Mission, Vision and Values

The Brant Museum & Archives exists to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and interpret collections that may be of interest to the residents of our community, as well as illustrating the founding, settlement, diversity and development of Brant County and surrounding areas.  The following is a brief overview of the museum's activities:

1. Collections: The Brant Museum & Archives currently holds over 40,000 artefacts, archives and photographs in trust for the people of Brantford and Brant County.  The collection is the core from which all of the museum's programs and services are based.  This ensures that museum activities reflect the community and provides an opportunity for the public to interact in a more meaningful way with their history.  Collection management has been supported by the OTF through a recently completed database project which has enabled the museum to better manage collection records and increase access to parts of the collection for researchers.  On average, the museum accepts approximately 1000 new artefacts into the collection on a yearly basis.
2. Educational Programming: The museum offers a variety of curriculum based programs throughout the year which are delivered either at the museum or in the classroom and are tailored to fit the needs of teachers.  Program themes include medieval history, pioneer times, archaeology, photography, local history and multi-cultural seasonal celebrations.  In addition, the museum participates in GEM-FEST programs which are offered twice a year to schools in Brantford and Brant County on behalf of the cultural community.  The museum also participates in the "What Makes our Community Work" program offered by the City of Brantford.
3. Public Programming: The museum offers a number of special events for the general public during the year including free admission during International Museums Day, a Public Open House which includes activities for children, as well as special workshops and receptions related to temporary exhibits.  For example, in 2006, the museum held two workshops on book art and book binding in conjunction with the "A Book Arts Mosaic" and "Writing and Printing in Brantford" exhibits.
4. Senior's Programming: Outreach programs are delivered to seniors' care homes on a monthly basis.  The outreach program provides an opportunity for seniors to interact with artefacts, reminess about the past and engage in discussions about Brantford's history.  Program themes include letter writing, pioneers, photography, school history, and community activities and events.
5. Temporary Exhibits: The museum develops a number of temporary exhibits each year which are displayed both at the museum and in the community.  Temporary exhibits focus on an aspect of the community's history and enable the museum to not only explore a topic in greater depth, but to provide access to artifacts which are not normally on display.  Community exhibits are also on display at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and the Brantford Club.
6. Permanent Exhibits: These exhibits provide an overview of life in Brantford and Brant County.  The exhibits focus on pioneer and Victorian time periods as well as the businesses and industries in the community at the turn of the century.