By: André LaFlamme
Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Artifacts spark creativity during COVID-19 lockdown
This spring, Ingenium members showed their true colours through an online art competition.
With social isolation in full swing in April and May, 2020, the Ingenium membership department challenged our members to tap in to their creativity to bring artifacts to life. The Artistic Artifact competition invited members to look through Ingenium’s online collection to find an inspiring artifact, and then to paint or draw that artifact. We received a very enthusiastic response; over 50 of our members put pencils and paint to paper and recreated some of their favourite pieces in the national science and technology collection.
A winner was selected for each age category. Here are the top creations that we received for each:
Interestingly, we discovered that some of our artifacts in particular inspire many people. Here are some quick stats on the most popular artifacts used as inspiration for the submissions we received:
- 7 participants used the Bramah & Robinson Lighthouse to inspire their works
- 4 participants used the Basset-Lowke Ltd. model of the Titanic to inspire their works
- 3 participants used the AES Data Ltd. "AES Plus 103" Word Processor to inspire their works
- 4 participants were inspired by our collections of train cars and locomotives
- 21 participants were inspired by our extensive collection of aircraft
All of the wonderful and artistic submissions can be viewed in this album.
Perhaps most inspiring is the story of Marcel, an autistic teen who dearly misses his frequent visits to the Canada Science and Technology Museum. His many works of art — one of which he submitted to the Artistic Artifact Competition — have grown his deep connection with the transportation collection, and has provided an outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about Marcel’s story in the article, Artistic artifacts: Teen taps into creativity to stay connected with his favourite museum.
A big thank you to all the organizers, participants and judges who helped make this contest happen. We look forward to continuing to engage Ingenium members during difficult times.
André LaFlamme
André LaFlamme is the Officer, Membership and Reservation Services at Ingenium Canada. He has worked across professional associations and cultural institutions to help engage members and clients in all manners of activities. He has a passion for Canadian culture and loves helping to share it far and wide!
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