To Continue Please Select A Location

Donate an Artifact


Have you ever thought about donating an artifact to the WDM?  Do you have something you think should be part of the WDM Collection? New artifact donations help us better tell the story of Saskatchewan and its people by filling gaps in our collection. Most of our artifacts are received as donations from the public.  You can find out more about our collections by visiting our Collections page.

We cannot accept objects dropped off at any WDM location without a prior appointment. Please read the information below and complete the Donate an Artifact Form at the bottom of the page.

For more information or questions, please contact Melissa Stus, Registrar at mstus@wdm.ca

Donating an Artifact to the WDM – Frequently Asked Questions

 

How to donate an artifact

    What to Tell Us
    The more information you can tell us about your object, the better. Who used it? How and where did they use it? Who made it? How did you come to have it? What Saskatchewan story does it tell? We also need to know the object is in good condition and free from contaminants like mold, unsafe chemicals or hazardous materials such as asbestos.


    Send Us Pictures
    Digital photographs of the object will help us evaluate your offer. Please send an image of what the object looks like today. Historical photographs of the object in use, or of the people who used it, are also valuable. If your object is accepted, we would be grateful for copies of these photos and the permission to use them in exhibitions, publications and online.


    What Happens Next
    Your offer will be evaluated by the WDM Curatorial Department. We will check to make sure the condition of the object is suitable, compare it to artifacts already in our collection and determine if it meets the WDM’s needs. A WDM staff member will contact you once a decision is made to accept or decline your offer. We will usually have a response within two to four weeks.


    How Old Does it Have to Be?
    We appreciate all offers but we can not accept everything. Storage space and resources are limited. Part of managing the artifact collection at the WDM is having to respectfully say “no” to new offers of object that are already well represented in our collection.


    What Do We Collect?
    The WDM has evolved to become much more than an agricultural implement museum. We collect artifacts that show the diversity of the Saskatchewan spirit. We are interested in artifacts that represent who we are, tell a Saskatchewan-inspired story, depict an historic event or illustrate our skills and innovation.


    The WDM has lots of settler artifacts.
    Unless your settler object has an exceptional Saskatchewan story, chances are we will gratefully decline it. We recommend checking with other museums in Saskatchewan to see if they would be interested in your offer of the following types of objects:

    • 1920s vehicles
    • Adding machines/calculators
    • Aprons
    • Basic hand tools
    • Bibles
    • Binders
    • Buffalo fur coats
    • Butter churns
    • Button hooks
    • Cameras
    • Cash registers
    • Children’s books
    • Christening/baptism gowns
    • Clocks
    • Cream separators
    • Crocks
    • Dictionaries
    • Dinnerware
    • Doilies
    • Dolls
    • Encyclopedia sets
    • Family Portraits
    • Early wedding dresses
    • Fanning mills
    • Fiction Books
    • Furs
    • Gas Tractors
    • Glass insulators
    • Lamps
    • Looms
    • Magazines
    • Milk bottles
    • Newspapers
    • Nightgowns
    • Pianos
    • “Pioneer” dresses
    • Player piano rolls
    • Plows
    • Portable engines
    • Pump organs
    • Radios
    • Razors
    • Scythes
    • Sad irons
    • Separators
    • Sewing machines
    • Sewing patterns
    • Shawls
    • Sickles
    • Slide projectors
    • Stuffed animals
    • Threshing machines
    • Train sets
    • Trophies
    • Trunks
    • Typewriters
    • Wagons/buggies
    • Wash boards
    • Wedding dresses


    Donate an Artifact Form
    To donate an artifact please complete the Donate an Artifact Form.


    The Paperwork
    If your object is accepted by the WDM, we will send you a donation agreement which transfers unrestricted ownership to the WDM. Come in to sign the form or return the signed copy by mail. We are unable to accept loans or donations with limiting conditions such as requiring the artifact to go on exhibit.



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact