Dalnavert Visitors Centre: 1895 Theme Panels

Your class is invited to create a panel to decorate the fence surrounding the construction site for the new Dalnavert Visitors Centre.

The idea is simple. The Manitoba Historical Society will provide your school with one or more panels, free of charge, that groups of students or entire classes will paint. Finished panels should be returned to Dalnavert Museum where they will receive a clear coat of sealant to protect the artwork from the weather. Then, panels will be fastened to the chain-link construction fence around the site, where they will remain on display until the project is completed in Fall 2004.

Why 1895?

Dalnavert Museum is the original home of Sir Hugh John Macdonald, son of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. It was constructed in 1895, at a time when Winnipeg was growing tremendously.

Themes

Themes should relate to the time period during which the Macdonald family occupied Dalnavert, starting in 1895. You can choose from the following list or create a theme of your own.

1. The Treasures Inside - For those classes that have visited Dalnavert each class could pick an artifact or group of related artifacts from the house to display on their panel.
2. How Things Have Changed - With the passage of time there have been changes in how we do tasks. Students could show a comparison of changes in technology, such as in aspects of Toilets, Food Preparation, Transportation, Laundry, Communication, etc.
3. Victorian Pastimes - Sports, Seasonal Fun, Parlour Pastimes, Toys, Games
4. Market Day
5. Outdoor Fun - Winter (skating, tobogganing, hockey, curling) or Summer (croquet, marbles, hoops and sticks)
6. Sports
7. Parlour Pastimes (phonograph, stereoscope)
8. Getting Around - Transportation in 1895
9. Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic (Readers, slate, abacus)
10. Laundry Day (and it took a day!)
11. My Favourite Treasures
12. The Cook is in the Kitchen (kitchen technology - wood stove, ice box)
13. The Fair or the Circus Comes to Town
14. 1895 Fashion Show
15. Story Time (based on a book/story written during or about the turn of the century - e.g. Anne of Green Gables, The Borrowers)
16. The New Arrivals (Immigrants at the Station)

Each panel measures 2 feet by 4 feet and can be displayed in either direction (wide or tall). They are pre-painted with a white background, with a small hole in each corner to fasten it to the construction fence. Any type of paint can be used to decorate the panel, as they will be sealed with a clear coat on return to Dalnavert Museum.

Please identify clearly the name of your school on the back of each completed panel. Students are welcome to sign their names on the back too.

What does it cost?

There is no charge to participate in this program. One or more panels will be delivered to participating schools and arrangements will be made to return completed panels to Dalnavert Museum.

Who can participate?

Any school in Manitoba is welcome to participate in this program.

How do we get started?

1. Contact Dalnavert Museum to obtain one or more panels.
2. Decorate the panel on the theme of "Life in 1895"
3. Contact Dalnavert Museum to arrange to return the complete panels before the end of June 2004.