Lest we Forget Callander Museum installs new exhibit

Visitors to the Callander Museum will notice an eye-catching display of poppies, meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poppy being adopted as the flower of Remembrance. The project was a collaborative effort between students at M.T. Davidson Public School and St. Theresa Catholic Elementary School, local legion members, and the museum.

The 100th anniversary of the poppy symbol was last year, and last fall, members of the four groups above created 100 pieces of artwork to commemorate the centennial. Those works—all of which featured poppies—were photographed and printed as greeting cards. Now they are all on display at the museum.

See: Callander Legion launches 2021 national poppy campaign

Museum staff mentioned visitors are already taking note, and one patron, taken with one of the pieces, even offered to purchase it. However, no deal was made as the art is not for sale. They exist to commemorate the poppy and remind all to never forget the sacrifices made by Canadian Armed Forces members, living and dead.

The museum thought the project would be a great way to commemorate the anniversary and help bring the community together in a creative way. Asking students and Legion members to both contribute was “a way of uniting the generational gap through art and remembrance,” the museum’s curator Natasha Wiatr mentioned in a recent release.

Museum staff were thrilled with the turnout, thankful for the “enthusiast participation” from everyone involved, and grateful for the work of Christine Bretherick of Creativity Mattes who oversaw the program.

Everyone interested in viewing the display can do so from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The poppies will be there “all summer long,” Wiatr said, but will disappear by fall.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.