Prof's book on
ALBERTA MAVERICKS
inspires Glenbow project

By Janna Klemen

The University of Calgary is helping the Glenbow Museum launch one of its biggest centennial projects—an online exhibition based on the book “Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta” by Calgary based author Aritha van Herk.

According to van Herk a maverick is “a unique character, an inspired or determined risk-taker, forward-looking, creative, and eager for change, someone who propels Alberta in a new direction or who alters the social, cultural, or political landscape. ”

Melanie Kjorlien from the Glenbow Museum says the project captures the essence of Alberta. “Van Herk’s book profiles the men and women who made this province what it is today. Glenbow was inspired by it, and we are also in the process of creating a permanent exhibition called Mavericks that will open in 2007. ”

The online exhibition (www.glenbow.org/mavericks) was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through Canadian Culture Online. It showcases 40 of Alberta’s mavericks and contains more than 700 artifacts, historic photographs, documents and maps that help tell Alberta ’s story.

Kjorlien says the museum has done online exhibitions before, but that this one is different from the others. “Through technology and the quality of images we have on the website, you can see the objects close-up. In some cases you get a better vantage point of the object than if you saw it in person, in an exhibition. ”

While the site is geared towards students in grades four to seven, it’s suitable for anyone interested in learning more about Alberta’s past. D'Arcy Norman from the university’s Learning Commons was involved with designing the software, and he has been working on the online exhibit since March.

The sheer scope of the project is mind-boggling. An intern and I had to put together 1,400 screens in both English and French. It was a very labour intensive and it took months to finish. ”

Norman says the project has been a learning experience in terms of the software used and in what he found out about Alberta’s history.

“I was born and raised in Calgary and I thought I knew a lot about our history, but I found out something new every day. I really encourage people to take a look at it, especially students. It’s a way to learn outside of the classroom. Rather than opening up a dusty old textbook kids can find out about our past through this interactive website. ”