The renewed Nonsuch Gallery is now open at the Manitoba Museum. (HANDOUT)
WINNIPEG — The Nonsuch Gallery, the first of four at the Manitoba Museum to be renewed, is back in business.
The popular gallery reopened on Friday under new lighting and auditory effects to help the visitor experience in Deptford, England in 1669.
“I invite all Manitobans back to the Manitoba Museum to rediscover their ship, the Nonsuch. Whether it’s the first time or your tenth time, I guarantee you will learn something new when you visit the renewed Nonsuch Gallery,” said Claudette Leclerc, executive director and CEO of the Manitoba Museum.
Museum officials say the renewed gallery sees the ship’s narrative change so that the Nonsuch is now situated in Deptford upon her return from Hudson Bay in 1669. She is loaded with furs and goods traded with the Cree.
Other enhancements:
In the Boar’s Head Tavern, visitors “overhear” Captain Gillam and his crew regale the pub with tales of their adventures wintering across the ocean. The new Pier allows visitors to appreciate the beauty of the ship’s construction and examine the new rigging and unfurled sails. A gigantic mural depicts the marshy Isle of Dogs on the River Thames, enlivened with new audio and lighting effects that simulate the passage of day and night and changes in the weather so that every visit to the Nonsuch Gallery will have slightly different ambience.
Nonsuch Gallery (HANDOUT)
“We take incredible pride in our heritage, and the Nonsuch Gallery is the centrepiece to the Hudson’s Bay Company Collection at the Manitoba Museum,” said Alison Coville, president of Hudson’s Bay.
“The Nonsuch Gallery allows visitors better understand a milestone moment that helped shape our company. We are immensely grateful for the important work the Manitoba Museum does to preserve and share our rich history.”
The latest upgrades are part of the Manitoba Museum’s $17.5 million Bringing Our Stories Forward Capital Renewal Project. The renewal was led by gallery design firm AldrichPears Associates, as well as Bockstael Construction.
“We know this gallery renewal project will ensure generations, present and future, will come away from the Manitoba Museum inspired,” added Jeoff Chipman, chair of the endowment campaign.
