Resiliency: Shared Stories of Strength & Survival

Resiliency: Shared Stories of Strength & Survival

On exhibit to December 18, 2023

Anchored in the history of the 165-year-old Cottage, located in downtown Cambridge, the exhibit features a multimedia journey of shared personal stories of resiliency and offers resources and strategies to help our community bounce back from life’s challenges. This exhibit also represents a first step in McDougall Cottage’s future direction; to explore and embrace new and innovative ways to tell stories.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that declining mental health in the family of one of the Cottage’s former residents may have been a factor in the Cottage’s eventual state of disrepair. This encouraged Michelle Bartlett, Head of Content and Experience at McDougall to explore the idea of developing an exhibit on the topic, using the Cottage as a metaphor for Resiliency.

Through partnerships with local organizations like Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo Wellington and others, programming will be offered on topics such as mindfulness, self-care and many more.

Admission to this exhibit is by donation. 

#HopeandHealingCanada

Métis artist, Tracey-Mae Chambers, visited McDougall Cottage to create powerful site-specific outdoor art installations as part of her body of work #HopeandHealingCanada.