Stories Uncased

Connect, learn and have a family fun evening together!

First explore our gallery with a scavenger hunt then get a closer look at specially selected artifacts brought out of the Esplanade and Medalta “vaults” so that you can discover their stories.  Now that you know just how special our collections are, learn about how we keep them safe.

Help Esplanade and Medalta staff fight against the “Agents of Deterioration”! You won’t need a cape, just maybe some white gloves and a little imagination, as you investigate these museum menaces through examples, hands on learning and demonstration experiments. Help us to defend against damaging physical forces, ultraviolet light and creepy crawlies!

Learning is made fun at the Esplanade through investigation and imagination! Explore, Experience, Enjoy!

Recommended for ages 7+

If going as a group or family, please ensure to get one ticket per person.

‍

Thomas Hulit, PhD

Museum Technician/Researcher, Archaeologist

Tom Hulit has worked with the Esplanade since 2009 as the Museum Technician and Researcher. His research in archaeology focuses mostly on materials and manufacturing in ancient Egypt and the middle east. His work with the Esplanade has included research and care of the collections, exhibit design and construction, and bringing the history and stories of Medicine Hat to the public. He has always been interested in how people make and use objects and how those objects can be used to help tell the stories of our community. Tom is also a long-standing board member of the Redcliff Museum. When he is not in one museum or another, he is often working at the family farm here in Southern Alberta.

Raene Poisson

Collection Manager, Medalta

Raene Poisson is the new Collection Manager at Medalta in the Historic Clay District. Originally from Shaunavon, SK, she graduated with a BFA in Studio Art at the U of S (2014), and from there pursued a post - graduate diploma in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management at Fleming College (2017). As an objects conservator she has worked on a number of contracts and internships across the country on a variety of collections, preserving and maintaining the historic integrity of objects for interpretation and longevity. She looks forward to applying her skills to the collection at the Medalta and it's historic sites, learning more about the deep history of the area, and being back in "home territory" in the prairies.

Advocacy and outreach for the heritage and conservation field is also a passion of hers. She is the Chair of the Emerging Conservators Committee, which promotes the interests of emerging conservators just entering the field. She has also participated in a number of outreach initiatives and talks, which includes being a speaker for the “Labelling Lightning Round” by Connecting to Collections Care, as a speaker for the British Columbia Museums Association presenting “Heritage Conservation: The Basics and Tips”, as a panelist for the Fair Museum Jobs Summit, and as a presenter for “Ask a Conservator Day” hosted by the Museums Association of Saskatchewan."

‍

‍