Re: 鈥淢aritime Museum envisions national status, return home,鈥� Feb. 1.
I am delighted that the folks at the Maritime Museum of sa国际传媒 have a solid proposal to move forward with. This should be attractive to senior levels of government, as well as to Islanders, for it covers so many bases.
鈥� It gives a viable purpose for the old Bastion Square site, which is rather forlorn and would finally become an asset to local business and the community.
鈥� It proposes to provide needed space for the arts community that will be more affordable, as they are not the only tenant.
鈥� It provides a wonderful opportunity to engage with coastal Indigenous people by providing appropriate space in the proposed class-A annex for artifacts that are in other sites across the country. This includes training Indigenous people in curatorial science.
鈥� Reconciliation with Indigenous people can move from talk to action with exhibits that present their story from their perspective, not just from a traditional colonial point of view.
鈥� As a national museum, it will finally provide the museum with the resources to use its artifacts in a lively and active way to engage young and old with the stories of our coast, not as static displays but as hands-on interactive experiences.
I wish them the best.
Barry Rolston
Victoria
