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Our Canoeing Heritage

Visiting Artisans Program

Keeping Heritage Skills Alive

Click for larger version The Museum proudly launched its Visiting Artisans Program in 2002.  We are committed to playing an important role in the preservation of the many skills and traditions related to the canoe.  As such, the Museum hosts an annual demonstration event featuring the construction of a traditional watercraft and other related material culture. This is a high profile program, and forms a key component of the Museum experience, and of our national marketing endeavors.

Our visitors will enjoy the rare opportunity of a first-hand encounter with these valuable traditions and with the people who still practice them.  They will be able to witness the remarkable conversion of natural raw materials into the sophisticated craft for which these builders are known.  Moreover, the cultural context and stories embedded in these arts are always a featured element.  Our visitors will also come to understand the value of traditional canoe building today, which has shifted in many ways from that of a practical skill born out of need, to a powerful symbol of cultural pride, expression and renewal.

This project was made possible through the generous support of the Hudson's Bay History Foundation, Historica, the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation and the Department of Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance Program.

Over the coming years, we will meet Inuit kayak builders from across the Arctic, dugout canoe builders from the continent's Pacific rim, and bark canoe builders from central and eastern Canada. The Museum will also host expert builders of the "carpentered canoes", including the cedar-canvas, the cedar strip and other modern constructions.

In participating in the preservation of these skills, The Canadian Canoe Museum is committed to developing a working directory and archives of these traditions, and also to making this record accessible to the public. This exciting initiative will be achieved through various media, including digital video, published work, as well as an interactive chapter on our website.

The Museum gratefully acknowledges the Hudson's Bay History Foundation, George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, Historica and the Department of Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance Program for generously supporting the important work of the Visiting Artisans Program.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

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Did you know?
The Museum houses the largest collection of canoes and kayaks in the world, featuring over 600 watercraft.

Find out more about the latest projects in our Visiting Artisans Program -- and watch our artisans in action -- by visiting the Visiting Artisans Photo Gallery page.



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