This art exhibit aims to start a conversation about conservation

A new exhibit at the Okanagan Heritage Museum called Waterways looks at the role water plays in the Okanagan Valley and the Columbia River system.

The exhibit features interactive sections to learn the history of the Okanagan waterways. It also showcases interviews from the Sylix Okanagan community, scientists, and other important voices in the environment.

Museum Curatorial Manager Amanda Snyder told Kelowna 10 she hopes the exhibit will inform, intrigue, and spark conversation.

“We have a goal in the museum to always be sharing new perspectives and we’re especially interested in those perspectives that come from the host community from the Sylix Okanagan people,” Snyder said.

“It’s a way for us to also share with our visitors’ different points of view. And this is one especially heavy on traditional ecological knowledge which is something a lot of people don’t know about.”

The exhibition mobilizes the knowledge from Waterways – the Past, Present and Future of the Okanagan Waterscape, a four-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded project.

It featured many University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) professors and students.

Dr. Aleksandra Dulic, who was principal investigator on the project and an associate professor at UBCO, said one key event throughout the process looked at salmon, and the reintroduction of the fish into Okanagan Lake about 20 years ago. Dulic hopes guests can learn from that turning point.

“Learning from that story, what I hope people get out of it is understanding how we can work together to protect our environment,” she said.

The exhibit runs until Jan. 29, 2022. Admission is by donation with a suggested donation off $5 per person and $15 for families.