How Unique We Still Are exhibit

It was an honour to be the exhibit designer for the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic’s new exhibit called “Ta’n me’j Tel-keknuo’ltiek” (How Unique We Still Are). It opened this week.

This exhibit “conveys the many ways Mi’kmaw people today are connected to the lands, and especially the waters, of Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. The Mi’kmaq continue to sprout from this land, to be nourished by these waters, to defend their inherent rights, and to respect treaty relationships with others in this place.”

As with all exhibit projects, this was a collaborative effort. The exhibit development team included Maritime Museum and Nova Scotia Museum researchers, interpreters, curators, and preparators as well as freelance consultants including Selina Kemp (researcher, guest curator, writer) and Aaron Googoo (brand development, marketing material design, and culturally appropriate image creation). As members of the Mi’kmaw community Selina and Aaron ensured that the exhibits content and messages where in keeping with their cultural values. AV wizard Nick Iwaskow created an animated multi-sensory forest scene visitors will walk through at the exhibits main entrance which he designed using illustrated elements created by Aaron.

The exhibit is the first completely trilingual exhibit produced by the Maritime Museum. The Museum’s commitment to telling stories in more inclusive ways is a practice that makes us all more aware of the diversity in our communities and histories.

Thank you to Gerry Lunn who shepherded this complex project through the translations and the coordination of the many contributions of a multi-disciplined team.

It was heartwarming to see the reaction of the Mi’kmaw elders who lead the smudging ceremony this past Tuesday. Seeing they were happy with the way their story was presented is why I really love this kind of work.

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