The Archive Project at the Old School House Arts Centre has seen volunteers unravel nearly 40 years of history.
Hundreds of historical documents dating back to 1987 were digitally archived, with more than 200 collective hours spent by 10 volunteers combing through news clippings, meeting minutes, newsletters, posters, arts education and photographs, according to a news release submitted by Eunice Villamayor.
“We live in a digital world and accessibility for all of our community is significant," said Illana Hester, TOSH's executive director told the PQB News. "Not everybody can climb the stairs here. Not everybody can come here."
The one-year project, funded by the federal New Horizons for Seniors grant, taught volunteers how create and maintain a digital archive, by scanning, tagging and creating an archival system, Hester added.
The 500 items in the digital archive came from "all sorts of places," Hester said. A lot of the material was already in the building, with others coming from TOSH volunteers and through community stories about the volunteers themselves.
“It’s really amazing to recount the hours of dedication that hundreds of volunteers and staff committed to save TOSH and keep it from being torn down in 1987,” said Robi Baxter, a volunteer archivist, in the release. “The passion and grit needed to band together and take on such a huge project that has benefited the community so much is truly inspiring.”
Whether it was the news article from 1987 citing $22,000 raised at the first Art Auction and Garden Tea Party at the Milner estate to save TOSH from demolition; the plaque presented in 1988 to the 12 Brannen Lake prisoners who did a large part of the school house renovations; or the smiles immortalized in photos from the first-ever Grand Prix d’Art held by TOSH in 1995, each artifact showcases a piece of the community’s spirit and the vibrancy that the organization brought to it.
A few of TOSH’s original members, including Larry Aguilar, Pauline Pike, Francois Mongeau, Carol Dowe, Lynn Orriss and Don Emerson met with volunteers to share their experiences of being part of the building’s history.
“It wasn’t just about the art, it was about connecting with people, creating camaraderie and moments of joy for the community," said Pike, as she recounted her 20 year tenure teaching classes at TOSH.
The archive will allow visitors and community members to connect with the creative history and collective identity of Qualicum Beach and serves as inspiration for future generations.
"This organization [TOSH] has been around for 37 years and we are a self-funded not for profit charity and that comes with the community finding importance in us being here,” said Hester, who added the federal grant was a program grant and does not cover operational costs in any way.
A celebration will be held at noon on March 14 at TOSH (122 Fern Rd. W). There is an option to RSVP online.
The online archive will be launched by the end of March, according to Hester. Visitors to the arts centre will also be able to access it using an iPad.
