In a world dominated by keyboards and touchscreens, cursive handwriting is becoming a rare skill. Yet for centuries, this flowing script connected us to our past, our loved ones, and ourselves. What happens when we can no longer read grandmother’s letters or historical documents?
The New Brunswick Museum’s exhibition explores the surprising history, beauty, and ongoing relevance of handwritten communication in our digital age.
Can you read this title in this poster? For many people, the answer is no. The words “The Cursive Conundrum” are written in cursive, a style of writing that was taught in schools for centuries. But with the rise of technology, cursive writing has become a dying art. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Cursive means “flowing often with the strokes of successive characters joined and the angles rounded,” while Conundrum is “an intricate and difficult problem.” This title perfectly captures the essence of our new exhibition, which explores the history, art, and importance of cursive writing.
Cursive writing has been taught in schools for hundreds of years, but with the advent of technology such as typewriters, word processors, personal computers and texting, schools began to eliminate cursive writing from the curriculum. The result is that today, not only can some people not write in cursive, but they also cannot read cursive writing. The Cursive Conundrum exhibition, through a wide array of examples, will explore the history of cursive writing, how it was taught, the artistic aspects, what it reveals about a person, and why this dying skill continues to be important.
Our new exhibition, which runs from February 28 to May 26, 2019, aims to address this issue. Through a wide array of artifacts and interactive displays, visitors can explore the history of cursive writing, from its origins to its modern-day applications. You can see examples of beautiful cursive scripts, learn how to write your name in cursive, and even try your hand at writing a letter to a friend.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of archives and their functions while also underlining the importance of being able to read historical documents which link the past, present and future,” says Felicity Osepchook, Curator of Archives & Manager Research Library.
“The exhibition gives a great opportunity to see how much we are still using handwriting daily, at work, at home and to realize that our children won’t have the capacity to do it…even to sign their name properly. All the questions about falsification pop into my head…are we losing our individuality with the use of computers? I love Cursive Conundrum because it asks a real question of our time – the incapacity to read cursive is not just a question for institutional archives, it’s also about our personal heritage, our own family history,” says Dominique Gélinas, Head of Exhibitions and Visitor Experience.
During your visit, be sure to take a seat at our old-fashioned school desk and try your hand at writing in cursive. Take some time and be inspired to write a letter to a friend – beautiful cards and postcards are available at the Museum Shop – and drop it in the mail (aka snail mail!). You can also browse our collection of cursive writing artifacts, including the Frankland Journal, which has just arrived back in time for the exhibition, after extensive conservation work by the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI).
We want to hear from you! The New Brunswick Museum has received on loan a used mailbox to complement this exhibition. The mailbox will be used for visitor comments. Postcards will be available so visitors can handwrite their comments and “mail” them in the box.
The New Brunswick Museum welcomes all to the free opening reception on Thursday, 28 February 2019 from 5-7pm and the exhibition will continue at the New Brunswick Museum until May 26, 2019.
Visit our website and social media channels often for updates and information on future activities and programs that will take place during the time this exhibition is here at the New Brunswick Museum! We’ll be asking you to share on social media some of your favorite cursive writing as well!
The New Brunswick Museum wishes to thank its partners and sponsors of this exhibition including: New Brunswick Society of Retired Teachers – Saint John Branch, and Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception.
