Kronau Museum gets a marvelous rebrand

For nearly two decades, the Kronau Heritage Museum has been quietly redefining what a small-town museum can be. Through fascinating storytelling, innovative events, and family-friendly programming, the Museum has been a vibrant, creative hub in the Kronau area.

Over time, one thing became clear: the name no longer told the full story. So, in 2024, after some community consultation, the volunteer board rebranded the museum, christening it the Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner.

In its early years, the Museum featured local history and artifacts. “But then, we started to get more into telling stories and offering programs, and the name wasn’t reflecting what we were about,” Audrey Euteneier, Board chair, says. The Museum was originally located in a 650-square-foot church building built in 1912. There was a permanent display of artifacts upstairs and rotating exhibitions, collection storage, offices and meeting space downstairs. “We quickly outgrew the basement,” says Rhonda Lamb, Board treasurer. “We needed space for our collection and programming, but we were also seen as a building full of old stuff. We knew we were more than that.” The building also wasn’t accessible to people using mobility aids.

In 2007, a local historic school came up for sale. It was the perfect opportunity for the Museum to address their space, perception and accessibility challenges. But they didn’t have the money. The board held a large public meeting to see if there was enough interest to save the school. Community support was overwhelming. So, the board stepped up and gave personal loans to purchase the building, move it next to the church and build a new basement.

“After that, we were dead broke, and it sat for four years while we fundraised, paid back the directors’ loans and started renovations,” Euteneier explains. The renovations spanned from 2007 to 2024, during which time the Museum continued operating in the church; the new space opened in June 2024, under the marvelous new name.

The gallery for the rotating exhibits broadened, given that there was four times more physical space. There is also a craft room, a meeting room and space for adult programming. The entire building is now accessible to those using mobility aids.

Additionally, the collection now has its own dedicated heated and humidity-controlled storage area in the church basement. The new moniker, building and programming are attracting a more diverse audience, including young families from town who had never come to the Museum before, as well as people from neighbouring communities such as Regina, Lajord, Sedley, Vibank, Pilot Butte and beyond. Younger people have also been inspired to join the board.

Euteneier has some advice for other museums thinking about modernizing: “Don’t think things always have to be done the way they always have been done. You can change it.” Lamb adds, “Look at your capacity and work within it, so you don’t burn folks out. Be open to change and new ideas, always trying to be relevant to who your audience is and who you want your audience to be.”

The Kronau Marvelous Museum & Creative Corner receives support from SaskCulture’s Museum Grant Program, funded by Sask Lotteries Trust Fund.