Beginning Sept. 6 until Sept. 29, the exhibit galleries at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery will be empty. The first phase of construction for the new permanent history exhibition – Remarkable Red Deer: Stories from the Heart of the Parkland – begins.

The dividing wall that separates the new 4800 sq. ft. history exhibition and temporary galleries will be erected.

“It’s hard to believe that we are at this stage,” said Lorna Johnson, executive director. “Things will look very different at the MAG this fall. This is the first phase of a seven-month production period. We are very excited to see the vision transforming into reality.”

During this first three and one-half week period, several structural walls and emergency door vestibules will be built therefore the galleries will be closed to the public.

While undergoing construction, the Discovery Studio will remain open. The MAG Saturdays drop-in program will continue as scheduled. As well, the MAG Sparks Open Studio program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons begins Sept. 10th.

On Sept. 29, the final and only exhibition of 2012 will open. Profit & Ambition: the Canadian Fur Trade, 1779 to 1821 is a traveling exhibition from the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Then the intensive work begins. It will take several months to install Remarkable Red Deer. The technical, electrical and case fabrication components are extensive, said Johnson. More than 1,000 artifacts from the MAG’s collections, and 500 photos, maps, and documents from the Red Deer and District Archives will be readied as well.

For more details on the permanent history project, contact Karin Richardson-MacKenzie, Development & Marketing at 403-309-8446. For information on the Magnificent Saturdays and MAGSparks programs, call 403-309-8405. www.redddeermuseum.com.

-Weber