2023 was another excellent year for Sooke Region Museum’s Collections and Exhibits! A lot happened over the year, so let’s run through it.
In 2023, 1,199 items were processed by our hardworking and dedicated volunteers and staff. Out of that number, 38 new donations of 419 individual items were donated, while 390 photographs were digitized. Here are some of the donations that came to the museum this year: the first donation of 2023 was costumes used in the 1990 Bi-centennial parade. These costumes were handmade by Marilyn Saul of the Sooke Squatch Squares Dance Club. Then, in August, we received a call about a possible donation of whale bones. Not having any in our collection, we jumped at the opportunity and received three rib bones and one vertebra. The bones are from the 1990s and were found at Kirby Creek. Later in October, the museum received a ‘honey spinner’ from Tugwell Creek Honey Farm. This device would spin honeycombs so the honey would come off and drip out. These donations show the variety that the Sooke Region has to offer.
You may have seen the replacement of all outdoor exhibit signs on the grounds at the museum. Over 2023, we replaced or added 23 new signs. Now, this is more complex than reprinting them; it involves updating the research, the wording, and the photos. We wanted to upgrade our signs to be consistent and have relevant information. The arrival of the new signs has brought more colour to our grounds, allowing visitors to (re)explore Sooke’s history. Of those 23 new signs, 11 went to refurbish two exhibits – the Servant’s Quarters and the Lighthouse. Right now, you can explore the Servant’s Quarters and, hopefully, the Lighthouse.
Inside the museum, we brought in 2 travelling exhibits. “Marvellous Mushrooms: Mushrooms of BC” by the Royal BC Museum was exhibited at the museum from February to April 2023. Meanwhile, “Culture of Head Coverings,” an exhibit curated by UVIC PhD student Nabila Kazmi, ran from May to October 2023. These two exhibits brought new perspectives to the museum and the Sooke Region.
We hope you have enjoyed the Sooke Region Museum in 2023 and are excited to welcome you back in 2024! We have lots planned, so stay tuned.
