Royal Saskatchewan Museum Fundraiser Returns for a Third Year

Released on February 2, 2016

Artifact/Artifiction, the signature fundraising event for the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM), hosted by the Friends of the RSM, takes place on Saturday, February 6 at the museum beginning at 7 p.m.

The event features 20 intriguing and rarely displayed artifacts from the RSM’s heritage collections, and 20 amazing tales about those artifacts, as presented by museum curators and staff.  Attendees have to decipher fact from fiction by determining which stories are tall tales and which are true.  The event will also feature the culinary expertise of award-winning chef Milton Rebello, as well as beverages provided by Rebellion Brewing.  Net profits raised from Artifact/Artifiction support scientific research at the RSM through the $25,000 RSM Graduate Scholarship.

“Artifact/Artifiction is an event with many positive impacts,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Mark Docherty said.  “Not only is it a unique and entertaining evening for guests, the funds raised support graduate students, and their research, along with the research of RSM curators.  I applaud the Friends of the RSM for their hard work in organizing this meaningful and successful event.”

The RSM is proud to announce Charlie Bailey as the 2016 Graduate Scholarship recipient.  The scholarship supports exceptional students conducting research that furthers the RSM’s mandate to study, interpret and share knowledge about Saskatchewan’s natural and human history.

Charlie Bailey grew up in rural Manitoba and completed an Arts degree at Brandon University before pursuing a second undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S).  At the U of S, she fell in love with the study of insects and rekindled her childhood passion for botany.  Currently a graduate student with the Faculty of Science at the University of Regina, Bailey’s master’s project involves investigating to what degree wild insects are responsible for sour cherry pollination.

Dwarf Sour Cherries are a relatively new fruit crop in Saskatchewan but its popularity is growing with production in the prairies, more than tripling over the past 20 years.

Cory Sheffield, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the RSM, is one of Charlie’s master’s supervisors.

“I enjoy being a lone 'blue and gold' island in the sea of green that is Regina,” Bailey said.  “I'm excited to learn about Saskatchewan's insect diversity and to contribute to agricultural practices in the province; the RSM scholarship opens doors to exciting avenues in my research and I'm very thankful to receive this award.”

Artifact/Artifiction is proudly presented by ISC, and supported by MLT and the Faculty of Science, University of Regina.  A limited number of tickets are available for $75 per person or a group of eight for $600.  Tickets can be purchased at the RSM Museum Gift Shop, by calling 306-757-5951, or by email at michelle.hunter@gov.sk.ca.  Tax receipts are available.

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum, located at 2445 Albert Street, is open daily from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Visit www.royalsaskmuseum.ca or call 306-787-2815.  Admission is by donation.

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For more information, contact:

Jill Sveinson
Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-5781
Email: jill.sveinson@gov.sk.ca

Michelle Hunter
Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0787
Email: michelle.hunter@gov.sk.ca