A Tribute to Gerry Stephenson
On July 13, the anniversary of the Canmore Mine closure, the Canmore Museum is preserving and celebrating the community’s shared history by launching three new digital initiatives in addition to announcing funding for new digital walking tours. Canmore Museum@Home, Canmore Museum@School and Stories That Matter will bring stories that are foundational to Canmore into focus, nurture community and help continue to grow the national and global audience of the Canmore Museum programming. In joining 25 other Canadian museums on Google Arts and Culture, a digital storytelling platform, the museum will amplify these local stories to an international audience.
“Launching these online programs does more than make Canmore’s heritage more accessible. It harnesses the power of storytelling to build community and propel the town forward by learning from and exploring our past. We’re so proud to be fostering community within Canmore through storytelling on a global stage.” – Ron Ulrich, Executive Officer, Canmore Museum
The programs are part of the Canmore Museum Re-Imagined Strategy, announced in April, that centres on the Social Museum model. This model aims to transform the museum into a hub of social connection and engagement.
Part of the Canmore Museum@Home programming will pay tribute to the late Gerry Stephenson, historian, storyteller and a former chief engineer and assistant general manager for the coal mines, who gave so much to the Canmore community.
“We had been searching for a meaningful way to honour our dear friend and Canmore jewel, Gerry Stephenson, and this project at the museum is it, we are thrilled to help make this initiative a reality. Gerry was a spectacular storyteller, and this series on his life is a way we can all remember and relive some of Gerry’s best stories of his incredible life.” – Kay Anderson on behalf of the Gerry Stephenson estate