Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise is a rotating exhibit of material culture in two display cases situated in the east alcove on the second floor between the theatre entrances of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
The small thematic curated exhibitions have a duration of 4-6 weeks (4 months over the summer) and display works by students and artists.
“Boîte-en-valise” is an expression coined by avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp to refer to the aesthetic value of collecting and assembling.
2025-2026 Exhibitions
Voix du milieu / Voices in-between: La francophonie plurielle du Niagara
MUSEUM IN THE HALLWAY / BOÎTE-EN-VALISE
SECOND FLOOR EAST ALCOVE BETWEEN THEATRE ENTRANCES
FEBRUARY 13 – 28, 2026
Voix du milieu / Voices in-between: La francophonie plurielle du Niagara is a collection of small sculptures, images and material culture selected from the exhibition Eternal Africa – Past, Present, Future (FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 2025) and from the private collections of Nafée Nelly Faigou (St. Catharines) and Fété Ngira-Batwaré Kimpiobi (Welland), to celebrate Féstiv’Ébène 2026 and Black History Month/African Heritage Month in Niagara.
Items on exhibit may be found on the first floor near the west parking lot entrance near the Music Practice Studios (MWS 129) and the Digital Media Lab (MWS 147). Additional items may be found on the second floor in the hallways adjacent to the Heritage entrance (between MWS 215 and MWS 227, at the bottom of James Street stairs), the David S. Howes Entrance near Studio D (MWS 256, opposite the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre), and in the display cases in the alcove situated between the entrance to the Theatre doors (MWS 262).
This exhibition would not be possible without the generous collaboration of Maman Fété Ngira-Batwaré Kimpiobi (author and Directrice Générale of SOFIFRAN), Nafée Nelly Faigou (author and artist), Elykiah Ndoumbé (wood sculpture of the couple seen on the first floor and the large Djoudjou on the second floor), Zabrina Cush (photos), Qiana Shelly (photos), SOFIFRAN (Solidarité des femmes et familles interconnectées francophones du Niagara), Sonya de Lazzer of the Gallery of the Department of Visual Arts, and Bobbi Pidduck, Head of Wardrobe and Ed Harris, Head of Scenic Construction at the Department of Dramatic Arts at the MIWSFPA. The MIWSFPA has enjoyed a long collaboration with the creative hearts and spirits of SOFIFRAN and we wish all members of our community a most excellent Black History / African Heritage month and for many years to come.
This exhibition will continue in March to showcase the recent SAFRAN Book Salon events (Salon du livre des Francophonies du Niagara). This year the upcoming Salon is scheduled for Mar. 21, 2026, at the Niagara Artists Centre in St. Catharines.
Guest curated and presented by Nafée Nelly Faigou and David Vivian (DART Dramatic Arts).
Dear Bear Multi-Arts: Why Don’t We Together
MUSEUM IN THE HALLWAY / BOÎTE-EN-VALISE
SECOND FLOOR EAST ALCOVE BETWEEN THEATRE ENTRANCES
JANUARY 9, 2026 – FEBRUARY 13, 2026
RECEPTION: FEB. 5, 2026 FROM 5-7 P.M.
This collaboration by Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise and the Performance Research Institute of the Department of Dramatic Arts presents an exhibit about the immersive audio-visual storytelling experience by the Niagara-based Dear Bear Multi-Arts collective. Why Don’t We Together is a collection of original stories presented in an immersive sound and light experience. This developing project by alumni of the MIWSFPA has toured Ontario since 2023 and was recently presented at the MIWSFPA in September 2025.
The exhibit includes a section of The Hut revealing the design and build, a video showing the build and immersive experience, and QR codes that link to 360 degree views of the immersive experience and a selection of the stories commissioned from local artists. Bring your smartphones, your headphones and come play with the lights!
Exhibition organized by David Vivian, Department of Dramatic Arts. For a complete list of Why Don’t We Together stories and contributors, please use this link.
jef chippewa: this will never happen again, vol. 1
cabinet de curiosités
Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise
Second Floor East Alcove between Theatre Entrances
october 21, 2025 – january 5, 2026
Resoundingly silent traces of mechanical and human processes of musical creation, echoes of the irrevocable impact of webern, fluxus, paik and bussotti on musical gesture, notation and theatrics — an eclectic collection, whimsical, provocative, reflective and violently sensual; a cabinet de curiosités… this will never happen again.
New and older works, influences and references comprise this collection, or cabinet de curiosités (Wunderkammer), which aims to provide some insight into jef chippewa’s ongoing collaboration with improvising saxophonist Yves Charuest.
jef chippewa and Yves Charuest are the 2025-2026 Walker Cultural Leaders in the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture.
Andrew Camacho and max parker read: A small walker press project
Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise
Second Floor East Alcove between Theatre Entrances
september 16, 2025 – october 9, 2025
Podcaster Andrew Camacho and actor Max Parker respond in text and image to three books published by the Small Walker Press: Derek Knight and Shawn Serfas’ Latitudes (2025), Jaumes Privat’s entalhs… (2025), and the exhibition catalogue Industrial Niagara (2021).
