The Delta Museum is holding two open houses this month in the hopes of getting some input from the public in advance of its move to its new home on Clarence Taylor Crescent.
According to Reg Wilford, cultural and museum services manager with the Corporation of Delta, these public open houses are offering an opportunity not many cultural centres get: to take a look at the way the museum is offering their services and bring that into a new space.
“Most institutional museums don’t get a chance to completely reinvent a facility or a place to catch up to trends. Museums are long standing...and they operate with what resources they can,” he said. “Here we’re able to potentially take a giant leap forward with a new space.”
Of course, it’s not all about the space – Wilford can attest to that. His position is a newly created one, and Wilford only started there in January.
The open houses will invite residents to make their opinions heard on some of the big questions facing museum and cultural services as a whole. One of these questions, Wilford said, could be how a cultural facility can best reflect the community.
The museum is currently looking into an integrated cultural service model, which would see the arts and history working in close collaboration throughout the municipality. Whether the museum goes with this model remains to be seen.
The Museum and Cultural Centre public open houses will take place in both North and South Delta.
One open house will take place at McKee Seniors Recreation Centre in Ladner on March 7, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The second will take place at the North Delta Recreation Centre on March 9, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.