Beyond the Brim exhibition

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WELCOME!

The City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites
are putting together a new exhibition
—Beyond the Brim: Tales Told Through the Hats We Wore—
and you’re invited to participate.



About the exhibition

Beyond the Brim will showcase headwear alongside stories about the individuals who wore them and their impact on Ottawa.

The exhibition will include hats, helmets and head coverings from the City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites collection as well as pieces submitted by local heritage groups, cultural organizations and residents.

Beyond the Brim: Tales Told Through the Hats We Wore will open at Trinity Gallery (Shenkman Arts Centre) in winter 2026.


Who are we?

The five City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites include Billings Estate National Historic Site, Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, Fairfields Heritage House, Nepean Museum and Pinhey’s Point Historic Site.

As stewards of Ottawa’s material culture, the City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites manage and care for over 200,000 artefacts and archeological objects.

The City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites research, curate and present exhibitions across the five museums as well as alternative locations including Ottawa Public Library and the City of Ottawa galleries.


How to Participate

We want Beyond the Brim to reflect Ottawa’s diverse history and cultural landscape. Individuals, community organizations and heritage groups are invited to submit headwear and related stories, for this exhibition.

Toss in your hat! The Call for Submissions is OPEN. You are invited to participate by submitting a proposal for headwear here - the exhibition’s Engage Ottawa page. We are looking for examples of headwear that are (a) unique in their design and (b) have a story to tell about an individual or community who helped shape the Ottawa we have today. All submissions will be reviewed by committee using weighted evaluation criteria.

If you have questions about this exhibition, please contact Carla Ayukawa (Exhibition Development and Research Officer) at Carla.Ayukawa@ottawa.ca.

WELCOME!

The City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites
are putting together a new exhibition
—Beyond the Brim: Tales Told Through the Hats We Wore—
and you’re invited to participate.



About the exhibition

Beyond the Brim will showcase headwear alongside stories about the individuals who wore them and their impact on Ottawa.

The exhibition will include hats, helmets and head coverings from the City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites collection as well as pieces submitted by local heritage groups, cultural organizations and residents.

Beyond the Brim: Tales Told Through the Hats We Wore will open at Trinity Gallery (Shenkman Arts Centre) in winter 2026.


Who are we?

The five City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites include Billings Estate National Historic Site, Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, Fairfields Heritage House, Nepean Museum and Pinhey’s Point Historic Site.

As stewards of Ottawa’s material culture, the City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites manage and care for over 200,000 artefacts and archeological objects.

The City of Ottawa Museums and Historic Sites research, curate and present exhibitions across the five museums as well as alternative locations including Ottawa Public Library and the City of Ottawa galleries.


How to Participate

We want Beyond the Brim to reflect Ottawa’s diverse history and cultural landscape. Individuals, community organizations and heritage groups are invited to submit headwear and related stories, for this exhibition.

Toss in your hat! The Call for Submissions is OPEN. You are invited to participate by submitting a proposal for headwear here - the exhibition’s Engage Ottawa page. We are looking for examples of headwear that are (a) unique in their design and (b) have a story to tell about an individual or community who helped shape the Ottawa we have today. All submissions will be reviewed by committee using weighted evaluation criteria.

If you have questions about this exhibition, please contact Carla Ayukawa (Exhibition Development and Research Officer) at Carla.Ayukawa@ottawa.ca.

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  • Share Hi. My maternal grandfather, Charles (Chaim) Wilder, had a cap company in Ottawa from 1920 to about 1930 The Wilder Cap Company was quite successful. Although I have many images of his caps (from advertisements in the newspapers of the time, I do not have any actual caps that he made. This may be a n opportunity to dig up a genuine Wilder Cap. I have done quite a lot of research on my grandfathers (I wrote a book about them a few years ago: In Whose Footsteps We follow: Two Grandfathers). If you can't find a copy (the National library should have a couple, as well as the Jewish Archives here in Ottawa) and the Ottawa Historical Society., and, of course, I have some. i could do a presentation of Wilder caps, or print out some material for a tabletop display. Let me know what works for you. Mostly, I really would like a Wilder cap!!!! on Facebook Share Hi. My maternal grandfather, Charles (Chaim) Wilder, had a cap company in Ottawa from 1920 to about 1930 The Wilder Cap Company was quite successful. Although I have many images of his caps (from advertisements in the newspapers of the time, I do not have any actual caps that he made. This may be a n opportunity to dig up a genuine Wilder Cap. I have done quite a lot of research on my grandfathers (I wrote a book about them a few years ago: In Whose Footsteps We follow: Two Grandfathers). If you can't find a copy (the National library should have a couple, as well as the Jewish Archives here in Ottawa) and the Ottawa Historical Society., and, of course, I have some. i could do a presentation of Wilder caps, or print out some material for a tabletop display. Let me know what works for you. Mostly, I really would like a Wilder cap!!!! on Twitter Share Hi. My maternal grandfather, Charles (Chaim) Wilder, had a cap company in Ottawa from 1920 to about 1930 The Wilder Cap Company was quite successful. Although I have many images of his caps (from advertisements in the newspapers of the time, I do not have any actual caps that he made. This may be a n opportunity to dig up a genuine Wilder Cap. I have done quite a lot of research on my grandfathers (I wrote a book about them a few years ago: In Whose Footsteps We follow: Two Grandfathers). If you can't find a copy (the National library should have a couple, as well as the Jewish Archives here in Ottawa) and the Ottawa Historical Society., and, of course, I have some. i could do a presentation of Wilder caps, or print out some material for a tabletop display. Let me know what works for you. Mostly, I really would like a Wilder cap!!!! on Linkedin Email Hi. My maternal grandfather, Charles (Chaim) Wilder, had a cap company in Ottawa from 1920 to about 1930 The Wilder Cap Company was quite successful. Although I have many images of his caps (from advertisements in the newspapers of the time, I do not have any actual caps that he made. This may be a n opportunity to dig up a genuine Wilder Cap. I have done quite a lot of research on my grandfathers (I wrote a book about them a few years ago: In Whose Footsteps We follow: Two Grandfathers). If you can't find a copy (the National library should have a couple, as well as the Jewish Archives here in Ottawa) and the Ottawa Historical Society., and, of course, I have some. i could do a presentation of Wilder caps, or print out some material for a tabletop display. Let me know what works for you. Mostly, I really would like a Wilder cap!!!! link

    Hi. My maternal grandfather, Charles (Chaim) Wilder, had a cap company in Ottawa from 1920 to about 1930 The Wilder Cap Company was quite successful. Although I have many images of his caps (from advertisements in the newspapers of the time, I do not have any actual caps that he made. This may be a n opportunity to dig up a genuine Wilder Cap. I have done quite a lot of research on my grandfathers (I wrote a book about them a few years ago: In Whose Footsteps We follow: Two Grandfathers). If you can't find a copy (the National library should have a couple, as well as the Jewish Archives here in Ottawa) and the Ottawa Historical Society., and, of course, I have some. i could do a presentation of Wilder caps, or print out some material for a tabletop display. Let me know what works for you. Mostly, I really would like a Wilder cap!!!!

    Max Finkelstein asked 3 months ago

    Thank you for your question. 

    I publicly ask if anyone in Ottawa has a Wilder Cap Company hat or headwear. Charles Wilder sounds like an important story for Ottawa history and one of his company's hat would be welcome!

    If you have a Wilder Cap Company hat or headwear, please get in touch with me - carla.ayukawa@ottawa.ca

  • Share Can the hat be my Ottawa River sailing and Kayaking hat, or is this just for hats from the museum collection? on Facebook Share Can the hat be my Ottawa River sailing and Kayaking hat, or is this just for hats from the museum collection? on Twitter Share Can the hat be my Ottawa River sailing and Kayaking hat, or is this just for hats from the museum collection? on Linkedin Email Can the hat be my Ottawa River sailing and Kayaking hat, or is this just for hats from the museum collection? link

    Can the hat be my Ottawa River sailing and Kayaking hat, or is this just for hats from the museum collection?

    Sandra Hawkins asked 4 months ago

    Thank you for your question. 

    The hat can be from your own collection. We welcome submissions of headwear from private collections. 

Page last updated: 04 Jun 2025, 01:57 PM