WINNIE THE POOH: EXPLORING A CLASSIC

Weekend Edition | Elizabeth Cytko

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This post for sure contains spoilers! Continue at your own risk. 

The Victoria and Albert Museum is capping off their world tour of "Winnie the Pooh: Exploring a Classic" at the Royal Ontario Museum. The exhibition explores the process behind the storytelling and art which created this beloved series.

I absolutely love the layout of this exhibition, it's fun, whimsical, and whisks you away to a different world. When you enter you are greeted  with large appealing words which immediately draw you in.

I literally feel as if I am in a story book! What is not shown in this photo are the large balloons hanging overhead, giving the room a sense of whimsy.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

On the right is the story of who Winnie the bear originally was and how they ended up in London to begin with - the Canadian connection is the ROM's contribution to the exhibition.  This then leads into the main parts of the exhibition that explores the life of Christopher Robin, the toys, and A.A. Milne (author) and  E. H. Shepard (illustrator).

How Winnie became Winnie the Pooh. The Canadian Connection.
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

The main text panels are books - books! Unfortunately due to the strange architectural layout of the building, we also get a preview of the ending of the exhibition.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

What I appreciated is that this exhibition has you physically inhabit the world of the books. You start in Christopher Robin's bedroom, move into E.H. Shepards shed where he did his illustrations, and pass through a portal into the Hundred Acre Wood itself.

Christopher Robin's Room.
Through the window you get a sneak peek of the Hundred Acre Wood.
Can you spot the books just waiting to be read?
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

One of the main goals of the exhibition is to get people reading the books again. There are plenty of opportunities within the exhibition to sit down with the books - such as upon the very squishy and comfortable bed.

Shed of E.H. Shepard. This discusses the process he went through to illustrate the world.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko.

What is not seen is the cozy seating area for children, and the books.
Another opportunity to read, and an inviting portal into the world of Pooh.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

Transported into the wood itself! I hear bees!
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

Probably were wise not to provide Pooh Sticks... but the bridge and the river are very relaxing.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

Please note how throughout there are areas to sit and take things in (or possibly continue reading your book!)

Potential spoilers? Literally opening the cupboard as if we too are needing hunny!
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

Technique and Composition.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

Another aspect that I loved about this exhibition is that it is geared to all ages. Instead of the adult awkwardly standing off to the side wistfully staring at the activity, a table is provided so that everybody can draw! If only more exhibitions incorporated this inclusive mentality - I too want to dress up as Boudicca/Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh/A Dinosaur/Winnie the Pooh!

Throughout are original planning sketches.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

A relatable mood.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cytko

What I really appreciated about this exhibition is how it had me rethink this childhood classic. As a visual artist myself, I had never really "clicked" that Winnie the Pooh could fall into the comic book/graphic novel category of literature. How the images and text interplay with one another come to light here. I also appreciated how the process of E.H. Shepard is shown, the messy sketches, the trial of expressions, the scribbled out ideas.

Even if you do not care a jot or tittle about Winnie the Pooh, if you are an artist this is an absolute feast of inspiration. I definitely recommend you go, and take your time! Read a book or two! Perhaps allot at least two hours for exploration... or maybe go more than once!

The exhibition runs March 7, 2020 to August 3, 2020. 

NWT OR BUST: A CROSS COUNTRY ROADTRIP

Weekend Edition | Michelle Wright and Caroline Kaszar

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Heading out on a road trip is no small decision. Luckily I was not alone, but with my good friend Caroline Kaszar! Caroline and I meet first day of classes and have been friends ever since, we were even roommates on the Montreal trip. Eight days on the road with someone who you are not sure if you are going to love or hate by the end is kind of a nerve-racking thing. We are not doing this trip for nothing. Both of us have been accepted to an internship at the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre (NLMCC) in the Northwest Territories, in a small town of 2500 people called Fort Smith. Being so small the flights are very expensive, so we decided to do the 4,661 km drive together. Our stops? Ashland, WI, USA, Winnipeg, MB, Saskatoon, SK, Calgary, AB, High Level, AB, Fort Smith, NWT. Roughly 48 hours over 8 days. Here we go!

Heading out on the Road, ON. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

TORONTO to ASHLAND to WINNIPEG

We decided that the longest days should be at the start when we are freshest. Our goal was 10 and a half hours to Ashland, WI, USA. Apparently, it was a little faster to go through the States but lets also face it - gas is cheaper there. Honestly didn’t see much, other then the bald eagle literally 5 minutes after the boarder. Ashland was basically the middle point, but it was very pretty on Lake Superior. We had a night in a hotel and then drove to Winnipeg the next day to meet up with Sam Kilpatrick, who after recently graduating has gotten an awesome job at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).

WINNIPEG

Let’s just say Winnipeg was not our city. Picture this: The night we get there, Caroline and I getting ready for bed, me on the phone with my parents, a knock on the door, enter Sam in a towel, asking if we have a first aid kit. She was changing her razor and sliced off the tip of her finger!! We bandaged her up and went to bed… So we started the next day by trying to redress Sam’s wound but let’s just say the blood had clotted to the bandage so time to go to the doctor. They said we did a good job bandaging but just needed some Polysporin. Caroline and I had an awesome breakfast at Stella’s, and googled which museums were open and we settled upon the exhibit on Winnie the Pooh (who was from Winnipeg), so we drove out and guess what… it was under construction. We went and had lunch at the Forks Market, but we couldn’t walk along the river because it was flooded! We then decided to drive out to the middle of Canada. The middle of Canada is just a big sign in the middle of no where, but it is technically the longitudinal middle point of the country. After this we decided to go to the zoo as it was such a nice day, we looked for the Winnie the Pooh Statue but found out it had moved to the park and went to get our photos. For those of you that don’t know about the origins of Winnie check out the link here.

Centre of Canada, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Winnie the Pooh Statue, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Sam Kilpatrick.Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

WINNIPEG to SASKATOON


Lastly, we decided to go to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in the morning before heading to Saskatoon. Because we had limited time we decided to do a tour and it was well worth it! I feel like we saw everything. There are seven floors, each with their own themes, so if anyone is going give yourself lots of time! I was very impressed by the architecture and the various stones used representing different things, for example the alabaster-clad ramps or the basalts in the reflection area. Both of these stones I recognized from my time in Europe and I was interested to learn that the basalts are found on every continent, making them a good representation of something that connects us all. We left around noon and drove on to Saskatoon where we met up with another friend from the program… Ally Forand!

Canadian Museum of Human Rights, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Alabaster ramp inside the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, MB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

SASKATOON to CALGARY

Since it was a short drive to Calgary we stayed in the morning to visit where Ally at her internship, the Western Development Museum (WDM). The WDM is similar to an indoor Black Creek Pioneer Village. I found out Caroline has a fear of mannequins, but I like when museums do this type of representation, although at times they can be creepy. After a lovely lunch in the museum’s restaurant we said goodbye to Ally and drove on. We made it to Natalie Heaton’s house! That is something I am very thankfully to our program for giving me all these amazing friends.

The Western Development Museum, Saskatoon, SK. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

CALGARY

We took the day off and wonderful Nat did the driving for us. She took us to Banff and up to see Lake Louise, which Caroline had never been too. On the way, Nat suggested we get a canoe... It never occurred to us that the lake could still be frozen! So no canoe for us. It was still a fun day and maybe if we have time on the way back we will make another stop. It would be worth it to visit the hot springs again too!

Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, AB. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

CALGARY to HIGH LEVEL to FORT SMITH

We officially crossed the 60th Parallel line and made it into the Northwest Territories! We did stop at the Twin Falls, stopped for some sun tanning on the beach in Hay River, and we saw seven bears along the way and one bison! (To clarify it is a Wood Bison up here, not a Plains Bison) He was just chilling on the side of the road, perfect for photos but we said if he gets up, drive!

Once we arrived we found out that if we had left one day later we would not have made it. A massive fire blocked the roads and High Level was evacuated. Although the fire was put out, we have learned what to do in case of an evacuation. Wish us luck that we are not!

Latitudinal line crossing into the North, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Alexandra Falls, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Wood Bison, NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

That’s it for now! At least until we have to drive home…

Along Highway 5, somewhere in NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

Along Highway 5, somewhere in NWT. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Wright.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR SOMETHING SWEET...

MUSEUM MONDAY

BY CADY MOYER

Remember reading Winnie the Pooh as a child, watching the tv shows or movies, or playing with Winnie the Pooh toys? Sweet nostalgia. Recently, the Pavillion Gallery Museum in Winnipeg won a bid for a new acquisition--the only existing oil painting of Winnie the Pooh by Ernest Howard Shepherd, the original artist for the books by A.A. Milne. The price tag for this painting? $243,000.

The oil painting of Winnie the Pooh by Ernest H. Shepherd, 1879-1976,
that was recently acquired by the Pavillion Gallery Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

When I came across this news story I found it particularly interesting for two reasons:

1) the exciting world of museum acquisitions!
2) it makes me think about who’s heritage does a story belong to.

The most obvious question to me is how a museum in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg came to be in the position of spending almost a quarter million dollars on an oil painting of Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh was written by a British author, A.A. Milne, who encountered Winnie the Bear at a zoo in London, England in 1927.

The story here seems to start in 2012 when the museum acquired a collection of 200 items of Winnie the Pooh paraphernalia through the efforts of an art dealer for Winnipeg, David Loch. The collection became the base for a new exhibit, The Pooh Gallery, as well as series of programs for children and families. The curator, Peter Heymans, spoke about how the collection could teach about this amazing history of a bear named after the city by the bear’s keeper--a veterinarian and World War I soldier from Winnipeg who bought the bear in Ontario on his way to training in Quebec and took it with him to England--that involved different parts of Canada, across the Atlantic, and eventually coming to include generations of people across the world.

Statue of Winnie the Bear with Lieutenant Harry Colebourn,
in the Nature Park beside the Pavillion Gallery Museum.

The story of how the museum acquired the painting is a little bit thrilling. The painting first came up for sale 14 years ago, and a group of Winnipeg citizens wanted to purchase it, and raised the funds through various efforts including the getting all levels of government involved. In pursuit of the artwork David Loch went took part in a Sotheby’s auction while on a trip to Toronto. The CBC commentary from the article mentioned above, paints a picture of the event: "[David Loch] made the winning bid over the phone while on a trip to Toronto. He was hooked up to Sotheby's as journalists hovered around him, waiting to find out if the painting would be heading to the Prairies." (Winnipeg outbids art lovers for painting, CBC, November 16, 2014).

As a museum enthusiast and student, this story of what a professional can get up to in their career, in the pursuit of telling a story inspires the imagination of what I could do during my own. This tale of Winnie the Pooh is not written by A.A. Milne obviously, but it is written by the community that strongly values this part of its heritage, and became a driving force for a relatively small museum to acquire a significant artwork.

This is only one story of an acquisition, but I know that readers of this blog probably have their own experiences with interacting with the intake of a new museum collection item. If you have a story about museum acquisitions that you would like to share, please post below!