Press Release: Richmond Museum exhibits Richmond’s multi-faith community

Richmond Museum exhibits Richmond’s multi-faith community Richmond, BC – Interested in the vast array of faiths, religions and spiritual practices that peacefully co-exist throughout Richmond? Don’t miss the Richmond Museum’s exhibition celebrating cultural awareness and understanding.

Highway to Heaven: Richmond’s Multi-faith Community, opens with a reception at the Richmond Museum, on Saturday, December 8, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. Drawing upon a selection of artefacts and photos from Richmond Museum and City of Richmond Archives collections, the exhibit highlights artefacts and photos on loan from some of Richmond’s faith-based community groups, and examines Richmond’s diverse religious and spiritual heritage.

The Richmond Museum invited each of the religious or spiritual groups to participate in the Highway to Heaven exhibition by sharing the spiritual path that defines their faith, and key messages expressed in its practise. Over 30 faith-based groups came forward to share stories about their place of worship, history, how they have grown over the years, and what makes it special to its members. Commonly referred to as Highway to Heaven, Richmond’s No. 5 Road is home to community churches, mosques, religious schools, and temples.

As a tribute, the museum exhibit will feature a 50-foot “highway” sculpture created for the exhibit by co-sponsors, the Ebco Group of Companies, thanks to Ebco co-founders Helmut and Hugo Eppich. The highway sculpture includes a collage of photos and text that takes visitors on a journey into the many places of worship clustered along the famously dubbed road. Following the opening reception will be a special ceremony in the Cultural Centre Plaza marking Hanukkah to be observed by the lighting of one of the world’s largest Menorahs designed by the late Arthur Erickson, fabricated by Ebco Industries Ltd., and donated to Eitz Chaim Synagogue of Richmond.

The Highway to Heaven exhibit has been funded by the City of Richmond, Richmond Museum Society, Ebco Group of Companies, and British Columbia Arts Council. Both the opening reception and exhibit, that is on display until July 1, 2013, are located at the Richmond Museum, 7700 Minoru Gate. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.richmond.ca/museum.

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