Museum asking Quebec immigrants to contribute for new exhibition

“I think the Quebec history, we have to understand that it is also a history of immigration,” said Winston Chan, a member of the Diversity Committee at the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City.

What others may think is an ordinary suit jacket is a piece of history to Montrealer Winston Chan – and he is hoping the museum will think so too.

As part of an upcoming permanent exhibition on Quebec society, the museum is asking immigrants and their descendants to submit objects that represent their contact with the province.

“We’re not just looking to collect physical items, but the stories that go with them,” said Frederique Bédard Daneau, the Exhibition Project Manager at the Musée de la civilisation.

The museum’s previous exhibition was a popular hit, but it only showcased Quebec’s history up until the 1980s.

For their next exhibition coming up in May 2024, they want to include a new narrative: the point of view of immigrants and Indigenous people living in Quebec.

“We’re hoping that people, while visiting the exhibition will be discovering those narratives as well,” said Bédard Daneau. “And that people like immigrants or First Nations people will recognize themselves in this exhibition.”

The museum is also hoping that the new exhibition can be relatable to younger generations.

“Across that narrative, we want to discover what it’s like to immigrate in Quebec as well,” said Bédard Daneau. “We’re going to talk about past waves of immigration, but also recent waves of immigration,” she added.

They are calling on immigrants, including second- or third-generation immigrants, in Quebec to submit their objects.

“When I heard about that call of objects, one of the objects I wanted to submit is the jacket and the winter coat of my father that he bought in Hong Kong in the 1970s,” said Chan.

Montrealer Winston Chan holding his father’s suit jacket – a purchase made in Hong Kong in the 1970s. The item will be submitted to the Musée de la civilisation.

Like many who came to Quebec, the first thing Chan’s father had in mind was to find a job once he immigrated to Montreal in 1975.

“He bought that jacket and that winter coat to prepare for his work interview and also to be prepared for the wintertime as well,” Chan explained.

But there were more hardships to face than the winter weather. But there were more hardships to face than the winter weather. According to Chan, Chinese migrants were once targeted by racist and discriminatory laws such as the Chinese Head Tax – a policy that required them to pay for a certificate to live in Canada.

He is hoping that such objects representing hardships faced by the Chinese community could be submitted to the museum.

“By submitting an object is one way to be part of the Quebec history.”

The submission form is available on their website until March 12.