FROM THE COLLECTION aims to introduce readers to the inventories of local art galleries, museums and other cultural institutions, not via official exhibition notes but by way of the people that help manage and maintain the collections themselves.

“Being from Mexico, I would be home for the holidays sipping hot chocolate around this time, though that won’t happen this year due to travel restrictions. I walk by these items in storage daily, which is bittersweet, much like chocolate….”

For this edition of From The Collection, Fiona Hernandez, Conservator at the Museum of Vancouver, shares an artefact that resonates with her on an especially personal level, even more so in light of the global circumstances altering the way we celebrate the holidays this year…

“This molinillo and ceramic mug were acquired in Mexico in the first half of the 20th century. The molinillo is used to hand froth hot chocolate before pouring it in a mug. Being from Mexico, I would be home for the holidays sipping hot chocolate around this time, though that won’t happen this year due to travel restrictions. I walk by these items in storage daily, which is bittersweet, much like chocolate. On the one hand, like the circumstances that bring people here, the museum does not always have happy acquisition stories; our collecting history contributes to Vancouver’s Colonialism. On the other hand, I still get joy from coming across familiar things, especially being far from home.”

Take a look at more objects in the collection here.

Museum of Vancouver

Neighbourhood: Kitsilano

100 Chestnut St, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9

604-736-4431

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