The Port Hardy Museum has hired a new curator.
Robin Folvik has been living in Port Hardy a little over a week now after moving up island from Cumberland where she’d been working since 2014.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Folvik first moved to Vancouver and has been working in the history field for 20 years now.
“In Vancouver I worked with an organization called the BC Labour Heritage Centre for eight years, and then in Cumberland I was at the Cumberland Museum and Archives,” she said. “I’ve also worked in the film industry doing photo and story research, I’ve worked with teachers doing curriculum development, done walking tours, everything you can think of [to do with history] I’ve probably done in some form or fashion.”
Folvik noted she actually spent an entire summer in the archives during her first research contract 20 years ago.
“It was something I really liked, it was kind of like detective work where you try and figure out how and why this happened,” she said. “You pull out files, dusty artifacts, and it was a great learning opportunity.”
She added that she’s excited to be the new curator at the Port Hardy Museum because of her passion for industrial history and working history.
“The fishing, mining and logging industries here are obviously an appeal, and I’m also interested in Indigenous history, which of course plays such an important role here.”
She noted there’s plenty of archives in the museum to go through, and her first impression of Port Hardy is that it’s a lovely town and she’s looking forward to exploring the outdoors.
As for upcoming plans for the museum, Folvik said it’s all a matter of finding out what’s exactly in the archives and spending some time learning about local history from longtime situated families that still live here.
The museum will be reopening to the public on Feb. 1 with COVID-19 protocols in place during its regular hours from Tuesday to Saturday.
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