Vernon museum added new exhibits during COVID closure

History buffs rejoice, the Vernon museum will soon be opening its doors again.

And while the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives (GVMA) was closed to the public for several weeks due to the COVID-19 crisis, it could hardly be called downtime as staff were busy working on existing exhibits and creating new ones.

“Despite this reduction we’ve continued to serve the community through a number of new initiatives,” said Steve Fleck, executive director of the GVMA.

While the museum has been closed to the public, museum curator Cuyler Page has been working on a new permanent exhibit.

Construction of a new Children’s Museum in the natural history area of the museum has started, creating displays to explore the wonder of the natural world.

“Truly, it will be one of a kind,” said Fleck.

The GVMA asked people what they wanted to see in the museum, with the children's area and a greater First Nation display topping the list.

Fleck said those two areas are a priority for the museum.

This week, the museum is taking steps towards reopening.

“The first step is to open the archives for research appointments,” said Fleck. “We know there are people in our community who depend on being able to access the wealth of historical information available through our archives.”

Beginning Thursday, June 11, the archives will be open by appointment by booking through [email protected].

Throughout June, the time slots available will be 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday mornings and 1-4 p.m. Thursday afternoons. Appointments are first come, first served, and will be, for the time being, limited to one visitor or household at a time.

“As staff return to some shifts in the building, we’ll be working together to ensure we can then open the museum to the public in some capacity as safely as possible,” said Fleck.

Once health and safety measures are in place, the GVMA will shift its previous drop-in visitation to having visitors make advanced bookings to visit the museum over the summer, or limiting the amount of visitors in the museum at any one time.

“Our hope is that these planned visits by individuals and families, in much smaller groups than our usual summer tours, will foster connection and discussion between staff and members of the public,” Fleck said.

For more information on the hours and guidelines for access to the GVMA, click here or email [email protected].