Important artifacts and pieces of art from the Tsuut’ina First Nation now have a brand new building to call their own and organizers say that everyone is welcome to enjoy the collection.

For the past 30 years, the museum has been operating on a small scale in several different locations, but this is the first time that all the exhibits have been in one place.

Jeanette Starlight, the museum’s director, says some of the pieces share a very special connection to her because they were created by her grandmother.

“She lived to 105 and did beadwork right to the end.”

Starlight says that everyone is welcome to the new facility, a standalone building on the Tsuut’ina First Nation.

“It’s exciting, it’s brand new. Hopefully, because we’re here now, people will start coming in and learning about our history, about our culture and about our language.”

The centre features hundreds of pieces, including a number of items that were held in the Glenbow Museum up until now.

Visitors to the new facility are impressed with the building too.

“I’ve actually never been past the bottle depot, so we had to come to see what it’s all about and enjoy the culture of our surrounding area,” says Dezell Domkey, who lives in Calgary.

The centre is open Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and admission is $12 for adults and $6 for seniors and children aged six and over.

For more information, you can visit the official website.

(With files from Brad MacLeod)