Kamloopsians are being invited to take part in participating in the City’s Strategic Cultural Plan, through a summer-long cultural mapping research lab.
The newest exhibit at the Kamloops Museum and Archives is a partnership with the Thompson Rivers University and the TRU/City of Kamloops Researcher-in-Residence partnership, named ‘You are Here.’
TRU Research Vice President Will Garrett-Petts says cultural mapping has been around for roughly 50 years, all over the world, and is used to allow locals to show how they perceive Kamloops culture.
He says it will also allow residents to give their thoughts on a future vision for culture in Kamloops
“Putting together a vision for the arts culture and heritage in the city, so it’s a sense of what our identity is where our cultural assets lie and our resources and where the future opportunities and priorities are, and how we can organize all of that.”
Garrett-Petts says the goal is to allow everyone to have a say on what future visions will look like.
“We normally go to an exclusive group of people to get their input, we will still be going to all those key stakeholders but the average person doesn’t always feel the have a sense of ownership that goes on in a city, and the City of Kamloops wants to change that.”
Those who check out the ‘You are Here’ exhibit, will be asked a few questions, including what the culture in the city is, in their eyes, and what the must-see tourism points in the area, explains Garrett-Petts.
“Then they are going to be asked to create a visual map, a visual representation of their sense of Kamloops and where all of the tangible and even the intangible assets of the city lie.”
He adds these stories and ideas will be collected and will complement a citizen survey, focus group, and key stakeholder interviews.
The exhibit is located on the 2nd floor of the Kamloops Museum and Archives from now until September 23, with free admission.