Themuseum closed in September to upgrade lighting

KITCHENER — Themuseum will be closed in September to install energy efficient lighting fixtures.

“It will ultimately save us a lot of energy, which is wonderful,” said chief executive officer David Marskell.

The upgrades and related power outages mean the downtown Kitchener museum will close Sept. 5 and reopen Oct. 4.

The $165,000 project was made possible with matching funds from the City of Kitchener and the federal government as part of the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. “The building is owned by the city, so it was important they were a part of this,” Marskell said.

The energy efficient lighting will cut upwards of a fifth of the museum’s energy bill, which will translate into as much as $20,000 a year saved. “We are working hard to be sustainable and we’re getting closer and closer,” he said.

The new lighting fits with other environmentally sustainable initiatives implemented at the museum, including installing stations for people to refill reusable water bottles and the banning of plastic water bottle sales.

To minimize the inconvenience of the month-long closure for school groups and members, free school bus rides will be offered in October and memberships will be extended by a month.

Themuseum will reopen in October with the launch of Model Citizens featuring two connected exhibitions: Whose Reality Is It? and Awkward Family Photos. A second interactive exhibition, INTERPLAY, documents the history of electronic entertainment through computers and video game consoles of the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s.

Through September, Themuseum and Underground Studio MakerSpace will be at community events across Waterloo Region.