Museum Windsor expansion feted

Museum Windsor not only provides more history for the community thanks to last year’s expansion, but shows creativity and innovation as well, according to the Ontario Historical Society. The historical society recently handed its Russell K. Cooper Award for excellence in programming to Museum Windsor for a $6-million expansion that showed “innovation and creative problem solving utilizing budget friendly, historically appropriate measures to utilize two closely located sites and to meet the needs of its expanding collection and diverse local community.” The museum expanded with the February 2016 grand opening of the long-awaited Chimczuk Museum, which took the first floor of the Art Gallery of Windsor building. Museum Windsor still has offices and displays at the Baby House on Pitt Street West but, between the two sites, now offers more exhibit space. The Historical Society noted that Museum Windsor now offers: a combined museum and art gallery space; a new bilingual, permanent community history exhibition; a First Nations gallery; a large Detroit River-themed concourse; two large temporary galleries and a programming room; a hands-on interactive space for children; and additional collections storage. “The use of innovative exhibit design promotes other local history attractions and sites through the region using a hub and spoke concept, with the new, expanded space acting as that regional hub for the human and natural history of the Windsor-Essex Region,” the Ontario Historical Society said in news release announcing the award.