Online Exhibits
We want to share with you some objects that are not part of our main display, so through the winter months while we are closed we will feature an Online Exhibit. This year’s series of online exhibits were designed by Jessie Sherlock.
In the Pioneer Garden
Pioneer gardens were rather different than the gardens seen outside most homes in Muskoka Lakes today. While the aesthetics of arrangement were not always entirely forgotten, they were often not a priority. Elements were planted with purpose, and often, out of convenience. What was grown in pioneer gardens was often influenced by the personality and nationality of the gardener tending them. For those in our region, they had to combat a rocky landscape and shallow soil, but that’s not to say there weren’t plants that were still able to flourish – some of which can be found in the museum’s own garden. See Exhibit
Art in the Port
In honour of International Women’s Day, this month’s online exhibit features the artwork of Kitty Tassie. A long-time resident of Muskoka Lakes, she was a woman with a passion for community involvement, education, and the arts. She created oil, watercolour, and pencil images of buildings throughout Port Carling from 1958 to 1968. In 1979, she donated this collection to the museum. See Exhibit
Getaway and Stay
The tourism industry in Muskoka has been growing for over a century and is so interwoven with our cultural history that many cannot imagine Muskoka without our iconic hotels. This month’s online exhibit features a selection of brochures from some of Muskoka’s most famous resorts and will delve into the stories of how they came to be. See Exhibit
Museum Library
Our museum has a vast collection of books in our library. Some of them were published here in Ontario, others pertain to the history of Muskoka Lakes, and some were owned by families in the area. Many books were available through mail order catalogues, and as settlers came to the region, they would have brought a book or two with them as a form of entertainment and distraction. The books featured in this selection have become rather famous over the years and are still read frequently today. See Exhibit
Early Christmas
This month’s online exhibit, Early Christmas, features a selection of objects from the museum’s collection that resonate with festivity in the Muskoka area. We want to share these artifacts and their histories with you as a way to send warm wishes to all our beloved visitors and supporters this holiday season. See Exhibit
The Art of Writing
Though the craft of writing has changed and our common methods of writing have evolved over time, things like these artifacts were in use for many years, and for some, are still in use today. See Exhibit
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