Museum. Quality.

“The real value of our civic museums is in the stories they evoke in the people who visit them.” Ian Kerr-Wilson, Manager of Museums and Heritage Presentation, Culture Division, City of Hamilton, who among other things manages Hamilton’s 7 civic museums, wouldn’t want it any other way. “I think our primary job is to help Hamiltonians tell our own stories. That’s why none of the people who work in our civic museums see their primary role as talking to people about facts, but rather as engaging people so they share their own stories.”

Featured Post

2009’s Greatest of Hamilton

Here you’ll find our picks for the Greatest of Hamilton. This year’s edition is a little different from 2008, where we asked our readers to pick their Greatest in a variety of categories.

Asides

• Looking to see what's happening in the clubs this week? Former Pepper Jack Cafe impresario, Ken Inouye has been posting the rundown here. #
• Spending the beginning of 2010 trying to get caught up - but a new year arrives and another building is on the verge of being demolished by neglect in downtown Hamilton. Built in 1913 as the Lyric Vaudeville theatre, later restored and renamed the Century Theatre, the building has been dark for twenty years and owned by the current owners for the last ten years. Get caught up here, here, here and here. #
• The Hamilton 350 Committee is inviting Hamiltonians to send their message to the people of the world and Copenhagen by joining a candlelight walk on Friday evening along James Street North. The coalition of a dozen community groups is asking participants to meet at 7 pm at York Boulevard and James Street, just inside the City Centre (former Eaton Centre). The walk coincides with the monthly Art Crawl on James Street North. Organizers are urging participants to sign a petition and send a personal email or letter to the prime minister and their Member of Parliament. #
• Looking for a great gift of the musical variety? This year’s Design Hope CD benefit is now available at local shops. Featuring winter themed songs from the likes of Jude Johnson, Dan Medakovic, Lisa Winn, Shawn Brush and a host of others - the annual Design Hope CDs are a great way to promote local music and 100% of the profits go to feed the homeless through the Hamilton Out of the Cold program. Check out www.designhope.ca for more information. #
• Books to Bars is a 100% non-profit organization that seeks to promote literacy, creativity, and functionality in Southern Ontario’s correctional facilities. Through various drop off locations and direct donations, Books to Bars is able to provide reading materials to facilities desperately in need. In an attempt to improve literacy services in facilities like the Barton Street Jail and others in the region, a holiday book drive has been organized to call upon members of the community to donate their used books. Several of Hamilton’s finest pubs and taverns are enthusiastically teaming up with Books to Bars and will be participating in the month long event. Donation boxes will be available in their establishments for your convenience for the month of December. To learn more about Books to Bars and the holiday book drive, visit: indyhamilton.com #