Happy Back-to-School season! As the weather begins to cool and people get back into the swing of their autumn schedules, the New West Museum & Archives soldiers on with an innumerable amount of programs and exhibitions. Read on to learn more about the attractions you’ll FALL for!
-Upcoming Exhibits-
1. The Heat Is On: Keeping Warm Then, Keeping Cool Now (All Ages)
Location: Anvil Centre, 3rd Floor
Opening Night: October 24 (6:00-8:00 PM)
Admission: Free, Registration Not Required
The museum’s next exhibit focuses on climate. “Keeping warm was something you worked at in the old days,” according to local historian, Evelyn Benson. From chopping wood, to avoiding the fleas in sawdust burners, and dealing with new challenges climate change brings, New West’s past and present spotlights forgotten everyday necessities.
2. Anniversary of Sukh Sagar Gurdwara (All Ages)
Location: New Westminster Museum, Gallery 7
Opening Night: November 21 (6:00-8:00 PM)
Admission: Free, Registration Not Required
Join us in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sukh Sagar Gurdwara, one of the oldest Sikh temples in Canada. Located in New West’s very own Queensborough, this beloved temple has been a safe space for Sikh people in the lower mainland to gather and worship.
-Programs & Attractions-
1. Food Artefact Show-and-Tell (All Ages)
Location: Anvil Centre, 3rd Floor
Date: September 19 (6:00-7:00 PM)
Admission: Free, Registration Required
In association with the feature exhibition, You Are What You Eat! Community Food Security, a food artefact show-and-tell will proceed. See items from the City’s historic Orkney Bakery, fascinating kitchen gadgets, and more. Do you have something vintage or something passed down in your family that you would like to share? We want to see it! All are welcome to show their own food artefacts, or just simply to listen. Participants are also invited to show up half an hour before the event to explore the exhibition.
2. RiverFest on Samson V (All Ages)
Location: Samson V Museum
Date: September 21 (12:00 – 4:00 pm)
Admission: By Donation, Registration Not Required
For one day in September, the Samson V Maritime Museum joins the Fraser River Discovery Centre and the Hyack Festival Association to celebrate BC and World Rivers Day with a festival that honours the Fraser River. Families will be given the unique opportunity explore the wonders of life which keep the Fraser River safe. Tour the last steam-powered sternwheeler in B.C. Next, try your hand at knot-tying, before learning about the parts of the ship through a scavenger hunt. Later on, make an origami boat, try traditional caulking, and learn about maritime symbols in heraldic crests from the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada.
3. Handmade Heritage: Traditional Hand Sewing 101 (18+ years)
Location: Irving House
Date: Saturdays, September 21-October 5th (9:30 am – 11:30 am)
Admission: $62.00/3, Registration Required
Before the 1800s, women spent many hours hand-sewing clothes for themselves and their families. This year, learn how to sew in the Lower Mainland’s oldest heritage home, Irving House! Sew basic stitches and create hand-made projects like zippered bags, aprons, and no-slip dish towels. Each week, we will look at hand-sewn artefacts from the Museum’s collections. All supplies included.
4. #NewWestFood for Thought: World Food Day Forum (16+ years)
Location: River Market, Market Food Hall | Anvil Centre, Gallery 7
Date: October 16 (7:00-8:00 pm)
Admission: Free, Registration Required
World Food Day is celebrated each year on October 16. Established in 1981, its purpose is to spread awareness about world hunger and poverty. The event is ultimately meant to inspire change. This year, its call to action revolves around equal and affordable access to healthy food. In association with the feature exhibition, You Are What You Eat! Community Food Security, and moderated by City Councillor Nakagawa, our food community is coming together to participate in international discussion and cause. From vital Indigenous perspectives and local food culture, to the social and economic realities of food, our panelists will explore and celebrate our diverse foodscape. Participants are invited to come at 6:00 pm to the Anvil Centre’s Gallery 7 for Curator-led tours or to the River Market’s Community Square for a pop-up Farmers Market.
5. The Remarkable Women of Irving House (All Ages)
Location: Irving House
Oct 19 (12:00-4:00 PM)
Admission: Free, Registration Not Required
Ninety years ago, a group of dedicated female activists called the Famous Five influenced the British Privy Council to forever change the status of women to legal persons in Canada. In celebration of this moment, Women’s History Month and Persons Day, join us to learn about the remarkable women of New Westminster’s very own Irving House. You’ll be amazed by the professional, political, and societal contributions of these historic individuals!
6. Handmade Heritage: No-Heat, No-Waste Bath Treats (16+ Years)
Location: Anvil Centre, Room 411A
Date: October 21 (6:00 – 8:00 PM)
Admission: $30.00 Each, Registration Required
In association with the upcoming feature exhibition, The Heat Is AOn: Keeping Warm Then, Keeping Cool Now, we’re finding ways to be more responsible in the face of climate change. In this hands-on class, discover no-heat, no-waste methods to create a low impact luxury bath routine! Make and take home six different bath bombs (in a variety of scents and shapes), two different bath salts, and a soothing vegan bath n’ body oil. Participants will also receive recipes on a tub tea and body polish. All supplies included.
7. Night at the Museum (7-12 Years)
Location: Anvil Centre, 3rd Floor
Room 411A (7-9 Years) | Room 411B (Ages 10-12 Years)
Date: October 24 (6:00-8:00 PM)
Admission: $13.25 Each, Registration Required
Explore the deepest, darkest depths of the New West Museum by flashlight, while also listening to true spooky stories about the city. Then, make your very own creepy craft to take home! To end the night off, gaze into the future for some old-time Halloween fortune-telling games.
8. The Remarkable Women of Irving House (All Ages)
Location: Irving House
Date: October 29, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Admission: Free, No Admission Required
Ninety years ago, a group of dedicated female activists called the Famous Five influenced the British Privy Council to forever change the status of women to legal persons in Canada. In celebration of this event, and Women’s History Month and Persons Day, join us to learn about the remarkable women of New Westminster’s very own Irving House. You’ll be amazed by the professional, political, and societal contributions of these historic individuals!
9. Spooky Specters and Museum Mischief (8-12 Years)
Location: Anvil Centre, 3rd Floor
Date: October 30, 6-8 PM
Admission: $13.25 Each, Registration Required
Discover the world of optical illusions. Become a spectral hunter and explore the photographs in the Museum’s gallery to understand the secrets behind ghostly images. You’ll have the opportunity to create your own haunted pictures, too. Optical illusions will help you create spooky crafts, while also teaching you about New Westminster’s famous optical illusionist, Mandrake the Magician.
10. Fraser River Frights (All Ages)
Location: Samson V Museum
Date: October 26, 1-3 PM
Admission: By Donation, Registration Not Required
Climb aboard the Samson V ghost ship. Join the crew for an afternoon of ghost stories and spooky nautical crafts and embark on an eerie scavenger hunt. You’ll discover a number of New West mysteries aboard!
11. Cemetery Tour: Halloween Edition (10 Years+)
Location: Fraser Cemetery
Date: Oct 30 -31 (6:00 – 8:00 PM)
Admission: $15.00 Each, Registration Required
Join Archie Miller from, A Sense of History Research Services, to hear tales which carry a bit of mystery, a touch of mayhem, and even a case or two of murder. While walking through the cemetery by lantern, some ghosts may even appear to help the stories come to life!
12. Handmade Heritage: Crochet 101 (18 years+)
Location: Irving House
Date: Nov 16 – 30, Every Saturday (9:30 – 11:30 am)
Admission: $52.00/3, Registration Required
People have crocheted to keep warm and decorate for generations. In association with the feature exhibition, The Heat Is On: Keeping Warm Then, Keeping Cool Now, discover this timeless handicraft in the Lower Mainland’s oldest heritage home, Irving House! Over three sessions, you will use basic crochet tools, practice fundamental techniques, and complete your very own project. This skill will keep you cozy for years to come! All supplies included.
From Christmas to Hanukkah, to Kwanzaa and any other holiday celebration, the New West Museum & Archives wishes you a wonderful Winter season. Join them in embracing this year’s cold-weather by attending an upcoming winter-based program or attraction. It’s the perfect way to end off 2019!
-Programs & Attractions-
1. Handmade Heritage: Traditional Hand Sewing for Christmas (11-14 Years)
Location: Irving House
Date: December 7 (9:30 – 11:30 AM)
Admission: $25 Each, Registration Required
Before the turn of the 20th century, Christmas ornaments were handmade. Learn basic stitches to sew your very own ornament made out of felt. Your beautiful creation will be perfect for the holiday season! All supplies included.
2. Handmade Heritage: Christmas Tea Soaps
Location: Anvil Centre, Room 411A
Date: December 9 (6:00 – 8:00 PM)
Admission: $35.00 Each, Registration Required
Every year, the New West Museum & Archives celebrates the holiday season with Victorian Christmas Tea at Irving House. In honour of this special tradition, the addition of making Christmas tea soap from scratch has been created! From pre-blended bases, learn the basics of cold-process soap making. Explore different ingredients and methods of making a long lasting herbal tea bar, plus make a batch of citrus rooibos bars. Learn about soap history, trouble-shooting, packaging, and decoration of this essential toiletry product! Participants will also receive a finished soap bar, gourmet garden bar recipes, and other goodies to-go. All supplies included.
3. Victorian Christmas Tea (All Ages)
Location: Irving House
Date: December 7-8 & 14-15 (12:00-3:00 PM)
Admission: $120/6 or $20 Each, Registration Required
Get in the holiday spirit by treating yourself to Victorian tea in Grandmother’s Room. Surrounded by the splendor of a Victorian Christmas, you’ll be served tea and traditional holiday treats. Musical entertainment will complete an afternoon of relaxation and holiday cheer. Each seating table can accommodate six guests; individuals can choose to sign up for the 3:00 pm sitting on Saturdays. Please remember to note any food allergies upon registration.
4. Christmas Cheer (All Ages)
Location: Irving House
Date: December 7-8 (12:00-4:00 PM)
Admission: By Donation, Registration Not Required
Travel back in time to the days of holly, ivy, and old St. Nicholas! Irving House will be decked out in Victorian Christmas splendor for the holiday season. Enjoy live Christmas music with a variety of performers in the parlour and make a small decoration for one of the Irving House Christmas trees.
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