Cheer Story: Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner: Celebrating a New Name and Artistic Vision

This year has been a landmark one for the Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner. The Museum completed an artist-in-residency featuring Métis artist Tracey-Mae Chambers from Ontario. Along with the artist-in-residency, the museum is rebranding to the Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner.

The Museum was very excited to work with Tracey-Mae to have both an outdoor installation and her work as their feature exhibition in the new gallery. Tracey-Mae has been undertaking a national project titled #HopeAndHealingCanada which addresses decolonization in the pursuit of reconciliation and works to build a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples through her installations.

Tracey-Mae primarily uses red yarn in her installations, which she weaves, crochets, or knits into intricate forms. She incorporates shades of yellow, orange, and purple, colours rich with symbolic meaning in Indigenous history. Each installation is carefully crafted to reflect the specific site where it is displayed.

“Tracey-Mae approached our museum in January 2023 about the possibility of bringing her work to our museum. She has created installations in public spaces across Canada including historical residential school sites, galleries, museums, and other public spaces,” said Rhonda Lamb, Treasurer, Board of Directors.

When asked how Tracey-Mae Chambers' work engaged with the local community and culture, Rhonda shared, “We were thrilled with how visitors connected with Tracey-Mae’s installation. It’s a deeply reflective piece, encouraging people to think about the importance of recognizing this part of Canada’s history and their role in healing the past and moving forward. We saw many new visitors from outside the community and even incorporated the installation theme into one of our summer camps. We’re also excited to announce that the installation inspired us to create a new ‘Museum in a Suitcase,’ which will be available in 2025.”

Reflecting on the benefits and challenges of hosting the artist-in-residence program, and whether they plan to do it again in the future, Rhonda explained, “We weren’t sure how our community would respond to this installation—it’s more conceptual than the usual exhibitions you’d expect to find in a museum setting. Rather than supporting a story with artifacts from our collection, this exhibition was more like what you’d find in an art gallery. To help viewers learn more about the Métis people and their history, we also created supporting exhibits. Having outdoor pieces as part of the installation drew people inside to learn more and generated a lot of interest in our new building. Should a similar opportunity arise, our Board would be very interested.”

When asked about what motivated the decision to rebrand the museum and change its name to "Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner," Rhonda explained, “Our Board began discussions regarding rebranding several years ago. We felt that it was important to have a name that better reflected what we do in our community and to remove the stigma of being a building full of 'old stuff'. We wanted to communicate that we are vibrant, relevant, and a fun place to visit.”

Regarding how the new name reflects the museum’s mission or vision moving forward, Rhonda noted, “We have provided a wide range of programming over the years for all ages. Through telling stories about our community, area, and province, we encourage people to learn from the past, be inquisitive about the present and its relationship to history, and to develop culture in our area through ongoing exhibitions, our collection, and interactive programs year-round.”

As the Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner embarks on this exciting new chapter, they invite everyone to celebrate their official grand opening on September 22!