Our Collective Threads: Saskatchewan People in Canada – A Traveling Exhibit for Canada 150 has reopened at the Yorkton branch of the Western Development Museum.
The show which was closed over the Christmas season is part of a year-long Canada 150 celebrations the WDM produced to commemorate this historic anniversary.
“Our Collective Threads explores the diverse history of the Saskatchewan people through artifacts from its exceptional textile collection. The clothes we have worn tell many stories about everyday life in Saskatchewan and our place in Canada from the extraordinary to the ordinary. The exhibit showcases 12 garments and accessories for visitors to learn about our many identities,” notes material provided by the museum.
Each life-size artifact captured on individual panels provides space to connect with the personal emotion embedded in the clothing.
Each artifact tells a unique story of life in Saskatchewan and the ways in which its people have contributed to Canada before and after Saskatchewan joined Confederation in 1905 – the pieces are at once representative of many by distinctive enough to capture our unique sense of place and individual lives lived.
“Clothing is evocative of the personal and the ordinary, of daily life, work, hardship, sacrifice, and citizenship. It is illustrative of people’s place and role in their nation. The farm work boots, for example, are embedded with dirt from the farm, preserved just enough to protect them but still allowing for us to understand where they come from,” notes the museum material.
