Galt Museum & Archives

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Exhibits Online at the Galt

For Immediate release

Galt staff member Hilary Squires accesses the Galt’s website on an iPad.

Lethbridge—The Galt Museum & Archives have been a trusted source of information about southern Alberta for many decades. Every year the Galt hosts over ten unique exhibits that visitors can enjoy in the facility. The exhibits explore diverse topics from Blackfoot history to movie and cinema culture and many more.

With the need for physical distancing and the temporary closure of the facility to the public, the Galt has been working on redeveloping the content of exhibits that were researched and curated by Galt staff and volunteers for online audiences.

“This is a perfect opportunity to provide broad access to some of our recent exhibitions that have been popular with in-person audiences,” says curator Aimee Benoit.

The exhibits that have recently been uploaded to the Galt’s website include: Soar! A History of Gliding in Southwestern Alberta; Cinescapes: Movies in Southwestern Alberta; Pandemic at Home: The 1918–1919 Flu; and On Guard, Lethbridge! More exhibits are planned to go online in the near future.

“Although the online versions of the exhibits will not include all of the content presented in their original formats,” says Benoit, “visitors will still be able to explore objects and archival materials from our collections, presented within the context of some interesting historical topics.”

The Galt has long been a supporter of delivering curatorial content online. In 2005, they released a virtual exhibit on the history of the North-West Mounted Police, and in 2015 they released the Nikkei Tapestry virtual exhibit exploring the history and culture of four generations of Japanese Canadians in southern Alberta. Both of those exhibits have been relaunched in 2020 to improve access to important aspects of southern Alberta history.

“Providing new and enhanced access to the wealth of our collections and curated exhibitions allows us to reach new audiences and reconnect with our visitors, members and supporters,” notes Galt CEO Darrin Martens. “Exploring ways in which we can be relevant to the communities that we serve continues to be a priority for the institution.”

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This media release can be found at www.galtmuseum.com/news.

Media Contact:

Graham Ruttan (he/him)
Marketing and Communications Officer
Galt Museum & Archives | Fort Whoop-Up
graham.ruttan@galtmuseum.com
403.320.4009