Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre

Coffee, Goodies, Great Conversation… AND PRIZES (thanks to Shaunavon IDA Pharmacy)!!

MORNING SING ALONG:
Fridays, November 15 & 22 at 10:00 a.m.
Friday December 20th - Christmas Carols!

Walk with us through a part of Shaunavon’s history.
Staff and volunteers of the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre have created a walking tour of some of Shaunavon’s historic buildings. The tour features 20 historic sites, all located within walking distance of beautiful downtown Shaunavon.

Printed tour brochures are available at the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre (440 Centre Street), or you can click here to be directed to the Heritage Walking Tour page on this website.

BOOMTOWN OR BUST Escape Adventure invites you to travel back in time for a real life Shaunavon escape adventure you won’t soon forget!

You and your friends have only 45 minutes to find the clues, solve the riddles and complete the challenge!

COST: $20 per person - At this time, we require a minimum of $100 per session if you have fewer than 5 people. Max group size is 8 people. All proceeds go towards the Grand Coteau Museum and Programs

Are you up for the challenge? Book your session! Contact the Grand Coteau Centre at 306-297-3882 or stop by the museum at 440 Centre Street for bookings & if you have any questions.

The Grand Coteau Centre archives includes over 3,300 photographs relating to the history of Shaunavon and area. We are pleased to now make this collection available online.

High resolution digital files of these images are available for purchase from the Grand Coteau Centre. Please contact us for ordering information.

Click here to view the photograph archives online.

The Shaunavon Branch of the Chinook Regional Library is located in the GCHCC, adjacent to our gallery space. The library is another hub of our community and offers free internet access, regular children’s programming, IT help, computer sessions and much more. The Shaunavon Library is an inviting and cozy locale for meeting friends and relaxing with a good book.
The friendly librarians will be happy to help you with research and computer usage. Interlibrary loans are available for titles not currently held on location.

Phone: 306-297-3844

Hours of Operation:
Monday 12:00 Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday 12:00 Noon. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 12:00 Noon - 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 12:00 Noon - 5:00 p.m.

Our spacious 1000 ft. gallery features art exhibitions by local, Saskatchewan and Canadian artists. Many of our shows are from the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Council’s (OSAC) Arts on the Move program. A full listing of OSAC visual arts touring exhibitions can be found on their website, osac.ca
New exhibitions are featured every one or two months. Exhibitions are subject to change without advance notice.
A donation box and guest book are located in the gallery. Please be sure to sign your name and leave us your comments regarding the current show!
GCHCC works collaboratively with the Shaunavon Arts Council to present visual and performing arts in our community. Please check out the Shaunavon Arts Council page for information on the current performing arts schedule.

2024 Exhibitions: (confirmed to date)

• January - February, 2024: Lesley Schatz: Sacred Ground
• March - April, 2024: Tepakohp/7
• May - June, 2024: Jeff Goring: Graffiti Artist
• July - August, 2024: Micro and Macro of the Boreal Forest: Greg Allen and Jeff Meldrum
• September - October, 2024: Muveddet Al-Katib: East and West: The Bridging of Cultures and Art
• November - December, 2024: To Be Determined

2023 Exhibitions:

• January 1 - February 23, 2023: Edie Marshall: Moving Landscapes
• March 1 - April 28, 2023: Andrew Robertson
• May 1 - June 23, 2023: Madhu Kumar: The Stories of Immigrant Women
• July 1 - August 30, 2023: Seasons of Light: The Art of Jan Layh
• September 1 - October 23, 2023: The Flower People: Melanie Monique Rose
• November 1 - 10, 2023: Legion Poster & Essay Contest Entries
  November 16 - December 20, 2023: Holiday Art Show & Sale

A meeting room is located in the basement of the GCHCC, and is available for rental. The space can accommodate up to 50 individuals. A television, DVD player, slide projector and screen, coffee pots and washrooms are available for use upon request. The space is well-lit with a great deal of natural light as well.

Rental Rates:
Full Day: $75 plus GST
Half Day: $40 plus GST
60% reduction for Non Profit Groups Call 306-297-3882 for booking information.

Artist Rates:
Full Day: $50 plus GST
Half Day: $25 plus GST

Education:
Art Programming: Many of our monthly touring art exhibitions come to us through the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Council’s Arts on the Move program. Please see our Art Gallery information above for a complete schedule of upcoming Art Gallery Exhibitions.

School Tours of our museum pioneer and natural history room exhibits can be arranged at any time by contacting our Program Coordinator, Tammy Willman at 306-297-3882.

Archives:

• The entire collection of The Shaunavon Standard newspaper, dating back to 1913
• Obituaries
• Photographs including collections from local residents, past and present
• Old town photos
• History Books - a large collection of history books from all over the Southwest and Saskatchewan

Research Requests:
GCHCC offers research services concerning individuals, organizations and/or businesses from Shaunavon’s past. The Centre’s staff & volunteers can assist individuals or organizations seeking this information and we will attempt to fill each request as best as possible.
Please contact us if you wish to discover more about Shaunavon’s past.
Donations for research requests are welcomed!

The Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre is located in the heart of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. The Centre houses a museum, art gallery and the Shaunavon Branch of the Chinook Regional Library. Our collection is multi-disciplinary, including artifacts relating to the human history of Shaunavon, fine arts and natural history specimens of the area. A variety of programs and tours are offered in association with our collection, making us more than a collection of objects. Tours are offered on a regular basis throughout the year to school students and can also be provided to other groups upon request. Through our educational programming, we are able to provide opportunities for our public to enjoy the arts, as well as the natural history and the human history of our area.

GCHCC is also a popular locale for community events and special programming including Family Day, I Love Shaunavon Day, Canada Day, Boomtown Days, Halloween and the Parade of Lights.

History:

The name of Shaunavon’s Museum, “Grand Coteau”, comes from the title “le grand coteau” or grand slope of the Missouri, as applied by the explorer Le Verendrye to the area stretching from Kincaid to Govenlock.

The Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre officially opened Saturday, July 12, 1980, but had its origin as the “Grand Coteau Museum” which was organized on December 6, 1931 at a meeting convened in the court house in Shaunavon.

During the period from 1931 to 1957 the exhibits were housed in one room of the old two roomed school house on the school grounds just west of the older brick school. The period from 1936 to 1957 was a dormant one and only F.O. Bransted was left with enough interest to take visitors to view the exhibits.

In 1957 the work of reviving the Grand Coteau Museum was undertaken. The School Board gave the building to the Town of Shaunavon for $1.00. The Chamber of Commerce, with financial help from the Town and the Shawnees, moved the building to its present site in the small park on Centre Street and renovated the building. C. Busse, acting for the Chamber of Commerce, organized this phase of the work. The operation of the museum was turned over to a management committee with representation from the Town, Chamber of Commerce, Public School Board, High School Board, Separate School Board, School Unit No. 7, Shawnees and two members at large. This management committee began their work on July 2, 1959 and the museum was again officially opened in 1963, at the time of the 50th anniversary of the Town of Shaunavon. Even at that time the thought of incorporating the library was considered. In 1972 the basement was completed with grants from the Federal Government and the Town of Shaunavon.

In 1973 preliminary plans were started to provide more space as it was obvious that a heritage type of museum was needed by the community. In June of 1976 the cataloguing of all exhibits was started with the help of a special project grant from the Department of Culture and Youth and the able management of Janice Douglas, an anthropology student from the University of Alberta. The natural history cataloguing was completed in 1977 by the management committee.

In November 1977 the Town Council called a meeting to hear presentations on the announced Neighbourhood Improvement Program (NIP) and the Grand Coteau Management Committee made representation to have the enlargement of the museum to include an art gallery and the branch of the regional library considered as first priority. The plan received the approval of the Town Council and the new municipally operated facility was opened in 1980 with the guidance of a Board of Directors, and Director/Curator. Today the staff has expanded to include a Curatorial Assistant and volunteers.

The Centre now includes the Shaunavon Branch of the Chinook Regional Library, an art gallery, a natural history museum and tourist information centre all on the main floor; a heritage museum in the basement which also includes a general purpose community room.

The Centre continues to be open year round and offers a variety of cultural experiences. Stop in and visit us when you are in town.

Visit the GCHCC History page to learn more about our museum’s history - including why we have the name “Grand Coteau”!

Keep up to date on Grand Coteau Centre’s events, programs, and happenings - or enjoy some virtual fun with our heritage & tourism based videos and posts!

Here are the links - feel free to follow, like, & share!
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Board of Directors:
Brent Michelson - President & Shaunavon Town Councillor
Robert Anderson - Vice President
Jenna Hiebert - Secretary
Nolan Klassen - Shaunavon Town Councillor
Sandy Fritz
Tara Lingenfelter
Marla Poisson
Hester Groenewald
Penny Kirkpatrick
Andrew Robertson

Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022

Museums Association of Saskatchewan
SaskCulture