Museum Receives Funding Support For Database Upgrade

The Manitoba Museum uses a collections management database program called Cuadra STAR, licensed from Cuadra Associates, a California software company. The program is used for documenting the Museum’s permanent object collection.

 The collections management work the Collections and Conservation Department does relies heavily on this database program. It is where we record all of our collection transactions, from the time an object is considered for acquisition to when it legally becomes Museum property; through its life here, any use for loan, exhibit, conservation or research. Any information that we have about an object is contained in its STAR database record. There are more than 530,000 records to date.

 Over the past year, The Manitoba Museum received grant funding from both The Winnipeg Foundation and the City of Winnipeg Museums Board to perform a technical upgrade to the program. The project focused on our inventory location system. First, our location descriptions were standardized, following discussion with and input from Curatorial staff. We were fortunate in having a summer student, partially funded by Young Canada Works, to complete the vast majority of work designing, printing and applying new labels in all our collection storage areas. She made almost 5000 labels!

 In the meantime, consultation was underway with Cuadra Associates to determine required changes to the database. It took many months for the work to be completed. Collection Database Administrator Betty-Ann Penner liaised  with Cuadra Associates staff to ensure a smooth process and minimize errors. The final product was delivered in March, and now our collection inventory location system is much improved.

 The Museum’s collection database is vitally important to our mission and the work we do. It was a bit nerve-wracking during the upgrade; we had to work through glitches, but it is such a relief to have the improved system. We continue to examine our processes and look for more ways to improve our use of the database program.

 The Manitoba Museum is extremely grateful for, and wishes to acknowledge the support it received from The Winnipeg Foundation Community Grants Program, and the City of Winnipeg Museums Board Special Project Grant Program. Without this funding assistance the work would not have been possible.

The Red River Fiddle

In our new exhibit at the Manitoba Museum, “The Selkirk Settlement: 200 Years”, we feature a violin with a unique and travelled history. It was made around 1800 in London, England, in the shop of John Betts. Pierre Bruce, a Métis man from north-western Ontario, acquired it (where, we don’t know) and brought the violin with him when he settled in Red River in 1815. Pierre was the “unofficial dance master” of the Red River, leading music and dancing at local festivities.  The violin was handed down through successive Bruce generations, until it was donated to The Manitoba Museum in 1991 by the Bruce family.

The Selkirk Settlement was the brainchild of the Earl of Selkirk, who wanted to re-settle dispossessed Scottish farmers in North America. He was granted a large portion of Hudson Bay Company land holdings in 1811 known as “Assiniboia”, and planned to ship settlers to the Red River area to begin a colony of farmers. However, the people who already lived in the region were not consulted about this development, and for the first ten years of the Selkirk Settlement, political conflict was even more disruptive than the initial disastrous attempts at farming. The Red River area was inhabited by Assiniboine, Métis, and Ojibwe people, as well as HBC and North West company traders, all of whom had their own interests, alliances and conflicts. Nevertheless, the various groups did eventually co-exist peacefully (well, at least until 1870). I like to think that perhaps the dances led by Pierre Bruce and his fiddle went some way to bringing people together.

About the violin: The violin was made between 1795 and 1805 by the John Betts shop, Royal Exchange, London, England. The back is formed of two pieces of maple, quarter cut, and the interior ribs and scroll are also maple. The front is made of two pieces of spruce. The varnish is golden orange-brown in colour over a pale brown ground.  The violin was repaired in 1910 by renowned Scottish violin maker John Smith (1859-1941), who was at the time living and working at 617 Furby St., Winnipeg.

Birch Bark Canoe Video

For those of you who have enjoyed my blogs on the creation of the Birch Bark Canoe you will be interested in seeing the video of how it was made. During the intensive 7 days we spent making the canoe Lakeland Public Television documented the construction of the birch bark canoe step by step. Scott Knudson filmed much of the activity and interviewed each of us about the canoe and what it meant to each of us. Scott was one of the producers and edited together a 57:03 minute documentary. The filming was funded under the Minnesota Arts and Culutral Heritage Fund.

                                                              

 You may also be interested in the full un cut interview with Grant Goltz which has also been uploaded to youtube. The interview with Grant Goltz was filmed for audio and video clips used in the full hour documentary.