February 15, 2024
By Gary Dyck
“Mennonite Village Photography” exhibit features a beautiful collection of never-before-seen photographs left behind by four Manitoba Mennonite photographers who lived and worked in the early twentieth century. The images are from glass and film negatives stored in institutional archives and family collections. After being scanned and given a new life in print, the photos provide a clear view into Mennonite life and early settlement in Manitoba.
“Mennonite Village Photography” produced by the Mennonite Historic Arts Committee (MHAC) is an exhibit like no other. Often curators have trouble finding photos that can be enlarged without loss of quality, but with this exhibit every photograph is large and the visually breath-taking. You will find yourself drawn into the photos, even though they are black and white and were taken 1890 to 1940. There will be a grand-opening of the exhibit at Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) this Thursday, February 15 at 7pm, as part of MHV’s Authors Night.
Professional photographers at this time usually specialised in taking posed portraits against painted backdrops in studios. The Mennonite photographers mimicked that style, but they also captured a much less artificial picture of what existed around them. Though two of the photographers, Heinrich D. Fast and Johann E. Funk, were encouraged by their respective churches to give up their hobby in preparation for baptism and marriage, all four captured an array of subjects, both posed and candid, and the images reveal something of how they saw their worlds. Even if the men photographed for only a short window of time, their images freeze-frame a distinctive and fleeting period of time in the history of Mennonite village life in western Canada.
The attached photo depicts the MHAC committee members (from left to right): Frieda Klippenstein, Conrad Stoesz, Susie Fisher, Anikó Szabo, Roland Sawatzky, Andrea Klassen, posed in early 1900s style in front of a photography backdrop that belonged to Peter G. Hamm, a photographer from Neuberghtal, MB who is featured in the exhibit. Hamm’s original backdrop will also be available in the gallery for guests to take their own photo! So dress up with your friends and be transported back in time. Along with the Authors Night and the Mennonite Village Photography Exhibit Opening on February 15, MHV will also be hosting two packed days for the Louis Riel weekend (Friday and Saturday, February 16 and 17). Join us for a great time of entertainment and indoor and outdoor activities. All your favorite Winter in the Village activities will also be running (weather permitting), such as sleigh rides, snowshoeing, skating, kick-sledding, and the light display, plus snow sculpting.
Upcoming Events:
Authors Night & Mennonite Village Photography Exhibit Opening, Feb 15 @ 7pm. Enjoy an evening of local authors while perusing the new Mennonite Village Photography exhibit. Hear from the Mennonite Historic Arts Committee about the process of curating this amazing collection of work by local pioneering photographers and creating the accompanying photobook.
Winter Carnival 2024, Fri. & Sat., Feb 16 – Feb 17. Join us Louis Riel weekend for two packed days of entertainment, special events and indoor and outdoor activities. All your favorite Winter in the Village activities will be running, such as sleigh rides, snowshoeing, skating, kick-sledding and the light display, with opportunity to try a hand at snow sculpting.
Entertainment:
• Friday – 6:30pm – Nic Messner
• Saturday – 1:00pm – Sleepy the Clown (kid’s show)
• Saturday – 2:30pm – David Graham?
• Saturday – 4:15pm – Mr. Ken’s Magic Show (family show)
• Saturday – 6:00pm – Matt Zimmerman
It Takes a Village… Spring Gala 2024, May 24th. Celebrate the MHV’s 60th anniversary, and the 150th anniversary of Mennonites in Manitoba by contributing to this ongoing legacy. Tickets are on sale now at www.mhv.ca
“Keeping Time: The Art and Heritage of Mennonite Clocks” exhibit is being presented at the Manitoba Museum. Visit the exhibit from Oct. 27-Feb. 25. This is an exhibition developed by Kroeger Clocks Heritage Foundation in partnership with Mennonite Heritage Village.