We spent most of a day touring the Medalta Museum in Medicine Hat. We were very lucky and had a guided tour of the displays, the work area and even got to view the storage room where they keep all the non-displayed pieces.
I can only imagine how hard the people worked in the factory and the conditions they worked in. It must have been very hot working around the kilns, loading and unloading the pottery. I admire the people that toiled so hard in those conditions to produce the pieces of pottery that we now collect. From getting the clay ready right through to the hand painting of pieces, it was hard work with little mechanization available.
The variety of pieces produced from the very utilitarian crocks to the very beautiful hand painted vases to the advertising pieces or the children's dishes, I am sure you could find Medalta in many homes in Western Canada.
The Friends of Medalta are to be commended for their tireless work to restore and maintain such an amazing part of Medicine Hat and Canadian History.
No comments:
Post a Comment