The Canadian Canoe Museum launches new 'Builders in Residence' Program, welcoming canoe and kayak builders from across Canada
Inspiring new initiative brings expert canoe and kayak builders and makers to the Museum to celebrate craft, culture, and connection
PETERBOROUGH, ON, April 24, 2025 /CNW/ - The Canadian Canoe Museum is proud to announce its Builders in Residence Program: a new initiative inviting contemporary builders from across the country to carry out a canoe or kayak build at the Museum. Through demonstrations, clinics, and storytelling, this program offers visitors near and far a rare opportunity to watch a canoe or kayak take shape before their eyes and to meet the experts who make them.
The Canadian Canoe Museum opened the doors of its new location in May 2024 along the shores of Little Lake in Peterborough, Ontario. The Museum has seen incredible success since its reopening, welcoming more than 50,000 visitors in less than a year. Visitors from across Canada and beyond have connected with the Museum's watercraft collection, the largest of its kind in the world, through interactive exhibits, outdoor adventures, and unique experiential programming, filling the Museum and its campus with vibrant activity like never before.
The programming offered by the Museum weaves together the watercraft collection, which has been recognized as a cultural asset of national significance, with educational initiatives, national outreach, and meaningful work with Indigenous Peoples and people of all backgrounds. The Museum's Builders in Residence Program is one of the many offerings that the Museum is proud to launch.
"We are so excited to offer visitors yet another valuable way to connect with the collection and canoe and kayak builders, ensuring these traditions and skills remain vibrant," said Carolyn Hyslop, Executive Director of The Canadian Canoe Museum. "The Builders in Residence Program builds on our commitment to foster collaborative relationships with Indigenous Peoples, amplify diverse and contemporary voices, and create new opportunities for these remarkable people to share and be recognized for their skills and knowledge."
In 2025, the Builders in Residence Program will bring four exceptional builders and makers to the Museum's Dalglish Family Living Traditions Centre. Each will bring a unique perspective to their methods—drawing from intergenerational knowledge and accomplished careers.
"The Builders in Residence Program is a natural extension of the strong relationships we've built with canoe and kayak builders across the country," said Jeremy Ward, Curator at The Canadian Canoe Museum. "It offers a powerful way to honour the cultural histories and technical achievements held within the collection by bringing them to life through hands-on learning and storytelling."
The Museum will also produce a series of mini-documentaries highlighting each builder's process, stories, and approach to their work. These videos will be shared online, allowing enthusiasts worldwide to learn and be inspired by the builders and makers featured in the program.
2025 Builders in Residence line-up:
May – Headwaters Canoes (Wakefield, QC)
Jamie Bartle of Headwaters Canoes will demonstrate the building of a wood and canvas canoe and provide clinics on the techniques of key construction stages. The completed canoe will be used in the Museum's on-water program fleet.
June – Pinock (Kitigan Zibi First Nation, QC)
Pinock will construct an Algonquin-style birch bark canoe and assist with the development of a school program related to Algonquin bark canoe construction.
July – Helen Pelletier (Fort William First Nation, ON)
Artist Helen Pelletier will teach and demonstrate the art of birch bark basket-making, etching, and moccasin-making.
October – Qajakkut Society (Iqaluit, NU)
Senior members of the Qajakkut Society will build south Baffin-style qajaak (two kayaks) and share their knowledge and paddling skills through lessons and programs. These qajaak will also be used in the Museum's on-water program fleet.
The Qajakkut Society's residency is proudly supported by the Dalglish Family Foundation.
"Canadians can be proud of their country's rich history of canoe building. Our family is delighted to support the Qajakkut Society as they bring these traditions to life. Their watercraft tell a story and help us understand where we come from and what their use means to our great nation," said Geordie Dalglish, Dalglish Family Foundation.
The Dalglish Family Foundation is a transformational supporter of the new museum's ' Inspiring Canada by Canoe ' capital campaign. This Foundation is once again stepping forward to support this signature program. The Canadian Canoe Museum is grateful to the Dalglish Family Foundation for their ongoing support.
To see our image library or to find more information on the Builders in Residence Program, visit canoemuseum.ca/builders-in-residence.
About the Canadian Canoe Museum (www.canoemuseum.ca)
Located on the Traditional Territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations in Peterborough, Ontario, The Canadian Canoe Museum is home to the world's largest and most significant collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddled watercraft. For over 25 years, the Museum has stewarded more than 650 watercraft, sharing the stories behind this extraordinary collection. Now housed in a stunning new facility along the water's edge at 2077 Ashburnham Drive, Peterborough, the Museum offers immersive indoor and outdoor experiences that connect visitors to the land, water, and one another, all through the unique lens of the canoe. Recognized internationally, the Museum has been named one of National Geographic 's Best of the World 2024 cultural destinations and featured alongside its neighbouring attractions on the Trent-Severn Waterway in the New York Times ' "52 Places to Go in 2025".
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