Westfield and the World

Victoria Weekend Monday, 2009, International Museums Day

Westfield Heritage Village celebrated International Museums Day by dedicating its International Museums street sign at a special 2 pm ceremony  Monday, May 18th, 2009.  The sign highlighted the different museums and related organizations that Westfield has undergone exchanges, partnerships and special projects with from around the world including Japan, Germany, France, Russia, the US, Iraq and more.  Video presentations of Westfield's Maple Syrup programme in Japanese and Chinese will also appear on its web site soon.  Westfield is dedicated to furthering the cause of peace and understanding by being accessible and relevant to new Canadians and to international museums and their audiences around the world.  Westfield is an active member of the Hamilton Mundialization Committee and  partners with other cultural organizations.   

News:  Westfield and Musee des Maisons Comtoises, Nancray, France, Receive Award for Cultural Exchange through CFA/ACF.

Westfield Heritage Village and the Musee des Maisons Comtoises in Nancray, France, were awarded a grant to facilitate a cultural exchange of staff and volunteers for one week in 2008.  This is Westfield's second such award in two years when it last conducted an exchange with France's largest living history museum, the Ecomusee d'alsace. The grant recognizes excellence in the profession and the desire of  both museum's to learn of each other's sustainable development programmes.  Westfield thanks its partners in this project including Doon Heritage Cross Roads, Crawford Lake, and Black Creek Pioneer Village.  Both museums acknowledge the generosity of the CFA/ACF Canada-France Museum Exchange and the help of the Canadian Heritage, the Museum Assistance Programme, and France's Ministry of Culture.

 French Tour of Westfield

News:  Westfield Played Host to Three Japanese Delegates as Result of  Historical Village of Hokkaido Twining.

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Canada, Westfield Heritage Village and the Historical Village of Hokkaido signed an historic agreement to twin.  This official anniversary event will see the museums getting to know each other's communities.  Three delegates from the museum visited Westfield and toured neighboring museums for one week in February in an effort to learn from each other, and build bonds of friendship and goodwill.  Congratulations to all as we celebrate the 81st Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Canada, and especially to our  City of Hamilton Twins in Japan... Kaga (celebrating its 41st Anniversary of youth exchanges with Canada) and Fukuyama.  

Family Heritage Day...  Japanese Cultural Day a Success!

Monday, February 16th, 2009, 12:30 to 4 p.m.

Have you ever wondered what was going on in the world when Ontario was being settled during the "True Blue Tide" or during the Victorian expansion.  How did people live somewhere else?  Ontario is a multi-cultural community and our heritage is a shared experience from around the world. On the 2009 Family Day Holiday, we celebrated Japan's living history parallel to Ontario's past through a fascinating comparison of cultures brought to you in part by the Historical Village of Hokkaido, Japan, Westfield's twin museum.  We experienced our shared world culture past and present and learned about today's initiatives including Kids for Kaga, the world's oldest running youth exchange programme between Dundas, Ontario and Kaga, Japan.  Amongst many displays, over 1,050 visitors enjoyed a special exhibit featuring a comparison of traditional Canadian Quilts and the Japanese Sashiko styles courtesy of the Halton Quilters' Guild. Information was made available from another Japanese living history museum, the Shikoku Minka Museum and Folk House Open-air Museum and Gallery.  Visitors experienced Koto music, Japanese calligraphy, a Japanese Tea ceremony featuring tea master Keiko Sano and much more.

An Official Anniversary Project.

Special thanks to the KAMEI Foundation for the Promotion of Social Education, Lee Valley, Kids for Kaga Committee, the Halton Quilters' Guild and the Japanese Consulate.

Japanese Tour of Westfield

Westfield Congratulates Russian Colleagues.

Westfield congratulates its colleagues at the State War and History Museum, Reserve of  Borodino, Russia, on its upcoming anniversary celebration of the Napoleonic battle, The Battle of Borodino, in September.  This battle was made famous in the book, War and Peace by Tolstoy.  Growing out of a twinning between Stoney Creek Battlefield House and the Russian museum, the first twinning between Canadian and Soviet museums in history, Westfield has maintained an ongoing relationship and exchange programme with the museum and battlefield site in Borodino, Russia.  Westfield remains a partner and the North American contact in an international  museum peace effort sponsored by the Russian national museum.  Find out more.