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Sidney Museum showcases Snapshots of Canada exhibit

Photo exhibition displays ‘triumphs, failures and sacrifices’ of the nation
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A collection of powerful Canadian photographs will be on display at the Sidney Museum until Dec. 24. (May 8, 1945, John H. Boyd City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1266, Item 96241)

The Sidney Museum is displaying a travelling exhibition of Canadian imagery.

The museum is hosting ‘Snapshots of Canada,’ a photo gallery display by the Canadian Museum of History and Canada’s History Society, documenting moments from the country’s history, including the “triumphs, failures and sacrifices,” according to the museum.

From July 16 to Dec. 24, Snapshots of Canada features 50 photographs by historians, authors and journalists depicting everything from the trial of Louis Riel, the Oka crisis standoff and the deportation of Japanese-Canadians after the Second World War.

The exhibit is the largest of its kind the museum has ever hosted, according to Peter Garnham, executive director of the museum.

READ ALSO: Sidney Museum closes in wake of COVID-19 spread

“Looking at our nation’s history is a timely topic for our community now in the recovery stages of COVID-19,” he said.

The photographs were drawn from Canadian published books, ‘100 Photos that Changed Canada’ and ‘100 Days that Changed Canada.’ Peter Mansbridge, Charlotte Gray and Lawrence Hill are among the exhibit’s contributors.

“We selected the photos for their emotional impact, their aesthetic appeal, their uniqueness, and the significance of the subject they depict,” said Mark Reid, editor-in-chief of Canada’s History Society and the editor of the two bestselling books that inspired the exhibition. “But most of all, we chose them for the way they reflect who we were, who we are today, and who we can aspire to become as Canadians.”

Snapshots of Canada is on display until Dec. 24. Visits to the museum can be scheduled online at sidneymuseum.ca ahead of time in order to allow for physical distancing. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesday to allow time for cleaning and sanitizing.

READ ALSO: Sidney Museum donates 60,000 Lego bricks to local schools


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