GREENWOOD CENTRE FOR LIVING HISTORY SPRING NEWSLETTER 2013 Annual General Meeting Sunday April 28, 2:00pm St. Mary’s Church Hall, Hudson, Quebec Guest Speaker: Heather Darche, historian, curator and manager of QAHN’s “100 Significant Objects” project Director’s Message Happy Spring to all of you. The Greenwood Centre for Living History is celebrating sixteen years this season. We continue to flourish and find new initiatives, thanks to our wonderful Board and volun - teers. We are proud of what we have accomplished over the last few years, and have some exciting plans for this season. Our theme, Conservation and Preservation: A Future for Our Past will be introduced at our Annual General Meeting on Sunday, April 28th. A brief business meeting will be followed by a guest speaker. The Kitchen Ceilidh will once again welcome you with their special sound, and, of course, there will be cake! Please join us! Heather Darche, our guest speaker, is in charge of a QAHN project entitled “ 100 Significant Objects ”. Museums, historical societies and other community organizations such as ourselves throughout Quebec have submitted stories about 100 objects that collectively create an online portrait of the culture of Quebec’s diverse English speaking communities, past and present. Greenwood’s contribution to this project is the wedding dress of Mary Cecelia Delesderniers, which she wore when she was married to Robert Ward Shepherd at St. James Church in 1847. Heather will show photos of some of these special “100 Significant Objects”, and talk about their place in our history. It promises to be a very interesting afternoon. Over the past five or six years, we have directed a portion of our proceeds from events to “conser - vation”, and launched an Adopt an Artifact ” programme towards this end. As a result, we now have a considerable number of items at Greenwood which have been conserved to museum standards. This season, we will highlight those items, and encourage our members and our visitors to work with us towards future plans for the preservation of this very special historic home and its contents. Delesderniers Wedding Dress We hope you will join us in this endeavour, and make Greenwood a place to visit this summer. photo-Rachel Garber Audrey Wall, Executive Director 100objects.QAHN.org Audrey Wall with Her Excellency Sharon Johnston at Rideau Hall, Bill Young, Greenwood’s first Executive Director, receives Governor General’s Literary Awards Gala, Nov 28,2012 the Queen’s Jubilee Medal from MP Jamie Nicholls, Dec.7, 2012 254 Main Road, Hudson, Quebec, Canada J0P 1H0 tel- (450) 458-5396 fax- (450) 458-5801 email- [email protected] www.greenwood-centre-hudson.org has been short-listed for the Trillium Book Award and received StoryFest! 2013 the Harbourfront Festival Prize. Prepare to be enthralled as StoryFest 2013 is shaping up to be a And to conclude our powerful season, StoryFest 2013 is thrilled winner once again! Our year begins with a pre-season event on to host iconic Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, winner of May 26th. We are delighted to host Nancy Richler , finalist for multiple prestigious awards including the Man Booker, Giller, the 2012 Giller prize. Her book The Imposter Bride set soon five GG Awards, and was made an Officer of the Order of after WWII, describes the Jewish community of N.D.G., the same Canada in 1988. His latest novel is The Cat’s Table . How for - area in which Nancy tunate we are to have such an exciting line-up for 2013. grew up. This community has been well docu - mented by another Rich - Springtime at the Movies ler in a very different On June 3, Greenwood will once again signal the arrival of sum - way. Interestingly, the mer by screening a current film at Village Theatre, and follow - grandfathers of these two ing up with an informal Q and A. As we go to press we have yet writers were brothers. to settle on our final choice - so rich is the pool of film possi - The Imposter Bride is bilities. All we can say here is that it will be GREAT! We will Richler’s third novel. As formally announce our selection at the Annual General Meet - Nancy explains, “In all ing. But book the date now - June 3 - and prepare to settle in for my writing I explore the an exciting time at the movies! slipperiness of morality and identity in the face of extreme loss and threat, Volunteer Activities though the settings and circumstances change Our dedicated volunteers are invited to afternoon tea at with each novel.” Nancy Greenwood on Wednesday, May 8 at 3:00 pm where Audrey is again living in Mon - will announce our exciting plans for the coming season! At treal after spending this time, everyone can sign up for a favourite activity or be - twenty-five years in Vancouver and we hope you take this op - come involved in a new area of interest. portunity to meet her. Spring Work Bee You are needed! If you can spare a half-day for Greenwood Hudson native Lorne Elliot opens StoryFest on the first day of on Saturday, May 11, we would love to have you! There will October. As well as being a humorist, storyteller and musician, be a job to suit all skill levels and interests including garden - Lorne is also a playwright and author, a Renaissance man indeed! ing, painting, washing, dusting, cleaning, all things necessary And so the list continues…. to get ready for our sixteenth season! Please phone Green - wood at 450-458-5396 if you can lend a hand. Award winning Newfoundland writer and poet, Michael Crum - mey attracted much attention with his novel Galore , shortlisted Members Day for the 2011 IMPAC prize. He has just released Under the Keel , his first book of poetry in a decade. Emma Donoghue ’s Room We are constantly awed by those who see and value Greenwood garnered a spot on both the Man Booker and the Orange Prize as the jewel it is and who continue to support us. To recognize shortlist in 2010 and has just published Away , a book of short the importance of their role, we celebrate Members Day where stories focusing on the immigrant experience. Helen we welcome our members to Greenwood and take the opportu - Humphreys ’ Coventry was chosen as one of the top 100 books of nity to thank them for all their help. The 2013 Members Day the year by the Globe and Mail. Her novel The Lost Garden was Event will take place on Sunday, July 7 from 3:30-5:30 pm. We a Canada Reads selection for 2003. Charles Foran wrote the de - will be very proud to show you our newly decorated dining finitive portrait of Canada’s most provocative writer, Mordecai room and to enlarge upon the theme for this season, Conserva - Richler, titled Mordecai: The Life & Times for which he won the tion and Preservation: A Future for Our Past . Please mark this Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2011. date in your calendar and enjoy the afternoon with us. Theatre Panache will produce a workshop version of Bonnie Laing ’s new play The Cottage , set in the Laurentians and span - Treasures in the Attic ning the years 1970 to 2000. Each performance will end with a Auction Items Needed !! “talk back” with the playwright, director and actors. What a won - We are seeking items for both our silent and live auctions for derful opportunity to gain insight into the creative theatre process. Treasures in the Attic which will be held on Saturday, Septem - ber 14. We have space in the Greenwood garage and items can In addition is Linda Spalding , winner of the 2012 Governor be picked up or dropped off here. Tax receipts can be given General’s Award for fiction for her novel, The Purchase. She for items of value. Conservation Adopt an Artifact Greenwood houses a unique collection of furniture, art, textiles Greenwood’s Adopt an and a variety of decorative objects. It is the charm of these fam - Artifact program offers ily heirlooms, on show in their historic setting that adds a special donors two ways to warmth and character to the house. However, unlike a museum, contribute to the we are limited in our ability to control the environment, there - restoration and preser - fore we must practice both Preventative and Remedial Conser - vation of our many vation. treasures: choose an in - dividual piece or join a Preventative Conservation slows down the deterioration of an group in the conserva - object by measuring and controlling humidity and light, main - tion of a major work. taining good housekeeping practices, storing to archival stan - dards and rotating the display of fragile items. We strive for a The next item up for delicate balance while allowing visitors to enjoy their experience. adoption is this charm - ing 1908 pastel by Remedial Conservation requires that we employ professional renowned Canadian conservators to clean and repair damage, thus slowing down de - artist Robert Harris, en - terioration. This is a lengthy and expensive process and it is titled “Young Girl”. As thanks to the continued interest and generosity of our members part of the work’s that we move forward. preservation, the cedar backing must be removed and the portrait cleaned professionally. It will be re-framed using UV resistant Work in progress: glass and an acid free backing. This unique portrait is just one of a long list of Greenwood treas - ures we dearly hope to preserve for the enjoyment of visitors today and in the years to come.