Featured Exhibit

2024

Dryden Flashback

Community Living Creates

The Dryden & District Museum is coming together with Dryden and Sioux Lookout Community Living to bring you: Community Living Creates.

Science North: Indigenous Ingenuity

"This exhibition present

s a clever and novel mix of science and culture intended to stir a sense of pride among First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities and celebrate the diversity, interconnectedness, and resourceful ways of knowing and being, that Indigenous knowledge and innovations provide in the global community." - Science North

See where this exhibit is now by visiting: https://www.sciencenorth.ca/exhibits/indigenous-ingenuity

Air Ontario Flight 1363: Incident, Response, Impact

Dryden Ontario was witness to a tragedy on March 10th, 1989. Air Ontario Flight 1363 took off from the Dryden Municipal Airport and crashed within minutes. This tragedy took the lives of 24 individuals, changed the lives of the survivors and shook the small town. 

This exhibit provided the chance to understand what really happened that day that caused the aircraft to go down, how the town came together to respond, and how this incident changed the future of aviation safety. 

The Dryden Artists Association: Fireside

Snow falling outside your window, warm cup of cocoa, a cozy chair and a fire going. Join us from December 1st 2023 - February 16th to view art inspired by the fireside. The Dryden Artists Association is a collection of local artist creating in a variety of mediums who gather monthly to inspire and encourage one another. This exhibit features the work of several members. 

Programming related to this exhibit will be happening throughout the December, January and February, view the Museum Events page or our Facebook page for more details.

To book a school tour call (807)-223-4671 or email mwalter@dryden.ca

2023

Making Modern: The 1940s - 1960s

How did we get to where we are now? The style and design of a lot of every day items came from the Mid-Century Modern style. Changes in the home, with vehicles and more were explored in this exhibit from September 18th to November 17th. 

Miijim: Traditional Foods of the Lake of the Woods Anishinaabeg  

From the Kenora Lake of the Woods Museum/MUSE comes Miijim. Miijim means food in Anishinaabemowin. THis exhibit explored the ins and outs of food and materials produced alongside food and their uses from medicines to crafts. This exhibit and associated programming was made possible with funding from the Government of Canada and The Dryden Trailblazer Tourism Association.

Visitors were able to view this exhibit from June 12th until September 1st.

Picture Cards, Postal Cards, Postcards

From April 13th to May 26th postcards were all we could talk about at the Dryden & District Museum 

This exhibit was paired with a linoleum block

 printing workshop hosted by Willene Moffatt and a calligraphy workshop by Lucille Ayers. 

Wilderness Within

Artist Jennifer Caie's view of Northwestern Ontario came alive in this exhibit allowing visitors to experience the wild outdoors through acrylic paint. 

This exhibit was hosted from February 4th to March 31st.

Featured Exhibit

The Power of Water: Hydroelectricity

From November 16th, 2022 into January of 2023 visitors had the opportunity to discover the power of water! From learning how naturally running water is harnessed and used to create the power that runs our world to when it came to Dryden and the impact it had in Northwestern Ontario, visitors were able to see hydropower in a holistic light.

Just Breathe...The Dryden Artist Association annual exhibit

From September 16th to October 26th the Dryden & District Museum hosted a collaborative exhibition that featured a collection of art works by local artists! From watercolour to sculpture this group uses a range of mediums to create a welcoming, reflective, and calming experience at the Dryden & District Museum.

My Story, My Tattoo

“My Story, My Tattoo” was a traveling exhibit from the Wellington County Museum and Archives. It used photographs by photographer Chris Piccinetti, audio, and video stations to show the stories behind the tattoos a person chooses to put on their body. The exhibit looked at a range of stories from cancer survivors to teachers.

The Coven Tattoo Parlour and Soulless Tattoo Studio in Dryden loaned a variety of items including ink, and tattoo machines to give more insight into the tattooing process.

This exhibit was open from July 17th, 2022 to August 31st, 2022.

Keep It Hanging Around - Museum Advisory Board Fundraiser

The 2022 Keep it Hanging Around fundraiser held from June 7^th to June 18^th, accepted over 200 art and wall decor donations from residents in Dryden & the surrounding area to be auctioned off. This event raises funds for the Museum to provide care for the collection, create programming, and bring in exciting new exhibits. 

Inspired

"Inspired" featured recent art works by the Dryden Artists' Association. This exhibit was on display at the Dryden & District Museum from Friday, October 1st to Friday, November 12th. Artwork is created in a variety of mediums and are created with inspiration from places, people, photographs, and memories. 

At the Movies

“At the Movies” explored the history of motion picture technology and the theatres that brought the movie magic to their screens featuring photographs and artifacts from the Dryden & District Museum's permanent collection.

A Stitch in Time

"A Stitch in Time" was an exciting new partnership between the Dryden & District Museum and the Sunset Country Quilters Guild, featuring quilts and quilted wall hangings created by the talent Guild members from Dryden and the surrounding area.

It's All Relative: The Dryden Artists' Association Annual Exhibit

The annual exhibit by The Dryden Artists’ Association, “It’s All Relative: featuring recent works by artists of The Dryden Artists’ Association”, included the popular “Art Quilt”, introduced at last year’s exhibition, along with individual pieces inspired by living in the time of COVID-19, and even some artwork by the artists’ relatives.

The Mystery and the Marvel: White Otter Castle

This exhibit was on loan to the Museum from The Friends of White Otter Castle. The exhibit shared the history of White Otter Castle and the man behind this unique structure. 

There’s No Place Like Home

This exhibit explored the evolution of architectural house styles in Dryden, from the log house to the ranch home, using photographs from the Dryden & District Museum Photograph Collection. These photographs also showed how societal changes influenced Canadian architecture over the last century. 

Working Together and Returning History: Archaeological Digs in Treaty #3

This exhibit explored the history of the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung traditional burial grounds and how artifacts that were removed in the 1950s to 1970s have been repatriated back to Rainy River First Nations. This process is compared to the collaboration which has been happening between Eagle Lake First Nations and an archaeologist, who are working together and have been doing archaeological digs in 2018 and 2019. 

Enslaved Africans in Upper Canada

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada, the Dryden & District Museum had a travelling exhibit from the Archives of Ontario, Enslaved Africans in Upper Canada, which discusses a part of Canadian history not often discussed. This exhibit talks about the lives of enslaved Africans and the actions that were taken to resist their servitude.

Service and Sacrifice

"Service and Sacrifice: Dryden’s contribution during wartime in the 20th century” is an overview of the military history of Dryden and the surrounding area. This exhibit was an overview of the military history of Dryden and the surrounding area.

The Dryden & District Museum created an exhibit that featured the local contributions, both overseas and at home, during the First and Second War World, and the Korean War, while considering the larger context of the wars in Canadian history and Canada’s identity. We also discussed the significance of remembrance.

Inside Out: Objects en Masse

“Inside Out: Objects en Masse”, gave us the opportunity to display artifacts and archival material such as clocks, telephones, maps, photographs, and more from our permanent collection.

We used the gallery space to create mini exhibits:

What’s in your smartphone?

Time and Space

Inside the Mill

Prints and Patterns

Making a Home: Early Women of Dryden

“Making a Home: Early Women of Dryden” shares stories about settler women who helped build Dryden and district’s sense of community. This exhibit looks at the first 50 years of Dryden’s settlement and highlights some of the women who were homesteaders, business women, teachers, and more. 

Seen with my eyes, captured through my lens

The Dryden & District Museum was excited to exhibit the work of local photographer, Eliana Wittwer. The exhibit “Seen with my eyes, captured through my lens” displayed photographs taken during Eliana's travels, local flora and fauna, and portraits.

Fibre Content 2018

The Dryden & District Museum hosedt the Fibrations’ Winter 2018 travelling exhibit, titled “Fibre Content 2018”. 

This traveling exhibit included textiles, quilts and clothing items that have been made by fibre artists, along with textiles from the Museum’s permanent collection. 

Medical History

The Dryden & District Museum hosted the travelling exhibits: The Promotion of Healthy Living and Medical Records in Ontario from the Archives of Ontario. The Museum also featured local medical history, such as early doctors in Dryden and the history of the hospitals. 

Sunday in the Park

This exhibit was designed by museum staff and features photographs from Dryden community picnics will be on display, as well as artifacts from the collection relating to outdoor summer gatherings. The Museum has also worked with local naturalists to provide information and photographs of birds found in the area.

Open Roads Fine Arts Program: This is Us

This is Us featured artwork by students in the Open Roads Fine Arts Program. Students in grade 6, 7, and 8 created artwork that features local landscapes, reflect the Grandfather teachings of Ojibway culture, self-portraits, and other art that reflect the students' lives, experiences and interests. 

We Were Taught Differently: The Indian Residential School Exhibit

The travelling exhibit, “We Were Taught Differently: The Indian Residential School Experience” from the Lake of the Woods Museum, was on display from September 30th to November 17th.

This exhibit examined the Indian residential school experience and included the six schools in Treaty #3. It featured powerful photographs, archival material, and personal recollections from residential school survivors. 

Pioneer Days: When We Were Young

To celebrate Canada 150, we wanted to celebrate their early history and role in the making of Canada. This exhibit featured artifacts that have not been on display before such as a seed cleaner, school desks, and a replica water pump. The story of the First Nations Peoples was shared, as well as the story of the first pioneer. On display from July 1st to September 21st. 

Hometown Proud: Hockey History of Dryden

The DREAM Committee asked the museum to help celebrate Hometown Proud Month in July with an exhibit about the Hockey History in Dryden. The Dryden Minor Hockey Association provided a list of everyone who played for them and where their hockey career led them over time. Biographies of local hockey heroes were featured. On display from July 1st to September 21st.