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In The News
Below are news articles written about exhibitions, events or goings-on at the
Dundas Museum & Archives!
If you have an article you think should be included, feel free to email us at admin@dundasmuseum.ca
2024
April 27, 2024
Here come the brides, The Hamilton Spectator.
“…This beautifully organized and presented exhibition offers about 25 wedding dresses that were worn mostly by local brides from 1815 to 1969. One of the interesting things about historical women’s clothes is how small some of the wearers were.
The dresses, and mementoes that include gloves, wedding photos and wedding china, belong to the museum’s permanent collection. What is on show is about a third of the wedding dresses in the collection, says Austin Strutt, exhibitions curator. The museum also has an excellent collection of other historical clothes…”
March 19, 2024
Heritage in miniature: ‘Lego Dundas’ exhibition celebrates historic architecture of the former town, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Call it a case of “Honey, I shrunk the building.”
A little over a year ago, Rankin MacGillivray, 54, was walking by the old Dundas Town Hall on Main Street and thought to himself: “I can build that.”…
It would be the start of a celebration in miniature of local architectural heritage more broadly that would blossom into an exhibition at the Dundas Museum and Archives which is ongoing until June 15.”
2023
December 23, 2023
Art in the open at Dundas Museum, The Hamilton Spectator
“Fifty paintings by 16 artists from the Monday Painters are on display at the Dundas Museum and Archives. The group came to life about 25 years ago to paint outdoors. They were inspired by the late Catherine Gibbon, one of this area’s leading landscape artists. She always painted outside — rain or shine — or snow. About 30 painters belong to this group now.”
September 20, 2023
Historical Stereotypes Challenged in Reconstruction of Haudenosaunee Armour, The Turtle Island News.
“A Six Nations man’s reconstruction of 400-year-old Haudenosaunee armour speaks back to stereotypes and is challenging how we engage with history. Malcolm Kahyonhakonh Powless-Lynes is a 28-year-old blacksmith and craftsman from Six Nations of the Grand River whose creative work is now featured in an exhibit which opened Thursday (August 31) at the Dundas Museum. For over four years, he has worked on breathing new life into the hidden history of Haudenosaunee warriors who guarded their communities across the Eastern Woodlands.”
August 29, 2023
Six Nations man completes 4-year project to recreate 400-year-old Iroquoian warrior armour, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Dundas Museum exhibition features forgotten pre-colonial protective outfit recreated by 28-year-old Malcolm Kahyonhakonh Powless-Lynes.”
August 5, 2023
Picone Fine Food story told in museum exhibit, Dundas Star News.
“An 1880s cast-iron pot-bellied stove highlights a Dundas Museum and Archives exhibit celebrating the 100th birthday of John Picone Sr., son of the man who founded Picone Fine Food in 1915.”
June 27, 2023
New exhibition at the Dundas Museum remembers the rise and fall of the Desjardins, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Back in March, I wrote about the Desjardins Canal, the ill-fated shipping route through Cootes Paradise from the 1800s that some believe was cursed.
Today, we look at a new exhibition about the canal at the Dundas Museum that does a fabulous job of capturing the story with displays of relics, documents, old photographs and paintings.”
June 16, 2023
The Ragin’ Canawl!: Dundas Museum exhibition tells Desjardins Canal story, Dundas Star News.
“From industry and opulence, drownings and disasters to slimy lake monsters and slimier politicians, take a voyage into the history of Desjardins Canal at Dundas Museum and Archives exhibition: “The Ragin’ Canawl! An authentic history of the Desjardins Canal and the Port of Dundas.”” Read more…
June 12, 2023
Karen Logan’s paintings celebrate the impressive variety of local species, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Hamilton is fortunate to have one of the highest numbers of species biodiversity in the country, and most people don’t know it,” says Karen Logan.
The Hamilton artist is trying to change that, one painting at a time.” Read more…
May 12, 2023
Bringing History to Life, McMaster University.
Those who think learning about history is confined to libraries and classrooms never took History 4HP3.
A fourth-year course, 4HP3 is all about getting students involved in public history – that is, history outside of a classroom or academic context. Through placements with museums, historic preservation groups, archives, and other community entities, students work on real-life projects and learn first-hand what kinds of careers are available once they’ve graduated.” Read more…
April 20, 2023
Dundas museum presents Two Stacks honouring Sophia Burthen Pooley, Dundas Star News.
The Dundas Museum & Archives presents Two Stacks: An Honouring of Sophia Burthen (Pooley), an art exhibition facilitated by Andrew Hunter, in co-operation with the Slavery North Initiative at University Massachusetts Amherst. Read more…
March 14, 2023
‘Valley of the Dolls’ exhibition ranges from the cuddly to the creepy, The Hamilton Spectator.
Welcome to the strange world of the Dundas dolls that have been suddenly released from archival captivity after 20 years. Read more…
January 12, 2023
Dundas Winterblooms exhibitions return to three Valley Town institutions, Dundas Star News.
“Winterblooms returns to three Dundas locations, after a two-year hiatus, Jan. 26 to 29, celebrating art, artifacts and flowers — while bringing a little colour and fun to winter.
Dundas Valley School of Art, Carnegie Gallery and Dundas Museum & Archives collaborate for a walking tour of free exhibitions featuring original artwork and precious artifacts, accompanied by floral arrangements that take inspiration from a paired work of art.” Read more…
2022
December 20, 2022
Dundas Model Aircraft Club founder taught kids to reach for the sky, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Wilfred “Wilf” Weisensee founded the club at a time when ‘people had to make their own entertainment,’ Mark McNeil writes.
Back in the late 1950s and 1960s, eager youngsters learned the fundamentals of flight, and a few lessons of life, in a field west of Olympic Drive in Dundas.
They’d climb a sandy ridge, maybe 30 feet in height, which was the perfect launching area to test their fragile model airplane gliders made from balsa wood, tissue paper and glue.” Read more…
December 10, 2022
Dundas Museum captures magic of Dundas Model Aircraft Club, Dundas Star News.
“A Dundas Museum & Archives exhibition captures the magic of the Dundas Model Aircraft Club in a current community curated exhibit, according to Monica Grubisa, daughter of the club’s founder.” Read more…
November 4, 2022
Ontario Museum Association welcomes museum professionals back to an in-person conference in Hamilton, ON, Globe Newswire.
“On Monday November 7, 2022 the Ontario Museum Association (OMA) will be welcoming more than 300 museum professionals and cultural leaders to the OMA Annual Conference 2022 in Hamilton… Study Tours on November 8 will showcase Hamilton Civic Museums and the Dundas Museum & Archives and their dynamic work, especially in this time of recovery.” Read more…
October 18, 2022
Dundas history comes alive in glass negative photo show, The Hamilton Spectator.
“They say every picture tells a story, but sometimes a photo can tell multiple stories if it is wide-angled and clear enough.
So is the case with a fascinating new exhibit of historic Dundas scenes from glass negatives at the Dundas Museum and Archives.
The negatives from the 1850s to the 1930s are sometimes badly scratched and damaged but they still pass on an astounding amount of detail in the displayed poster prints. Not only is the clarity and sharpness remarkable, but the images tend to have a wide depth of field showing interesting scenery and people outside the main focus. The images almost transport you back through time.” Read more…
August 28, 2022
Five things about Dundas 175: What Dundas Means to Me at Dundas Museum, Dundas Star News.
“Time is running out on the Dundas Museum & Archives exhibition on Dundas’ 175th anniversary of incorporation. Here are five things to know about the display marking the Valley Town’s Demisemiseptcentennial.” Read more…
April 1, 2022
Dundas is turning 175 and you’re invited to help celebrate, Dundas Star News.
This year marks the 175th anniversary of the Incorporation of Dundas as a town. To celebrate, the Dundas Museum & Archives is organizing a special exhibition in which members of the community can participate.
Inspired by the 1984 book, ‘What Dundas Means to Me’ by Phyllis Kraemer, organizers are asking individuals, businesses and organizations to submit pictures and quotations that represent their experiences of life in the Valley town. These submissions will be included in an exhibit alongside historical images and artifacts to form a collage of Dundas history, past and present.”
2021
Currently, we do not have many news articles for 2021! With our regular events cancelled and lockdown measures limiting our communities’ access to the Museum, our team worked diligently in 2021 on digitizing our collection and creating online content you can access from home. Visit our current DMA at Home page! Click here to submit your stories about the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns.
April 28, 2021
Students collaborate with the Dundas Museum to design historical walking tours, McMaster University Daily News.
“In the Cross-Melville District of Dundas there are a collection of homes with unique character and distinguishing features including the large size of the lots, some ranging up to 60 feet and depths of 120 feet. These homes once housed many prominent members of the Dundas community.
This is an excerpt from one of three Dundas Museum walking tour guides co-created by McMaster’s own history students.
As part of a fourth year Humanities practicum course, students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in public history through a work placement, such as the collaboration with the Dundas Museum.” Read more…
2020
April 8, 2020
Dundas Museum & Routes Youth Centre staff adapt to working from home during coronavirus crisis, Dundas Star News.
“Dundas Museum archivist Sandra Kiemele suggested people working from home at this challenging time should take it easy on themselves. “Just be good to yourself,” she said. “Don’t think you’re not doing enough work. You probably are.”
Kiemele’s colleague and museum general manager, Kevin Puddister, recognizes life is happening all around him, with his wife and two young children all steps away from his new workspace. He’s accepted he can let that in. “You can’t focus on work all the time,” Puddister said.” Read more…
February 12, 2020
A toast to Dundas, The Hamilton Spectator.
“If you were looking for a drink in the 19th century, the place you wanted to be was Dundas.
Back in those days there were nearly 30 hotels and bars…
The history of watering holes in Dundas is the subject of a “Tavern Tales” talk on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dundas Museum and Archives. Austin Strutt, who is exhibitions co-ordinator for the museum, is giving the presentation.”
2019
October 15, 2019
“Wish You Were Here” exhibit presents more than a century of Dundas postcards, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Dundas Museum and Archives show offers glimpse of bygone days in the Valley Town”
May 02, 2019
Dundas Museum seeks artifacts for ‘Tavern Town’ exhibition, Dundas Star News.
“It’s nearing “last call” for community contributions to the Dundas Museum & Archives’ upcoming exhibition Tavern Town: Dundas on Tap, tracing the role beer, brewing, hotels, saloons and taverns played in the history, and development, of Dundas.
Exhibitions co-ordinator Austin Strutt put out the call for artifacts relating to the brewing and consumption of alcohol in the Valley Town — including photos, memorabilia, brewing tools and advertisements for the bars, clubs, hotels and taverns of Dundas.”
March 8, 2019
Dundas Central School students learn “Who was Hazel Layden?, Dundas Star News.
“Whether it’s 1918 or 101 years later, how a community can come together to help each other may be the biggest lesson from Robert Bell’s Dundas Central School Grade 5/6 class project that found out who Hazel Layden was.
Bell approached Dundas Museum and Archives education director Anna Patterson with a challenge — could they find a Dundas child, perhaps a Central Public School student, affected by the Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1918, to personalize history with a real story for the students and give them a historic puzzle to help put together.” Read more…
2018
October 19, 2018
Dundas Museum exhibition tells story of Growing Up In Dundas, Dundas Star News.
“Growing Up In Dundas, the newest exhibition at the Dundas Museum and Archives, uses the museum’s extensive collection of toys and dolls to help illustrate a history of different childhoods in the Valley Town.
While much of the museum’s extensive toy and doll collection features Victorian-era items from more well-to-do families, there are also examples of more typical and unique items. The exhibition also provides some insight into what life was really like for children in Dundas from the late 1700s to the early 1900s and into the 1950s.” Read more…
August 31, 2018
Dundas Museum launches new programs, Dundas Star News.
“The Dundas Museum and Archives is introducing two new programs that are designed to bring the town’s history to a wider audience.
Kevin Puddister, the museum’s general manager and curator, will talk about these new features at the Dundas Valley Historical Society’s meeting on Sept. 13 at 7:30 pm at the museum.
Titled “Making Dundas History Visible and Accessible”, the presentation will detail the Dundas Heritage Information Panel Project and a new interactive website tool called “Discover Your Historical Dundas.”
“We’re always looking for new ways and partners to help us bring Dundas history to a wider audience,” said Puddister. “These projects are different approaches to doing this.” Read more…
June 29, 2018
Dundas Museum & Archives started showcasing local industrial history in 2017, The Hamilton Spectator.
Two big pieces of Dundas’ industrial heritage that found a new home outside the Dundas Museum & Archives in 2017 were part of the independent local institution’s new effort to better tell the Valley Town’s stories.
Museum president and board chair Russ Powers, along with general manager and curator Kevin Puddister, highlighted the addition of the 1904 punch and shear machine in June last year, and 1930 steam hammer in November — both made in Dundas by Bertram and Sons — during the Friends of the Museum’s annual general meeting on Thursday, June 28. The museum board of directors annual meeting was held earlier the same day.
“We’re telling the story of Dundas — we haven’t done a good enough job telling the story of industry in Dundas. We’re able to tell that story with these … I’ll call them public art pieces,” Powers said.
March 29, 2018
Dundas Student Signatures from 1950 Found in Grightmire Arena, Dundas Star News.
“A “time capsule” containing signatures of students attending Dundas Public School when Dundas’ Grightmire Arena was originally built 68-years ago, was accidentally discovered by crews working on the arena’s ongoing renovation. The pages had been rolled tightly, placed in a glass bottle and hidden inside a wall. The bottle itself was destroyed when workers demolished the west side wall, but the paper remained intact and was passed on from the City of Hamilton’s heritage planning department to the Dundas Museum and Archives. Museum volunteer John Winch, a retired paper preservation specialist who worked at the McMaster University library, was able to carefully unroll and flatten the pages while maintaining their condition.” Read more…
January 10, 2018
Dundas locations, florists and Mohawk collaborate for Winterblooms, Dundas Star News.
“Three prominent Dundas locations — Dundas Valley School of Art, Carnegie Gallery and Dundas Museum and Archives — are collaborating once again with local florists and Mohawk College’s continuing education floral design program to present Winterblooms: A Celebration of Art, Artifacts and Flowers. The four-day event, running from Jan. 25-28, will feature exhibits of original artworks and precious artifacts, accompanied by fresh floral arrangements that take their inspiration from their paired work of art.” Read more…
2017
December 28, 2017
Dundas Museum visitors more than double in last three years, Dundas Star News.
“Visitors to the Dundas Museum and Archives more than doubled in the past three years and jumped by approximately 25 per cent from 2016 to 2017. The Dundas community museum had an increase from 12,369 visitors in 2016 to 15,233 in 2017, as of Dec. 27. That’s a jump of 2,864 visitors — an increase more than half that of all six city-owned museums combined. Dundas museum curator and general manager Kevin Puddister said the facility has “been fortunate to see a steady rise in visitors to the museum each year since reopening in 2013.” Read more…
December 27, 2017
Dundas Museum adds additional piece of Dundas’ industrial history, Dundas Star News.
“Another distinctive piece of Dundas’ industrial history has been added to the front yard of the Dundas Museum and Archives. Park Street West was closed to traffic between Princess and Albert streets Tuesday morning, and interested onlookers gathered at nearby corners, as the nearly 80-year-old, 20-ton steam hammer made at Dundas’ Bertram and Sons factory was craned into place near the museum’s entrance.” Read more…
November 3, 2017
Hamilton faith communities join for Canada 150 Multifaith Celebration, Dundas Star News.
“The Association of Dundas Churches invites residents to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by witnessing faith communities working together.
The Canada 150 Multifaith Celebration tells the story of how the different faith groups have shaped and enriched Canada’s history in Hamilton over the last 150 years.
Representatives from Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Sikh, Jewish and Muslim communities have joined forces to present the celebration.
An opening event and exhibit takes place on Thursday, Nov. 16, from 7-9 p.m. at Dundas Museum and Archives, 139 Park St. W.”
October 19, 2017
Wine and cheese with a side of mystery, Dundas Star News.
“Alex Sweeny (left) and Samantha Green, who play two of the characters in the Dundas Museum and Archives’ Mayhem at the Museum: The 77th Fiasco, try on their costumes. Wine and cheese will be served with a side of mystery on Oct. 26, as participants uncover a murderer lurking in the shadows. Tickets are $30 each or $25 for Friends of the Museum. Costumes are optional. Call 905-627-7412 or email admin@dundasmuseum.ca to book your tickets. | Photo by Alex Sweeny”
October 16, 2017
Dundas’ historic sports legacy helped build community, Dundas Star News.
“Historical society hosts talks on town’s baseball, hockey, soccer. Sports have left — and continue to build — a lasting legacy in Dundas, even for those who don’t directly participate. From the Dundas Real McCoys, who brought the eyes of the nation to the Valley Town when the Sr. A hockey team won the Allan Cup national championship in their home arena and also donate to charity on every game night, and the powerhouse Dundas United Soccer Club of the 1980s — who paid their own way to a national championship final in Victoria while celebrating the camaraderie and skill of the game, to the Dundas Chiefs Baseball Club and little league baseball — who helped build new baseball infrastructure that would introduce future generations to the game, Dundas’ history is filled with fascinating sports stories.” Read more…
September 20, 2017
Dundas museum presents ‘Duty & Glory’, Dundas Star News.
“Dundas Museum and Archives salutes the 77th Wentworth Regiment with an exhibition entitled Duty & Glory. The exhibit will explore the 77th’s influence on the community, and reveal what it would have been like to be a member of the regiment during late 19th century. Luke Stempien, the museum’s collections and exhibitions manager, said Duty & Glory will illuminate a relatively unexplored time when the local militia also served as a vital community group.“ Their efforts altered (Dundas) in a profound way,” he said. “The display challenges visitors to re-examine local cityscapes they pass by daily and see how these spaces have changed.” Read more…
August 8, 2017
The Get Real! Artists Group brings show to Dundas Museum and Archives, Dundas Star News.
“The Get Real! Artists Group, a guild of Canadian realist painters, is bringing a passion for realism to the Dundas Museum and Archives this summer. Artists Nancy Calder, Nicole Dolson, Sandra Murphy, Alan Douglas Ray, and Margit Sampogna are academy-trained painters with a focus on portraiture, landscapes, still life, and wildlife.” Read more…
July 28, 2017
Robert Reginald Whale painted an idyllic past, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Early immigrants and visitors to this area were keen observers of the land. Some of their observations were far from complimentary. But when Robert Reginald Whale recorded his southern Ontario surroundings, he painted idyllic views.” Read more…
June 29, 2017
Longtime Dundas photographer participates in Canada 150 ‘Double Exposure‘, Dundas Star News.
“Exhibit runs at the Carnegie, art school and museum.”
April 07, 2017
An artist blossoms, The Hamilton Spectator.
“Alison Sawatzky is an avid gardener who loves to paint. Her two loves unite in The Glory of the Garden, a gorgeous exhibition at the Dundas Museum and Archives.”
March 29, 2017
Dundas Valley Historical Society speaker traces train history, The Dundas Star.
From 1875 to 1987, Hamilton-based trains served industries in the town of Dundas. They followed a railway right-of-way that ran along Dundas and Hatt Streets up to the base of the escarpment by Bond Street.
March 27, 2017
Dundas Museum cutting edge using technology in education, The Dundas Star.
The Dundas Museum and Archives isn’t just on the cutting edge in using technology to develop educational programs, it appears it’s actually doing the cutting. Read more…
2016
December 7, 2016
Dundas Photography Initiative provides free family portraits, Dundas Star News.
With the support of local businesses and groups, the Dundas Photography Initiative hopes to grow the local Help-Portrait program it launched at the Dundas Museum and Archives, last weekend.
October 30, 2016
Haggo: The art of dressing up, The Hamilton Spectator.
Some people will go to great lengths to stay in style. An exhibition at the Dundas Museum and Archives, Hemlines: The Fashion (R)evolution 1900-1960, offers a look at how fashionable women — and some men — in Dundas and Hamilton weathered the ups and downs of fashion. Read more…
September 20, 2016
Dundas Museum explores 20th-century fashion through Hemlines show, Dundas Star News.
Featured in Hemlines are more than 40 outfits – for both women and men – as well as numerous accessories that include purses, shoes, hats and jewelry all representing the various trends that occurred from 1900 to 1960. Read more…
July 20, 2016
Dundas Museum traces the true art of printmaking, Dundas Star News.
“I wanted to show printmaking is a form of art. It was going on 500 years ago – and it’s still going on in Dundas today.” The art form represented in the exhibition involves the intricate carving, or etching, of wood or other materials to create an image. It’s then covered in ink and “stamped” onto paper.” Read more…
April 8, 2016
‘Eclectic assortment’ helps Dundas museum celebrate 60 years, Dundas Star News.
“An unprecedented 85 community curators helped select the pieces for Dundas Museum and Archives’ 60th anniversary exhibit, Treasures from Our Vault.
“We invited people to tour our vault to get a sense of what we do,” said museum curator Kevin Puddister. “We wanted to connect the community to their collection.”
The result is a display that features an eclectic assortment of objects picked from the museum’s collection by board members, donors, community leaders, business owners and students. Read more…
2015
October 15, 2015
Dundas Museum, Dundas BIA and others team for heritage information panels, Dundas Star News.
The first six in a series of information panels detailing downtown Dundas’ colourful history have found a home along King Street.
August 07, 2015
Landscapes in the Grand Manner, The Hamilton Spectator.
Parallel Destinies, a striking exhibition at the Dundas Museum and Archives, showcases Watson’s landscapes and does this in relation to those of his friend, Carl Ahrens. The exhibition, comprising 67 oils, watercolours and etchings from public and private collections, is a labour of love for Sandu Sindile, its curator. Read more…
2014
August 16, 2014
The view from here, The Hamilton Spectator.
In the late 19th century, Henry Nesbitt McEvoy painted rocks jutting out of the water in Webster’s Falls. True to nature? Yes. But McEvoy, a traditional painter, also wanted to remind viewers of the dangers lurking within nature. If he had wanted to convey a more soothing image, he would have left the rocks out. Read more…
June 30, 2014
A museum runs through it, The Hamilton Spectator.
Dundas has many centuries packed under its greenbelt, carved into the laugh lines on its rock face, and circulating through the veins of its human history.
April 1, 2014
Hockey and history mingle in Dundas Museum, The Hamilton Spectator.
It’s a small display, but it’s dense with history and relevance.
As a prelude to the Allan Cup tournament, which opens at the J.L. Grightmire Market Street Arena in two weeks, the Dundas Museum and Archives – one of this area’s underappreciated little gems – will be the temporary home to the Cup itself until at least next Wednesday. Fans can have their picture taken with the trophy, which will be presented to the senior hockey champions of Canada after the final April 19.” Read more…
Upcoming Events
- Mindfulness & Movement November 16, 2024 9:30 am
- NIA – Born to Move November 18, 2024 9:15 am
- Meditation Group November 18, 2024 6:45 pm
- Mindfulness & Movement November 20, 2024 7:00 pm
Education Programs
Learn more about the community of Dundas with our education programs available for schools, organizations, or large groups.
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