Not just for growing plants

If St. Albert is truly the city of gardens (as the recent corporate branding suggests), then all facets of our city must represent growth, nurturing and cultivation. In fact, 'cultivating life' is more than just a slogan. Sure, we have a well-respected greenhouse business that started from modest beginnings to become the house of Hole's, a place where even the dirt is clean and revered. But if we are going to praise the elements of growth then we must begin at the beginning, where all things must start — the seed.

If serendipity has a timeline then there could not possibly be a better and more appropriate moment for the Musée Héritage Museum's newest exhibit. Seeds in Disguise has everything that you could possibly want in institutional culture: a hint of regional relevance enhanced by a larger social construct, a somewhat simple introduction made complex and interesting by dint of a cross-reference to both agriculture and the larger framework of human experience, all topped off with the suggestion of inspiring arts and crafts at home. There are kernels of genius everywhere we look and many are no larger than a seed.

Cultivating culture

One of the most compelling reasons our city was first set up as a mission — apart from its prime location — was that the land was fertile. This is pretty much the same around the world so this ultimately means that many communities have the seed to thank. With so much hands-on experience with the great variety of functional and productive seeds across the continents, it only stands to reason that we would find other uses for these fruitful objects.

While this exhibit refers to 'ornamental seeds', only a small part of these other uses could be categorized as decorative or artistic. There are display cases that show off the beautiful necklaces, trinkets and ornaments that some jewellers and artisans have crafted from various seeds. This is a kind of found art where people take pre-existing objects that don't normally have any artistic value and place meaning upon them.

But there is so much more that these little kernels of greatness can accomplish. They can be used in chemistry and for important medicines. They can teach us lessons about the natural world. Joanne White, curator at the museum, explained that the Musée tries to schedule in a natural history exhibit at least once a year. That's only a part of the reason why this travelling installation from the Royal Ontario Museum is now sprouting in St. Albert.

Apparently the larger cultural impact of these simple objects is what made this show stand out from her other choices. She explained that people put extra emphasis and value on seeds because they are so important to human and community growth. Since they are also familiar and commonplace items, not rarities, they don't get placed on a pedestal to be revered; they get turned into other uses that exemplify their majesty.

"They become decorative and spiritual items as well, not just foodstuffs."

She further added that it's likely that the local archives have some items of clothing that have incorporated seeds but that there are more objects with decorative porcupine quills or animal fur. "It's the same sort of thing where you take something from nature and create a beautiful piece or a spiritual piece from it."

A big part of the problem in preserving these decorative seeds is that they aren't meant to last. Sharon Morin, the lead aboriginal programmer at the museum, elaborated that it was part of the way of life.

"For sure, (the Métis and First Nations peoples) were using all the kinds of things that they could find. There was a lot of trade going on so shells and seeds were brought in from the different coasts. They found textiles that had things on them. Pretty much anything that Mother Earth would give them, they found a use for. They didn't have within them to think about planting them because that's never how they lived so that's when they would use it to decorate things. They never gardened them out here."

She added that some seeds could be used for dyes and the Cree used to make medicine water called Muskeke-wapoy from seeds.

Learning from the fruit of fruits

Museum exhibits are always meant to be educational in some way and this one is no different. It is meant to be as interesting to backyard botanists and backwoods explorers as it will be for the average curious schoolchild.

Some of the displays discuss how seeds travel, which ones are poisonous, the biology of plant growth, and also seed signals. The Discovery Room will be transformed into an area to learn about springtime along the river. "The programming staff will tie that in with some of their natural history programs. They bring in all aspects of nature with those exhibits so they'll be able to talk about these things and relate them to local circumstances," White said.

The staff is also putting together a learning event for April and White said that details were still being worked out.

The museum is also taking this opportunity to put out From Gardener to Governor (the Lois Hole quilt) again. Created by the St. Albert Quilters' Guild about a decade ago, it occasionally goes into storage to prevent the colours from fading due to too much exposure to light. White said that whenever they take this protective measure, the museum staff is always inundated with questions about it and requests to have it put back out again.

"They miss it. They know that it's not here."

At the same time the guild will be displaying another quilt at the show. It is called What Came First the Seed or the Tree? by Michelle Eaton.