David Marskell was the guest speaker at the New Horizon’s session on Thursday October 11th. His topic was Celebrating the Creative Spirit.
For 12 years he has been the Chief Executive Officer of THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener. During his time at THEMUSEUM he has been successful in turning the organization into a thriving, vibrant arts and culture hub that welcomes almost 100,000 visitors from across the province. David has brought many world-class exhibitions to Kitchener Waterloo including Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Godall, Andy Warhol’s Factory 2009, and the Titanic: The artifact exhibition and many others.
Believing wholeheartedly in his community, in 2018 David with the support of his family was able to use 1 million dollars from the sale of a church his parents began in 1939 to THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener.
Currently, THEMUSEUM is facing a few challenges, like many other organizations. One is lack of funding which they do not receive from both regional and provincial governments. Because of the size of the building, THEMUSEUM has limited space. Currently, conversations are happening to hopefully move to a larger space. He also mentioned that recently they had to reduce staff due to lack of funding. He encouraged everyone present to volunteer as well to support THEMUSEUM by visiting it and taking friends and family with us. He provided each person with a handout of upcoming exhibits and events. THEMUSEUM website also provides lots of information.
THEMUSEUM recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. What was once a children’s museum has now grown to become a museum for all ages. There is a lot happening there and it seems something for everyone.
The next meeting will be on Thursday, November 8th at 10 a.m. in the Maryhill Heritage Park Community Centre. Admission is $2.00. Guest speakers will be Audrey & Pat Gleeson and Marianne & Mike Kraemer, community leaders and their topic is A local Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
For more information, you can contact Joan Haid at (519) 648-2742 or email jehaid@netflash.net
