A museum made from what people know—and what they pass on.
Made By: Kawartha Lakes is a new museum and community learning organization devoted to the things people have made, how they made them, and the knowledge, creativity and stories worth carrying forward.
Through exhibitions, collections, workshops, oral histories, community programs and a carefully curated shop, Made By will create places for people to encounter local skill, share what they know and help living traditions continue between generations.
Inspiration
Encounter the people, objects, stories and ideas that spark curiosity, invite new questions and help us see familiar places differently.
Creation
Explore how things are made through exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops and opportunities to practise, experiment and create.
Connection
Bring people together across communities, experiences and generations to exchange knowledge, share stories and strengthen belonging.
Legacy
Preserve the skills, memories, objects and voices entrusted to us—and help that knowledge continue moving forward.
What we're creating
Made By is taking shape as a permanent museum and community learning centre with a proposed 13,000 square foot home in Lindsay, Ontario, serving the community of the City of Kawartha Lakes and all those that visit here as well.
The future facility will bring together exhibition galleries, workshop and teaching spaces, a textile lab, dye and photography studios, collections and archival areas, a recording studio, community gathering spaces and a carefully curated shop.
Every space is being planned to help people encounter local skill, learn by doing, exchange knowledge and carry living traditions forward.
Map of Victoria County, H. Belden & Co., 1881. Courtesy of McGill University’s Canadian County Atlas Digital Project.
Why I’m making Made By:
Made By grew from something I have seen again and again: people carry extraordinary knowledge that is rarely treated as history until it is at risk of being lost.
I wanted to create a museum where the work of everyday hands matters—where an object can lead us to the person who made it, the skills they learned, the people they taught and the community shaped around them.
Made By is an invitation to notice, share and continue that knowledge. It is a museum being built with its community, not simply for it.
Barbara Doyle
Founder & Executive Director
Made By: Made Together
Do you have a story, skill, object or memory that deserves a place in this work? Would you like to volunteer, collaborate, partner or help bring the museum to life?
We would be glad to hear from you.