Sunday September 26th Culture Days

Many of us may have spent our weekend so far attending events and activities around the city that celebrate Culture Days, which is a nation wide movement to be held every September. This year marked the first official Culture Days and Thunder Bay grabbed hold of the idea with full force. Activities throughout the city included public art displays, exhibits to highlight the history of our region and its industries, dance workshops, film screenings, storytelling at the public library, and much more. If you’ve been missing out, not to worry; there is plenty going on today as well. The traditional teaching lodge and fall ceremony at Chippewa Park features public healing, social singing and sharing and is open to everyone from 9am to 5pm. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is hosting a public art maquette display and a family art event in the afternoon. Students from Lakehead University will be presenting unique earth art projects, and the McNulty Recital Hall will be hosting a special keyboard music workshop led by Harpsichordist Eric Lussier. Finally, local artist, Biljana Baker, will be welcoming you to a watercolour demonstration and tour of her studio in the afternoon. For more information on these events, you can check out the website.

All of the Culture Days events also tie in to the Inspire Thunder Bay Culture Plan currently being developed and implemented by the City and its partners. This plan aims at fostering a stronger promotion of culture within our community, further cultural development, and making cultural considerations an integral component within the municipal structure. Starting to sound vaguely familiar yet, kind of like the “creative economy” promoted by the likes of Richard Florida? The gist of it is that where you live is just as important a decision as what you do for a living or the people you choose to spend time with. Cities have to market themselves as culturally rich in order to attract new residents. Events such as Culture Days serve to promote the beauty of our city outside of the everyday activities that are so easy to neglect amidst the demands of work and family.

Did you know that a good public library system is one of the most attractive qualities for individuals considering a move to a new city? Granted, I may be slightly biased in this belief, but Thunder Bay has an exceedingly committed and dedicated public library. It also has a rich cultural history within the city. If you haven’t taken the time yet, look up the next time you’re in the Brodie Resource Library and admire the stained glass author portraits that were originally installed in 1912. Or check out our website to get updates on the new Mary J. L. Black Branch Library, which will feature a local art installation and an expansion of services we can offer to the community.

The cultural history of Thunder Bay can be tracked through the collections of the Thunder Bay Public Library, the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum, the local branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, the City Archives, and many other organizations throughout the city.

Jesse Roberts, Head of Reference Services