The Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project

Western Development Museum, Spirit Wrestler Productions and the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Created through a partnership between the Western Development Museum, Spirit Wrestler Productions, and the University of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project documented the history, culture, and religious beliefs of Saskatchewan’s Independent Doukhobors.

Through five multimedia outputs, including a documentary, museum exhibit, and website, this project offered the public an unprecedented opportunity to learn about a distinctive and significant ethnoreligious community that played a key role in Saskatchewan’s cultural and agricultural history.

The multi-layered exhibit included textual material, audio, and visual elements that provided visitors with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of a typical Saskatchewan Doukhobor moleniye (prayer service), as well as an introduction to the traditions and beliefs of this poorly understood community.

The exhibit was designed in collaboration with members of the Doukhobor community and represents an effective partnership between the museum, the people it represents, and the people it serves.

The combination of typical museum exhibit elements with the attention-grabbing technical elements featured in the Soundscape offered a compelling model for innovation in exhibit design.