McDougall Cottage in Cambridge is standing and standing strong.
With a 165-year history, its new exhibit Resiliency: Shared Stories of Strength and Survival, features a multimedia journey of shared personal stories of resiliency and offers resources and strategies to help the community bounce back from life’s challenges.
Michelle Bartlett, head of Content and Experience at McDougall Cottage Historic Site said the Cottage stands as a metaphor of resiliency.
“It has been standing for many years. It has gone through a state of decline and change. It’s been flooded, it has cracks, but it is still standing. It’s almost become more beautiful because of these stories,” Bartlett said.
Just as the cottage has been adapted and survived, Bartlett said people can also heal through resiliency.
The cottage was home for more than a century to two families, the McDougalls and the Bairds. It has been open to the public since 2002 with a focus on interpreting Scottish heritage of the families who lived there and the Scottish culture of Galt.
“Although McDougall Cottage is an important part of our story, it is just one part,” Bartlett says.
“This type of exhibit is certainly something we have not done before. The idea for this exhibit has been brewing in the back of my mind for a couple of years. I reached out the Canadian Mental Health Association and I explained what I wanted to do. They suggested Resiliency and I thought what a fantastic idea.”
The next step, Bartlett said, was figuring out what messages to get out to the public.
“We want to show what resiliency looks like in action,” Bartlett said.
The Canadian Mental Health Association put Bartlett in touch with a program called Beautiful Minds.
“These are folks who have suffered trauma and have come out on the other side. They workshop their stories so that they can go out and inspire people and to say, ‘we’ve been there’ because we all have. None of us get through life without some bruises and scrapes along the way,” Bartlett said.
“They share what they did to get through it. These stories are very inspiring as they share how they pulled themselves through the tough times and are now stronger.”
Other elements of the exhibit feature the decline of McDougall Cottage, its restoration, and a feedback board where visitors are encouraged to share their stories or offer an inspirational quote.
“We also have a resource centre for visitors to access. Trauma is trauma, no matter where it comes from. The healing and the steps you take are similar across the board such as mindfulness, counselling, forest bathing, or music and art therapy,” Bartlett said.
“We offer information about these tools. We want to have a variety of resources that speak to a variety of people including Indigenous and LGBTQ2S+ communities so that they have something that speaks specifically to them.”
Resiliency also represents the first step in McDougall Cottage’s future direction; to explore and embrace new and innovative ways to tell stories.
“What we’ve been doing, in conjunction with the whole movement to change museums and re-evaluate the role of museums in society today, is we have been wanting to expand the stories and explore topics that are relevant to our society now. And certainly, multi-media plays into that,” Bartlett said.
“The design team did a fantastic job with incorporating elements with great sensitivity and creativity. And the people who shared their stories, I can’t thank them enough for their courage and their vulnerability and willingness to help others.”
'Me too:' Bartlett said these are two of the strongest words in the English language.
“If people are brave enough and vulnerable enough to share their stories, others will say, me too! This just opens a door for incredible discussion, empathy and compassion, all things that we really need, not just now, but always,” Bartlett said.
“I am so thrilled to be able to do this. We didn’t plan the timing. It just all fell into place and what an amazing time for it. I think this can be so helpful and for so many people. A lot of it is about paying it forward.”
Exhibits at McDougall Cottage normally run for about one year.
“Because of all of the work that went into Resiliency, and the programming that is included, we will run it until the end of 2023,” Bartlett said.
“And for groups of eight or more, we are happy to book private tours outside of normal visiting hours. E-mail us and we can arrange it.”
McDougall Cottage is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission entrance is by donation.
“We are presenting a lot of tools that we hope will 'click' with somebody. I think this is relevant to our entire community and can be helpful,” Bartlett said.
“And it all takes place in a beautiful, cozy, and safe space. McDougall House has managed to stand, despite all things.”
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