Latest news with #artifacts
CBC
5 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Museum honouring basketball inventor, physiotherapy pioneer at risk, says mayor
A deflated ancestor to the modern basketball sits on a cluttered shelf of artifacts at the Mill of Kintail Museum, a short drive outside Almonte, Ont., where the sport's inventor was born. Both major collections currently housed in the museum — one recognizing the father of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, and another dedicated to a pioneer in the field of physiotherapy, R. Tait McKenzie — could soon be in search of a new home. "We're at risk of losing those collections," said Mayor of Mississippi Mills Christa Lowry. "There's been a lot of talk about elbows up and time to be championing Canadian stories and Canadian icons — and I can't think of two more important icons." Naismith invented basketball while he was working with the YMCA in Massachusetts in 1891. He was also a lifelong friend to McKenzie, a sculptor, surgeon and trailblazer in the field of physiotherapy. McKenzie's life partner and poet Ethel McKenzie is also honoured in the museum. Funding model 'unsustainable' The museum is located on a river outside Almonte in a grist mill that dates to 1830. McKenzie purchased the property in 1931, converting it to a summer home and naming it the Mill of Kintail. Since 1972, the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) has owned the mill and the McKenzie collection. It permanently acquired the Naismith collection in 2017. Just two years later, the Ontario government passed the More Homes, More Choice Act, which clarified the mandate of conservation authorities in the province. As part of the change, the authority lost its ability to raise funding through a municipal levy, according to MVCA property manager Scott Lawryk. "The reality of the situation is nobody has been able to find a concrete solution to the funding model," Lawryk said. "It would be irresponsible for us to just assume that the funding is going to fix itself." Municipalities in the Mississippi Valley watershed are currently supporting the museum on a five-year agreement set to last for another three-and-a-half years. But Lawryk said that deadline is an obstacle to long-term financial planning. "It makes it real difficult to establish a firm plan when that cloud is kind of hanging over our heads," Lawryk said. Mayor blindsided Early last month, the MVCA released an updated strategic plan for the museum that would see the authority divest itself of the Naismith and McKenzie collections and transition the focus of the museum to "the beauty, power and importance of water and watersheds" in an effort to unlock more provincial funding. Lowry said she was caught off guard by the proposal. "Part of what feels like the blindsidedness of this — and where did this come from — is there hasn't been engagement," she said. "There haven't been discussions with ourselves as the municipality as the host of the Mill of Kintail, there haven't been discussions with the broader community." On Tuesday, Mississippi Mills town council voted to request an opportunity for the mayor to appear as a delegate at the next available MVCA board meeting. It also authorized her to seek out potential funding partners "to advocate for the proper care and preservation" of the mill and the collections. "The goal is really to have some conversations, to make sure that the folks around the table at the MVCA board are aware of all the things that we're aware of, because we are so proud of both of these iconic, historical figures," Lowry said. Problem across province Michael Rikley-Lancaster, executive director and curator of the nearby Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, said financial challenges aren't unique to the Mill of Kintail. "We're certainly seeing more and more of that happening throughout the province," said Rikley-Lancaster, who is also president of the Ontario Museum Association. "There's other regions where you're starting to see collections or heritage sectors in their region shutting down, and museums shutting down." When that happens, Rikley-Lancaster said communities lose both an economic driver and access to important local history.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Ukrainian Cultural Village won't open in 2025
The Alberta government confirms the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, east of Edmonton, will not open in 2025. On April 18 a fire burned visitor buildings, including the visitor centre, gallery collections and some artifacts. Travis McEwan has the details of what this means for the village and visitors.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
Investigators search for Native American items stolen decades ago in New Mexico
SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. — The decades-old case file describes a medium-sized bowl crafted at Santa Ana Pueblo more than a century ago. Handed down over generations, this pottery piece adorned with dark red triangles was used for making bread. The bowl is among nearly 150 antiquities stolen from the Native American community's ceremonial village during a series of burglaries that started in the summer of 1984. War shields, traditional clothing, moccasins, willow baskets and woven rugs were taken — all items that would fetch favorable sums given their rarity.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
Egypt reclaims ancient treasures from UK and Germany (PHOTOS)
Egypt has recovered 13 ancient artifacts from the UK and Germany as part of efforts to return illegally exported cultural heritage, the country's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said on Sunday. The ministry said the operation was carried out in coordination with the Foreign Ministry and with the assistance of all three countries. Artifacts from the UK had been seized by the London Metropolitan Police, which confirmed they were smuggled from Egypt through an international antiquities trafficking network. Items returned from Germany followed a notification from Hamburg authorities to the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin, confirming the artifacts had been transported illegally from the North African country. The artifacts have been placed in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir for conservation and restoration work before going on display in a special exhibition. According to officials, the items recovered from Germany include a skull and a hand from an unidentified mummy, as well as an ankh-shaped amulet, the ancient Egyptian symbol for life. The collection from the UK features a green faience vessel, a New Kingdom limestone funerary stela, a small red baboon-shaped amulet, and a small blue faience funerary jar – both dating to the 18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BC). Also returned were part of a bronze crown decorated with a feather, cobra, and ram from a statue of the god Osiris dating to between the 22nd and 26th Dynasties (945-525 BC), a beaded funerary mask from the 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC), and several funerary amulets made of faience and black stone. 'The recovery of this group reflects the commitment of the Egyptian state, with all its institutions, to protect its unique civilizational heritage,' Sherif Fathi, minister of tourism and antiquities, said. He emphasized 'the depth of cooperation and joint coordination in the field of protecting cultural heritage and combating illegal trafficking in cultural property.' The repatriation comes amid broader calls across Africa for the return of cultural treasures. Speaking in Moscow in July, Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas said all artifacts removed from the continent should be repatriated. In June, the Netherlands returned 119 looted objects, including royal regalia and historic plaques, to Nigeria.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
Egypt reclaims 13 artifacts from UK and Germany
LONDON: Egypt announced on Sunday the reclamation of 13 artifacts that ended up in the UK and Germany as part of Cairo's efforts to protect Egyptian heritage and combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property. The ministries of foreign affairs and tourism, in coordination with British and German authorities, recovered the artifacts that date back to different eras of ancient Egyptian civilization. The 10 pieces that arrived in the UK include a limestone funeral plaque, a small amulet, a bronze crown fragment, a beaded funeral mask, and several black stone funeral amulets. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the London Metropolitan Police had confiscated the artifacts after verifying their illegal exit from Egypt via an international network specialized in smuggling antiquities. German authorities in the city of Hamburg informed the ministry of their intention to return several artifacts preserved in the city museum after confirming that these items left Egypt illegally. The three pieces include a skull and a hand from a mummy, as well as an amulet that symbolized life in ancient Egyptian civilization. Egyptian authorities continue to recover smuggled artifacts from various countries and combat the trafficking of such items. Last week, they thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment containing 2,189 ancient pieces at Nuweiba Port in South Sinai.
