Manitoba Museum saying farewell to one of its exhibits

Deconstruction work is underway on the Delta Marsh and Rye farm diorama at the Manitoba Museum.

The end is nigh for a two-part diorama in the Manitoba Museum.

In a social media post on Thursday, the museum said Delta Marsh and Rye Farm diorama will be decommissioned due to “particular challenges.”

“This is not a decision the museum would take lightly at all,” Amelia Fay, the museum’s director of research, collections and exhibitions, told CTV News on Friday. “What came down to is that the long-term care and maintenance of it is beyond our present capabilities.”

Fay told CTV News that while all museums experience pests throughout their galleries and spaces, they particularly affect open-air dioramas, and that pest issues have recently increased.

The typical museum pests are critters and mice, Fay said, and components of the diorama attract them.

“Because of the authenticity and accuracy of this diorama, it used real plants from Delta Marsh. In the recreation, there are natural fibres on the clothing of the farms – all of that stuff is very appealing to these critters.”

Fay said the museum’s senior conservator already started to preserve whatever they can, such as plant species, animal specimens and other artifacts. Preserved items could possibly be repurposed for future endeavours, she added, and the mural backdrop will be preserved.

Delta Marsh already had “significant” decommissioning work done. For Rye Farm, interested visitors should pay a visit within the next two weeks, Fay said.

The decommissioning also brings a new opportunity — something the museum’s team has already put their “thinking caps” on, Fay said.

“Museums do work at a slow pace in terms of coming up with these redevelopments; it might take a while before visitors see something completely new and refreshed.

“We’re really working towards ‘what can we do differently in this space?’ and ‘how can we keep the space nice enough for our visitors as they continue their museum journey?’”

Creation of diorama

Delta Marsh portion depicts a wetland area in the province that is “great for biodiversity,” Fay said, and Rye Farm portion shows an important piece of Manitoba history – newcomers in the early 20th century working to make Manitoba their homes.

Fay said the museum had a diorama artist on staff.

“Her job was to research and create these amazing immersive dioramas, including some of the mini dioramas in our institution – but also these full-scale ones,” she said.

“She really leaned into accuracy and authenticity, tried to ensure that this was true to life, give visitors that immersive experience.

“It was a labour of love, it was work by her and a team of people who really felt that they wanted to recreate something incredibly special for our visitors – and they did, and it lasted for a quarter of a century.”

With files from CTV News’ Jon Hendricks