From Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG)
Anne Frank: A History for Today opening at Red Deer MAG
The travelling exhibition Anne Frank – A History for Today, a travelling exhibition from the Anne Frank House (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), will be on display at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) January 12 to March 22, 2020. This exhibit aims to bring Anne’s life story to the attention of people all over the world to encourage them to reflect on the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination and the importance of freedom, equal rights and democracy. As part of this exhibit the MAG will be showing artworks created by Red Deer high school students in response to the Anne Frank story.
This exhibition tells the story of Anne Frank set against the background of the Holocaust. The exhibition makes use of images from the Frank family and quotations from the Diary of Anne Frank. Each panel displays information about the most important developments of that time: the rise of National Socialism, the Second World War and the persecution of the Jews. This exhibition has three artefacts that visitors will be able to see: a replica of the Diary of Anne Frank, a Yellow Star of David, a 3D model of the Anne Frank House and a Nazi program from 1935-1936.
“We are pleased to present this exhibition during the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Holland from Nazi occupation,” says Lorna Johnson, Executive Director. “The Diary of Anne Frank continues to be a moving testament to the optimism of youth in the most trying situations. The Anne Frank House Museum in Amsterdam has made a commitment to work with youth all over the world to eliminate racism and discrimination. We are pleased to bring their message to Red Deer and we would like to thank the teachers and students of Red Deer’s high schools who have embraced the project and created artworks for display, and who have volunteered to be tour guides in the exhibition.”
Aims of the exhibition
- To increase knowledge of youth and public on the historical events of the second world war, the Holocaust and the life of Anne Frank
- To foster dialogue between attendees on topics such as the dangers of discrimination and the importance of tolerance and the human rights
- To increase the knowledge of local /national / international history through various activities in conjunction with the exhibition
- To invite youth to live a learning experience of exchange and dialogue.
Opening Reception: Join the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery at 2pm on Sunday, January 26, 2020 for the joint opening reception of Anne Frank: A History for Today and the MAG’s in-house exhibit Sacrifice, Hope, Friendship: Canada and the Liberation of Holland.
Anne Frank
In many countries Anne Frank has become the symbol of the mass murder of Jews during the Second World War.
Anne Frank was born on 12th June, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. She was the daughter of Otto and Edith Frank and had a three year old sister, Margot. Just like many other Jews, the Frank family fled Germany after Hitler and his National-Socialist party came to power in 1933. The Jews who stayed in Germany were step by step excluded from society. The Frank family went to the Netherlands where father Otto started a company.
In May 1940 the Nazis occupied the Netherlands and soon anti-Jewish measures were introduced. In July 1942 large-scale deportations of Jews took place. The Frank family went into hiding along with four others. They hid in the annex of Otto Frank’s office building on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, right in the heart of the city. During their time in hiding, Anne Frank kept a diary. In August 1944 the hiding place was betrayed and the eight people were taken to different concentration camps. Anne Frank eventually died in the camp Bergen-Belsen. Only Otto Frank survived the war. In 1947 the diary of Anne Frank was first published. By now it is translated into sixty languages and has become one of the best known documents about the Holocaust. The building where the Frank family hid is now a museum.
For more details regarding the exhibition Anne Frank: A History for Today contact Kim Verrier, Exhibitions Coordinator at kim.verrier@reddeer.ca, 403-309-8440.
