Manitoba Museum exhibit showcasing unusual artifacts hand-picked from its vaults

A temporary exhibit at the Manitoba Museum brings some of its quirky and unusual artifacts into the spotlight.

What do an 11-pound giant puffball mushroom, a gloriously gaudy bison horn chair, and a wine pitcher from the 500 BCE Archaic period have in common?

They are all artifacts or specimens in the Manitoba Museum’s collection – handpicked from its vaults to be part of its newest exhibit, “The Museum Collection Illuminated.”

The temporary exhibit is a collaboration between all of the museum’s curators. It offers visitors a quirky snapshot of the Manitoba Museum’s extensive collection of artifacts and specimens and the work that goes on behind the scenes at the cultural institution.

Co-curator Joe Moysiuk said each unique piece was hand-selected because it has an interesting story to tell – be it about the piece itself, the province or the museum.

His favourite?

That would be a wooden plesiosaur skull – a long-extinct marine reptile. It was featured in some of the museum’s earliest displays.

Aside from being cool to look at, the piece has something to say about the museum itself, he said.

“It tells a story of our own history and the history of our museum and how exhibitory has changed over the years.”

Co-curator Amelia Fay hopes the exhibition helps visitors understand just how choosey curators must be when crafting an exhibit and how many artifacts, interesting as they may be, may not make the final cut.

“There’s never enough space for everything you want to put out, so that’s often a big challenge,” she said.

“Every little thing in this museum is carefully selected, right down to the sounds that we use, right down to – everything. Maybe it will give them a deeper sense of what happens at the museum.”

In addition to the unusual, hand-selected artifacts, the exhibition also features videos offering a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s field and conservation works, interpretive panels, and a museum timeline.

“The Museum Collection Illuminated” is on display at the museum’s Discovery Room starting Tuesday.

Entrance is included with an all attraction pass. Museum members and Indigenous people can access it free of charge.