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Quilts highlight museum display

Museum curator Naomi Rupke and quilt creator Doris Sanderson pick out highlights of the large exhibit on now at Discovery North Bay Museum. Photos by Jeff Turl.

Museum curator Naomi Rupke and quilt creator Doris Sanderson pick out highlights of the large exhibit on now at Discovery North Bay Museum. Photos by Jeff Turl.

Doris Sanderson wanted to create a quilt that represents North Bay, and she wanted to raise money.

She did both in a big way.

Her quilt is on display at the “A Scottish Kist: The Story of Immigration to Canada” which focuses on Scottish Canadian culture and the stories of local immigrants. 

The quilt raised $14,000 over three years for the museum building fund. "I stuck at it pretty well everyday."

The names on the quilt are those who donated.

The idea was born when the museum was located on River Bend Road, the site of the present Sunset Park School.

"It's a history from Champlain to the new Chief Commanda," she explains. "The outside border depicts things that are important to North Bay."

There were times when Sanderson thought she had bitten off more than she could chew, but took breaks by doing banners for her church.

"I thought, I'll take it calmly and take it one little step at a time," she recalls.

Doris Sanderson shows off the quilt she created using scrap material from a kilt-making shop near Barrie.

Her second quilt on display is Scottish themed. While in a shop near Barrie she discovered bags of Scottish prints---cut-offs from the kilts they made.

So when museum curator Naomi Rupke asked her if she could do something Scottish themed for the current exhibit, " I thought 'Bingo!' maybe I can use up some of that material."

But something was missing in the design.

"I thought, ah, we need a thistle!"

The exhibit follows the story of the thousands of Scots who left Scotland for Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries, but that's not the only addition.

Jeff Fournier, president of the Nipissing Coin Club, was exhibiting paper currency issued, not by the mint, but by Canada's banks.

“In the Money”, on loan from the Bank of Canada Museum, explores the science of note-based currency - starting with the earliest paper money printed in China - ranging from mulberry paper to cotton and linen rag and, ultimately, the polymer material used for Canada's new series of bank notes.

"We've had a really good reaction to both exhibits," says Rupke. "We've had quite a few people with Scottish backgrounds come through to see the displays and currency and money is something everyone is familiar with and curious about what money looks like from around the world."

The two new exhibits are open from now until June at Discovery North Bay Museum.

 


Jeff Turl

About the Author: Jeff Turl

Jeff is a veteran of the news biz. He's spent a lengthy career in TV, radio, print and online, covering both news and sports. He enjoys free time riding motorcycles and spoiling grandchildren.
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