LONDON, ON – Museum London has announced the launch of a pair of exhibitions that explore the 166 year history of Labatt Breweries.
The following exhibition descriptions are provided by the Museum:
London’s Hometown Brewery: The Labatt Story
This exhibition tells the story of London’s historic brewery. From humble beginnings as a business dream of Irish immigrant farmer John Kinder Labatt, who came to Upper Canada in 1833, the brewery grew with the support of his wife Eliza and under the shrewdness of his son John Labatt. In 2010, Museum London and the Western Archives benefited from a substantial gift of artifacts and archival materials from the Labatt Brewing Company. Highlights of these collections have been brought together to tell the story of one of London’s pre-eminent businesses. Selected artifacts include John Labatt’s desk, the firm’s grandfather clock, early photographs of the brewery, medals won by Labatt beer at international exhibitions, posters, labels, barrels, souvenir items, and examples of containers and bottles produced during the company’s history.
Iain Baxter: A Year at Labatt
This exhibition traces a year in the life of artist Iain Baxter, during his tenure as Creative Consultant to Labatt Breweries president Sidney Oland, from 1982 to 1983. A selection of documents and ephemera, as well as many of Baxter’s iconic photographic images, shot on assignment for Labatt, will be featured in this exhibition. While several of the images detail the company’s sponsored events such as Mosport, the Labatt Brier or the Montreal Grand Prix, most record the day-to-day operations, the facilities and the equipment, as seen through Baxter’s unique lens.
Both exhibitions were opened to the public on Saturday April 13th, and an opening reception will take place this Friday April 19th at 8:00 PM, with free admission and a cash bar. The exhibitions will run until Sunday June 30th.