Medalta revisiting storied legacy with upcoming cookie jar exhibition

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Vauxhall Advance

By Anna Smith
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

During Medalta’s earlier years in Medicine Hat as a bustling factory, it was once renowned for its cookie jars; a legacy that is being revisited with the latest artistic installation.

Artist Elaine Zimmer “revisits, reviews, redirects and condenses the classical urn form of the Medalta cookie jar,” in the upcoming collection, Collection Recollection: A Cookie Jar Exhibition.

The recreations of the iconic jars from the 1900s are displayed as small porcelain pieces that would fit within the hand of the viewer.

“These new forms are playful, toy-like and echo the original Medalta cookie jars, resonating with the nostalgia of the past,” a release from Medalta states. “Alongside Zimmer’s contemporary pieces, the show will also feature original Medalta cookie jars from our collection, offering a unique juxtaposition between the historic and the contemporary.”

The exhibition will be at Medalta from Aug. 25 to Nov. 9, with an opening reception Sept. 13 at 6 p.m.

“Zimmer’s jars tell a story; they are keepsakes. These reimagined cookie jars become treasures, their surfaces treated in the manner of folk art,” the release says. “Each jar is decorated with intent, a collaboration of materials and a collection of memories. They are covered with pictures, words, stories, old-fashioned sayings and recurring motifs from Elaine’s artistic practice.”