Museum of Vancouver facts for kids
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| Established | 1894 |
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| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Type | Civic museum |
| Visitors | 78,101 (2018) |
The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) is a super cool place to learn about Vancouver's history! It's the biggest city museum in Canada and the oldest one in Vancouver, British Columbia. The museum started way back in 1894 and has changed its name a few times. Today, it shows awesome exhibits and programs about Vancouver's past, present, and future. It even shares a building with the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, but the MOV takes up most of the space!
Contents
Discovering Vancouver's Past
The Museum of Vancouver began in 1894. It was started by a group called the Art, Historical, and Scientific Association of Vancouver (AHSA). They wanted to share interesting and beautiful things with the public. Their first small exhibit showed paintings and curiosities. People started donating items, mostly natural history objects and things from different cultures. The very first donation was a stuffed Trumpeter Swan in 1895!
As the collection grew, the museum needed a permanent home. In 1903, the museum's collection was given to the Vancouver City Council. In return, the city agreed to provide a space. The museum officially opened on April 19, 1905, on the top floor of the new Carnegie Library.
Between 1915 and 1925, the museum tried to build a First Nations village in Stanley Park. This village would have featured large totem poles. While the full village wasn't built, this effort led to the totem poles you can see in Stanley Park today. These poles are now a famous tourist spot in Vancouver!
In 1930, the museum helped with important digs at the Great Marpole Midden. This was a very old and important archaeological site. It was also the ancestral land of the Musqueam First Nation. A special exhibit called c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city was created about this site. It was a joint project with the Musqueam Indian Band and the Museum of Anthropology.
In 1968, a brand new building was constructed for the museum. This was part of Canada's 1967 Confederation Centennial celebrations. From 1968 to 1981, the museum was called the Centennial Museum. Later, it changed its name back to the Vancouver Museum. In 2009, it was renamed the Museum of Vancouver. This new name showed its focus on the city of Vancouver itself.
The Museum Building
The museum building is located at 1100 Chestnut Street in Vanier Park, Vancouver. It sits at the south end of the park. Vanier Park connects several other cool places, like the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre.
The building was designed in 1967 by an architect named Gerald Hamilton. He designed it in a style called New Formalism. This style uses grand, simple shapes. The building was first planned only for the museum. But a generous gift from H.R. MacMillan allowed a planetarium to be added.
The museum's unique roof looks like a woven basket hat from Northwest Coast First Nations people. But it also looks a bit like a flying saucer! Because of this, many people mistakenly think the building is only the planetarium. However, the Museum of Vancouver actually takes up most of the space inside. The planetarium is now called the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre.
The building was officially opened on May 20, 1967. Princess Alexandra attended the ceremony. She was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Many people in Vancouver think the building is iconic and easy to recognize. It was even nicknamed 'the Taj Mahal on the creek' when it was first built!
Amazing Collections
The Museum of Vancouver has a huge collection of objects. These items show the interests of people who donated them and the museum's curators over the years. Many of these items are very important for Canada. However, a lot of them are kept in storage because there isn't enough space to display everything.
One special part of the collection comes from Mary Lipsett. She and her husband started the Lipsett Indian Museum in 1941. Her collection of First Nations and Asian artifacts was considered one of the best in Canada. Mary Lipsett was respected for her good relationships with First Nations people. She donated her entire collection to the museum, and it's still there today.
Here are some of the cool things you can find in the MOV collection:
First Nations Art and Culture
This is one of the most important collections of Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations items in Canada. It includes:
- Small carvings made from argillite (a type of stone)
- Tiny wooden carvings, like mini totem poles
- Large wooden sculptures, including real totem poles
- Many different types of baskets, including those from the Nuu-chah-nuith and Coast Salish
- Objects carved by the famous artist Charles Edenshaw, like the Edenshaw Casket
- Glass slides painted by Frederick Alexcee
- A basket and bracelet collected by George Vancouver on his first trip to the Pacific Northwest
- Masks, boxes, bowls, canoes, and special clothing
- Pauline Johnson's performance costume
- Stone carvings of human figures and animals
Ancient Asian Treasures
This part of the collection includes items from different parts of Asia:
- Chinese art: Objects from ancient times (like the Shang dynasty, over 3,000 years ago) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). This includes a great collection of pottery, coins, ivory carvings, jade, and textiles.
- Japanese objects: Items from the Muromachi period (1392-1572) to the Meiji period (1868-1912). You can see woodblock prints, pottery, ivory carvings, textiles, armor, and swords. The museum has over 400 Japanese sword guards, which is the best public collection in Canada!
- Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan art: Stone, wood, and bronze sculptures, textiles, and paintings from the 16th to 20th centuries.
- Thai items: Bronze Buddhist statues, Buddhist writings, textiles, and pottery from the 12th to the 20th century.
- Vietnamese and Cambodian items: Various ceramics.
Ancient Egyptian Artifacts
This collection includes:
- An ancient Egyptian mummy of a boy. It was found near the Valley of the Kings in 1915. The mummy's wrappings say "Penechates, son of Hatres." It is probably from the 1st to 3rd century CE.
- Mummified crocodiles, hawks, and cats.
- Items found by Sir Flinders Petrie, a famous archaeologist.
Vancouver's Own History
This part of the collection tells the story of Vancouver itself:
- Furniture and items from important people and events in Vancouver.
- Old household items from the Edwardian era (early 1900s), including beautiful stained glass made in Vancouver.
- Street items like old signs, street lamps, and mailboxes.
- Items related to Vancouver's Chinatown and the Chinese community.
- Tools and equipment from old Vancouver shops and industries.
- Women's clothing, shoes, and accessories worn or made in Vancouver from the 1870s to the 1980s.
- Toys, dolls, and children's clothing used in Vancouver from the 1890s to the 1980s.
- Objects used for communication (like old radios or cameras) in Vancouver.
- Paintings by early Vancouver artists.
- Items related to big events like EXPO 86 and the 2010 Olympic Games.
- Objects from the Rogers Sugar Refinery.
- Uniforms and items related to public transportation in BC.
- A large collection of old neon signs.
Explore the Galleries
The Museum of Vancouver has several permanent galleries. These galleries cover Vancouver's entire history using sounds and films to bring the past to life. Some of the permanent galleries include:
- c̓əsnaʔəm The City Before the City (about the ancient Musqueam village)
- "That Which Sustains Us"
- 1900s–1920s History Gallery: Gateway to the Pacific
- 1930s–1940s History Gallery: Boom, Bust, and War
- 1950s History Gallery: Vancouver in The Fifties
- 1960s–1970s History Gallery: You Say You Want A Revolution
One popular gallery is Neon Vancouver. It shows a cool collection of neon signs that were used in Vancouver from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Besides its permanent galleries, the Museum of Vancouver often has temporary exhibitions. These special shows change over time. For example, the c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city exhibition was created with the Musqueam Indian Band. Another exhibition, HAIDA NOW: A Visual Feast of Innovation and Tradition, also ran for several years. The museum always has something new and exciting to see!
