From a human figure carved out of a block of wood to a turkey bone ship with turkey skin sails, it’s definitely not your typical museum fare but it could offer an unprecedented glimpse into a little-known part of Canada’s history.
The Royal Alberta Museum has acquired a vast collection of art made by prisoners of war interned in Canada during the Second World War.
While the art itself might not appeal to most Canadians, the history surely will, according to the collector who assembled the most extensive collection of its kind in the country.
“(Internment camps were) a very low key thing during the war and even after the war,” Bob Henderson told CTV Calgary.
Nearly 35,000 prisoners of war were interned in Canada during the Second World War – the majority of them German.
Even lesser known? Many prisoners were encouraged to make art, says the museum’s assistant curator.
“You have a lot of young men who have a lot of time on their hands and so (getting) them to do crafts … kept them occupied rather than thinking of ways to escape,” curator Anthony Worman told CTV Calgary.
Some made practical items, like a wooden chair and container for cigarettes.
Others created more conventional forms of art, like models and sculptures.
Some even tried to use their art as an “escape aid,” according to the curator.
One prisoner made a fake gun, which was confiscated.
What wasn’t confiscated by guards was often sold to them. A ship in a bottle was supposedly traded for a pound of tea.
“They were able to recover a bit of extra money for use at the local canteen,” Worman said.
The museum hasn’t yet announced if or when the collection will go on display.
With files from CTV’s Alberta Bureau Chief Janet Dirks
