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Lingford and Honey have a new photography studio at R.J. Haney Heritage Village and Museum thanks to the City of Salmon Arm’s Grants-in-Aid program. The studio is the seventh diorama completed in the Montebello building. Combined, the exhibits tell the commercial story of our town’s development.

Contractor Wayne Peace has been working on the project all fall, except for a week in the bush, communing with nature.

Wayne worked on several historic buildings in the Yukon before settling in Salmon Arm as a building contractor. He knows how to match historic construction methods while carefully working with the current building code.

A skilled trades person, Wayne has also worked on many projects at the Village including the recent quilt storage rack, the Haney House kitchen cabinetry, the collections area’s work stations, and the telephone exchange switchboard. When we wondered how we’d install the tin on exteriors of the Pharmacy and Barbershop & Pool Hall buildings in 2017, Wayne stepped up to offer his services. He had worked with the stuff before.

When it came time to install the tin ceiling in the Studio and Pharmacy, Wayne was just as confident. He needed the pattern created by Brian Greer’s Tin company, but then it was off to the races. It warmed this picky curator’s heart when Wayne wasn’t happy until the hand screw heads that he used to install the ceiling matched the powder coated tin. It took three attempts, but a match was made!

It was obvious we were dealing with a pro.

Wayne met with designer Cuyler Page and they discussed details. The display is an old school explanation of the magic of photography. The darkroom studio is painted black, at Wayne’s thoughtful suggestion. His dad had a darkroom and Wayne knew that a flat black was preferred. Wayne found a sink at the Restore and custom built a counter to hold the developer, stop bath, and fixer trays.

In the mean time, President and Haney resident artist Norma Harisch painted the backdrop for the studio based on archival examples. Norma spent hours and hours at home perfecting the greenery, column, and landscape on her eight-foot-wide canvas and her efforts have paid off. Her mural-sized backdrop is stunning.

Join us next spring for a photo opportunity in The Studio. Bring your cell phone to document the experience, but please convert your camera to black and white!

photo credit:
Rex Linford taking a photo of his partner W.J. Honey (left), with his father-in-law, Asahel Bond, and Agnes Lucy Honey. The children are Nellie, Jack, and Max. Taken in 1913 when Mr. Bond was scouting for property in Salmon Arm. Image courtesy of Reba Harper.