MHSBC Future Events
Important MHSBC Events planned for 2025
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Hearts of Freedom Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees: February to April 2025 Gallery Exhibition
Hearts of Freedom – Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees exhibition focuses on the incredible stories of Southeast Asian refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The impact of the Vietnam War, the Lao Secret War, and the Cambodian Genocide forced millions to flee their homelands and to seek safety in other countries. These courageous refugees risked their lives, journeyed to different host countries, and traveled thousands of miles to Canada. The exhibition tells the stories of these survivors, in their own words and through their unique perspectives, adding to the fabric of the Canadian history of immigration.
Watch for more news and details in 2025!
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UNEARTHING THE VANISHED: Mennonite Experiences in Stalin's Great Terror.
MHM is excited to unveil its brand new exhibit on display starting May 5, 2025.
Join us for the Opening Reception on May 8, 2025 at 7pm (doors open at 6pm) to hear from the curators as they share the inspiration and story behind the exhibit.
This powerful exhibit sheds light on the enduring trauma of forced disappearances and the profound grief felt by families who have lost loved ones under violent regimes.
Focusing on the Ukrainian experience, it explores how unresolved grief, stemming from sudden and traumatic loss, impacts not only those who directly suffered but
also future generations. Through stories of resilience, the exhibit highlights the ongoing psychological effects of these disappearances, from depression and
anxiety to transgenerational grief.
The exhibit's concluding panel examines memorialization efforts, such as those honouring missing Indigenous children in Canada, Jewish victims across Europe, and those lost during Stalin’s purges, illustrating how communities preserve memory through powerful acts of remembrance. By sharing these stories, the exhibit invites reflection on the importance of recognizing both the pain of the past and the strength found in survival.
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Are you working on a Mennonite history project that needs financial support? Do you know someone who is? The Plett Foundation may be able to help!
Twice a year, the Plett Foundation awards grants to support research and publications. The next grant application deadline is March 15.
Research grants cover expenses like travel and accommodation for research trips. Publication grants may be used for the production of books, documentaries,
and exhibits. To qualify, projects must be related to the history of the Mennonites who migrated to Canada from Russia in the 1870s, their descendants,
or their ancestors.
For more information and to apply, visit our website.
Recent Grant Recipients:
Bruce Wiebe ($4,520) – For travel to Mexico to research Mennonite land purchases of 1921/1922 and to support the Gemeindearchive der Kolonie Manitoba, Mexico.
Abigail Carl-Klassen ($15,000) – For production, publication, and promotion of a book of vignettes drawn from her Rebels, Exiles, and Bridge Builders Oral History Project.
The Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society ($7,784) – For production and publication of the book Fürstenland: A Mennonite History, by Arnold Neufeldt-Fast.
Margaret Wiens ($1,500) – For research for the book Marsh Island, the history of a Mennonite family, by Margaret Wiens and Mary Wiens.
Pandora Press ($4,500) – For production and publication of three books in Pandora Press’s Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies series.
Chris Huebner ($4,443) – For travel to Amsterdam and two months’ accommodation in support of his “In the Book of Martyrs” research project.
Katherine Hill ($5,000) – For travel and accommodation for research and photography in Poland, Germany, Canada, the United States, and Mexico for her
book project “Lost and Living Pasts: Archives, Objects, and Images of Mennonite Belonging."
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Messages from Ben Nobbs-Thiessen Chair in Mennonite Studies & Co-director of CTMS at the Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies at The University of Winnipeg
I'm pleased to share that the video recordings of our recent conference, "Subjects, Settlers, Citizens: The 1870s Mennonites in Historical Context," are now
available on our YouTube channel.
The conference was a stimulating two days, with twenty-three excellent presentations, a keynote address by Elder
Dave Scott, and a premiere screening of
Where the Cottonwoods Grow.
(You won't find the film on our YouTube channel, but see the website of the
Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society for further screenings .)
It's always good to see and interact with the large community of interested individuals who
come out for our Mennonite studies events!
Next year's conference, titled "Global Mennonites and the Justice System since 1525: Martyrs, Perpetrators, Enforcers, and Advocates," will be held October 3 and 4, 2025.
Stay tuned for more information about this and other happenings at CTMS!
— Ben Nobbs-Thiessen
Chair in Mennonite Studies & co-director of CTMS
Revisit Our Conference Schedule: Conference Schedule.
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