It has been a long time since local artists had a place to display their work. It has been just as long since the Timmins Museum had a large space to display local history.
But on Friday, the public will once again have a place to go to view both artistic and cultural works, photos and artifacts.
Still without a permanent location, after water damaged forced the closure of the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre two-and-a-half years ago, director/curator Karen Bachmann said it's nice to have a place to display on a larger scale.
Since its closure, the museum has been running out of a small space in The Porcupine Mall, while its vast collection of historical items have been stored elsewhere.
For the past several weeks, the staff of the museum have been preparing for their reopening, temporarily in the green buildings behind the Shania Twain Centre.
"It's nice to get some of the collection out," Bachmann said. "We're hoping everyone in the community will come and visit us."
The new space will include a temporary gallery space for local and regional artists, an exhibition space as well as the museum gift shop.
"This exhibition will be looking at the discovery of the mining camps," Bachmann said. "They include part of our photograph collection from about 1908 to 1912.
"There will also be a diorama of how the prospectors set up their camps, along with other artifacts from the collection."
The museum planned the exhibition to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the local mines. Next year a different exhibit will take its place.
"It's good to be able to connect to the community again," Bachmann said. "We will be able to better deliver heritage and cultural services to the community."
But it's not just about local history. As a national exhibition centre, the museum's gallery acts as a place for artists to display and sell their work. It's part of the mandate that has been limited recently due to lack of space.
"We've received an excellent response from regional artists, so the public will get to see artists they haven't seen before," she said. "It also gives local up-and-coming artists a bit of exposure to help develop their future paths."
The museum will officially open its doors to the public Friday morning, and will be open Monday to Friday from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.