Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives announces new exhibits and events

“Behind Bars: The History of the Peel County Jail” among exhibitions on offer this year

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Region of Peel's home for history, the arts and more has announced some of its plans for 2024. 

The Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) announced on January 11 some of its upcoming programming for the year. 

PAMA has updated its “Behind Bars: The History of the Peel County Jail” exhibition with an aim to take a thoughtful and compassionate approach to the history of the jail. Visitors to this exhibit will learn the stories of those who spent time in the jail, learn why the jail was built, and see what a double jail cell would have looked like in the early 1900s.

From January 27 to September 8, PAMA will host a traveling exhibition from the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre: “The Suitcase Project”.

The exhibition aims to show what Japanese Canadians went through in 1942, when over 23,000 Japanese Canadians living on Canada's west coast were uprooted from their homes and placed in internment camps.

PAMA describes the upcoming exhibition like so:

“Over 80 fourth- and fifth-generation Japanese Canadians and Americans share what they would pack if forcibly removed from their homes today. They were given one day to assemble their things, similar to what many Japanese Canadians faced in 1942,” said Pama.

From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on February 19, PAMA is hosting its annual Family Day event. The family-friendly event will feature a chance to create art inspired by astronomy and the universe, and a performance of “Little Red Rocketship” by Applefun Puppetry. Showtimes are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., and space is limited.

To learn more about PAMA and its upcoming exhibitions and events, those interested can visit pama.peelregion.ca.

PAMA is located at 9 Wellington St. East in Brampton.