COQUITLAM HERITAGE SOCIETY

Coquitlam Heritage preserves honours and promotes the heritage of Coquitlam. We collect stories and objects that hold history and represent who has lived in Coquitlam and who chooses to live here today. We celebrate our community members' traditions experiences and festivities while holding space to remember and honour their tragedies and challenges. This is done through our exhibits both at Mackin House a 1910 heritage home which is our current operational base and out in the community and through programmes workshops and community events. Our exhibits are displayed at Mackin House and in places within Coquitlam's community. Community exhibits are made possible because of our community partners including Place des Arts two Coquitlam Public Library branches Coquitlam Archives and the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame. Originally Coquitlam Heritage’s collections and activities reflected people of European descent. However over the last several years Coquitlam Heritage has significantly increased our reflection of Coquitlam's diversity in our events exhibits and board composition. In developing an Anti-Racist heritage organization we are committed to celebrating the diverse voices in the Coquitlam community through our exhibits and events tell cultural stories only with participation from members of that community and fill the gaps in our historical records so that all members of our community are recognized and celebrated in our collections. Since 2017 we’ve developed events and exhibits that help community groups share their heritage experiences food traditions and music such as Diwali Family Day and Feasts of Coquitlam and programming such as our Intergenerational Heritage Sharing Project where seniors pass down their heritage traditions and skills. We are constantly looking for new ways to engage with our communities and support local artisans and artists.