(Photo credit: CFJC Today).

By Stephanie Swensrude

KAMLOOPS MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

Researchers invite input on Kamloops culture in interactive museum exhibit

Jun 29, 2022 | 4:14 PM

KAMLOOPS — A new exhibit is now open at the Kamloops Museum and Archives in partnership with Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and the City of Kamloops. Visitors will be guided through a research method called cultural mapping.

CFJC Today’s Chad Klassen and I, Stephanie Swensrude, participated in a cultural mapping workshop Wednesday (June 29).

Chad and I were handed blank sheets of paper and art supplies, and were told to draw a map of culture in Kamloops. I drew the two rivers, MacArthur Island Park, the Red Bridge and the Sandman Centre. Then, the researchers and assistants asked us to describe our map, why we drew what we drew, and what we would hope to see on our maps in the future.

“By coming here and participating, your voice will count. It’ll be well documented,” said Will Garrett-Petts, VP of research at TRU.

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“We’ll ask you to create a visual map of Kamloops today, and your conjectural Kamloops — the Kamloops that you’d like to see — and we’ll ask you some questions about that.”

Kate Fagervick is the learning strategist with the project. She says cultural mapping is a passion of hers due to its simplicity.

“It’s an arts-based research method where people get to draw a response to a question and they get to talk about it,” said Fagervick.

“It’s fairly basic, yet it’s not, because amazing things get pulled out of people when they’re invited to express themselves in more creative ways.”

The data collected will be used to inform the city’s Cultural Strategic Plan.

“What a Cultural Strategic Plan does — it’s the city working with other partners, and working in conversations with citizens, to outline and help visualize its future, and where should we put resources for an even stronger culture for that future,” said Garrett-Petts.

The City has waived the museum entry fee for the summer to encourage people from all walks of life to participate.

“We want everyone to come in and participate,” said museum supervisor Julia Cyr.

“Even from a child’s perspective, coming in and seeing these photographs, even just about two minutes ago we had a family coming in and a mother saying, ‘Do you recognize parts of Kamloops? We live here.’ (…) And children are responding.”

The researchers will deliver a draft Cultural Strategic Plan to the City by December.

You Are Here is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., until September 24.