A museum housing artifacts of the Windsor-Essex Serbian community is getting a boost from the Canadian and Ontario governments.
The Serbian Heritage Museum, which is located in the Serbian Centre complex in east Windsor, has been awarded a $43,000 grant for renovation and repairs. The money comes from the government's Community, Culture and Recreation Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada plan.
The announcement was made Friday by Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk, Ontario Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney on behalf of Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott, and Anne Dube, a past president of the museum.
"Investments in cultural spaces are essential to celebrate diversity and inclusion. The renovations to the Serbian Heritage Museum will provide members of the Serbian community with an updated space to preserve and display artifacts that celebrate their heritage and culture," said Kusmierczyk. "Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."
This money is the federal government's contribution to the $108,000 total set aside for the renovations. An additional $36,000 of the money will come from the Ontario government, and the rest locally from the museum itself.
The renovations will consist of roof repairs, upgrades to the building's HVAC system, construction of new storage and hanging units, and installation of barrier-free doors. The repairs are designed to protect the museum's artifacts from water and humidity damage.
The museum was included in an expansion of the Serbian Centre complex in 1987, according to the museum's official website. Before then, artifacts from Windsor-Essex's Serbian Community were displayed at what is today the Chimczuk Museum. The Serbian museum established itself as a non-profit organization in 1993.