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The Adventure of Exhibit Planning VIII

By: Graham Iddon


January 22, 2015
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Inspecting the Printed Panels

A small city street

Downtown Sherbrooke with the hills in their autumn glory.

During our last visit to Sherbrooke, the exhibition team checked out the first samples of the proposed printing methods for our upcoming exhibition, Voices from the Engraver. Samples of one or two letters gave us a good idea of the final results, but on this trip, seeing the 8-foot-tall wooden panels with the full copy printed directly onto them was simply fantastic. Using a new process, staff of the exhibition fabrication department at the Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum have produced impressive results.

Workshop and wood panels

Finished display units awaiting artifacts.

Wooden table base

No plywood fakes here – the table bases for the small “exhiblets” are hand built from solid walnut, matching the veneered panels.

Letters printed on wood

The printer lays the ink directly onto the wood surface – no need for printed stickers or acrylic.

In the past, one would print onto a sticky film that would be applied to the panels. Now, however, it is possible to use the panels themselves as the final substrate, retaining the true surface. This process involves a form of ink-jet printer, but nothing like your desk-top HP! The panels are placed flat and the print head moves across them, laying down the ink – no possibility of paper jams, at least (or plywood jams…). A similar process is used for the metal panels, resembling engravers’ plates.

Table with acrylic box

Artifacts such as engravers’ tools and plates will be displayed in these drafting table units.

Metal plates

A printing process similar to the one performed on the wood panels was used to lay down blank graphics onto aluminum sheets, imitating a printing plate.

Metal cubes

Aluminum cubes will be used to number the artifacts in the drafting table display cases.

This very talented fabrication team really cares about quality and detail. The plywood panels are elegantly grained walnut veneer, but the bases of the drafting-table-style display units are custom built from solid walnut. They will hold not only artifacts but touch-panel monitors for our interactives and our hands-on guilloche (Spirograph®) drawing units.

Wooden frames

Support frames to back the various artifacts where they are attached to the big panels.

Technical drawing of table unit

Plans showing the final appearance of the guilloche interactive unit: three “Spirograph®” wheels, each with numerous choices of elliptical patterns. Fun.

Technical drawing of a booth

The design of our ‘make your own bank note or stamp’ photo booth.

Finally taking design shape is our photo booth. Visitors sit for a photograph which is then processed to look like an engraving. To make their own stamp or bank note, they will then be given choices of backgrounds, frames and numbers to choose from plus they can enter a country or bank of their own choice. (Mordor, The Principality of Dave…) A stamp or bank note will be then be sent to their e-mail. Great fun, and we look forward to sharing with you the completed exhibition on our next adventure of exhibit planning.

We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for a blog post you’d like to see?
Content type(s): Blog posts

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The Museum Blog

February 26, 2025

New acquisitions—2024 edition

By: David Bergeron, Krista Broeckx


Bank of Canada Museum’s acquisitions in 2024 highlight the relationships that shape the National Currency Collection.
Content type(s): Blog posts
February 11, 2025

Money’s metaphors

By: Phillipe Audet-Cayer, Graham Iddon, Patricia Marando


Buck, broke, greenback, loonie, toonie, dough, flush, gravy train, born with a silver spoon in your mouth… No matter how common the expression for money, many of us haven’t the faintest idea where these terms come from.
Content type(s): Blog posts
August 6, 2024

Treaties, money and art

By: Krista Broeckx, Frank Shebageget


Photo, collage, a photograph and a drawing of an elderly White man in a high collar and old-fashioned suit.
The Bank of Canada Museum’s collection has a new addition: an artwork called Free Ride by Frank Shebageget. But why would a museum about the economy buy art?
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Arts, History
July 16, 2024

Rai: big money

By: Graham Iddon


An item is said to have cultural value when it can be directly associated with the history, people, beliefs or rituals important to a society. It’s the same with a rai—its value can be greater depending upon who authorized it, who carved it and who subsequently owned it.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy, Geography, History Grade level(s): Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
April 18, 2024

Lessons from the Great Depression

By: Graham Iddon


A welfare coupon and piece of stock ticker tape over a 1930s black and white photo of unemployed men gathering to protest.
What the stock market crash of 1929 did was starkly reveal the weaknesses of economic systems that had evolved from the unregulated capitalism of the late 19th century.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Financial literacy, History Grade level(s): Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
March 25, 2024

Welcoming Newfoundland to Canada

By: David Bergeron


Newfoundland’s entry into Confederation marked the end of an era when Canadian provinces issued their own coins and paper money.
Content type(s): Blog posts
December 19, 2023

New Acquisitions—2023 Edition

By: David Bergeron, Krista Broeckx


It’s that time of the year again—the wrap-up of the Bank of Canada Museum’s annual acquisition program. Here are a few highlights of the latest additions to the National Currency Collection.
Content type(s): Blog posts
November 27, 2023

Mo’ money, mo’ questions

By: Heather Montgomery


But what do you do with money once you have it? That’s for you to decide. A budget can really help. It will allow you to keep track of what you earn (income) and what you spend (expenses).
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Financial literacy Grade level(s): Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06, Grade 07 / Secondary 1, Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
November 16, 2023

Understanding cryptocurrencies

By: Graham Iddon


Un circuit imprimé d’un ordinateur avec des dizaines de circuits et un ventilateur.
Most of us are aware of them, but how much do we really understand about cryptocurrencies?
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy, Financial literacy Grade level(s): Grade 08 / Secondary 2, Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
September 12, 2023

A checkup on cheques

By: David Bergeron


Photo, a tabletop with several printed paper forms and hand-written documents plus a bank card.  
With the continuing rise of e-transfers and electronic payments, people have been predicting the death of the humble cheque for decades. But it hasn’t happened yet.
Content type(s): Blog posts
July 31, 2023

The Scenes of Canada series $100 bill

By: Graham Iddon


Few of us ever get a chance to see a Scenes of Canada $100 bill. Which is a pity, because it is an example of great bank note design with even greater imagery by a master engraver.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): History

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