^ Family Treasures 2009

An exhibition by the young people of Whanganui.

Family Treasures is a community project involving Year 7 and 8 students, their families, their schools and the Museum which we run every second year. The idea came originally from the Canadian Museum of Civilisation and has become a regular feature of museum exhibition programmes all over the world.

Throughout 2009 students from participating schools will be planning, researching and writing about their family treasures for the project which culminates in the Family Treasures He Māpihi Maurea exhibition at the Museum in October. At the beginning of the project students talk to their families about what a treasure is to them. They do the research, and write it up. Each class makes up a book of the results and sends the book to the Museum. The staff look through the books and make a selection of objects. The exhibition is created, based on the objects and all the class books.

The selected objects are interesting in themselves but it is the people associated with them and their stories that are the real stars of the show, so their pictures and stories and words are given a prominent place too.

Watch out for Family Treasures He Māpihi Maurea 2009 opening on 10 October 2009