what objects would you choose? Why?

The question will be posed to as broad an audience as possible and responses will be collected by mail, fax, phone and email.

WHAT DO WE HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?

First and foremost, we want to engage the people of this province in a relevant and meaningful debate about our past and its place in our lives today, develop a relevant and interesting museum exhibit - one that will allow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to know and feel something they haven't known or felt before. An exciting and innovative exhibit that people will want to see and will want their families and friends to see.

We also want to promote public interest and involvement. In essence, to create "a buzz". We want people to discuss the question with their families. We want people to argue and laugh about it with their friends and coworkers. We want to hear people talking about it in classrooms, in grocery store lineups and around kitchen tables right across this province.

By opening up the exhibit development process to include all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, this project will empower us in the consideration and presentation of our heritage. It will encourage all of us to consider our past and its place in contemporary society.

WHERE AND WHEN

The exhibit will open at the Newfoundland Museum in St. John's on June 17 and will run through July 1. From July 3 through August 4, the exhibit will travel to 17 communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador as part of Tour Soiree'99.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

For additional information please contact Jane Severs, Guest Curator at the Newfoundland Museum: Phone: (709) 729-1351, Fax: (709) 729-0870, e-mail: jsevers@tourism.gov.nf.ca

1999 02 24 4:20 p.m.