WHAT IS AN ECOMUSEUM?
The aim of the Ecomuseum at the WildCraft Forest is to provide an experience of learning about the natural world that surrounds us, and to allow visitors to appreciate the evidence of the human presence on the land; to preserve and enhance the traditional environment and the relationship between natural and the constructed surroundings, in order to hand down concrete evidence of life and culture.
The WildCraft Forest demonstrates the on-going success of the ecomuseum model as a means to foster community-focused cultural, environmental and heritage activities in the region. While always stretching the definition of a museum in the traditional sense, the ecomuseum enables local people to take a meaningful role in the research, documentation, interpretation and presentation of the history, culture and environment of their local area. As such, the ecomuseum is primarily directed to the 'sense of place'.
The concept of the ecomuseum evolved in France in the late 1960s and has since been adopted as a new form of museum throughout Europe and as far afield as Brazil, Canada and Australia. Ecomuseum philosophy embraces all aspects of cultural heritage, including tangible features such as archaeological sites, objects, buildings and the natural environment, and the intangible qualities of collective memories, oral traditions and folklore. The activities of ecomuseums take place within a defined geographical area or territory. Central to the ecomuseum ideal is the close involvement of local communities in the process of caring for their heritage, so providing local people with an opportunity to conserve and exhibit the unique aspects of their locality. Traditional museums face many problems when attempting to encapsulate the special nature of places, and in empowering local communities; ecomuseum philosophy and practice has provided a means of overcoming these ideological strictures.
At the WildCraft Forest artists have taken the concept even further (although other examples can be found) by integrating contemporary art forms - and artists - into the process of interpretation. Each year new work is added and represents an interpretation of the environment through the creation of unique visual art forms and artistic events, and includes in many cases a program of community cultural development through the participation of members of the community in the design and implementation of the works as part of the element of creation.
The WildCraft Forest is an Ecomuseum and Interpretive Forest, which includes a Sculpture Trail. We're located on Highway 6 in the Monashee Region of British Columbia just on the edge of the North Okanagan, one hour from Kelowna and 30 minutes from Vernon.
For Guided Tours call us at 250-547-9812
