Royal Alberta Museum facts for kids
Logo since 2018
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The Royal Alberta Museum located in downtown Edmonton
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| Former name | Provincial Museum of Alberta (1967-2005) |
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| Established | December 6, 1967 |
| Location | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Type | Natural history, human history |
| Key holdings | Big Things 3 |
| Collections | Cultural studies, Earth science, life science |
| Collection size | >2,000,000 |
| Visitors | >400,000 (2018-19) |
| Architect | Raymond O. Harrison (1967) Ledcor, DIALOG (2017) |
| Owner | Government of Alberta |
| Public transit access |      Churchill station |
The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) is a huge museum in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It teaches visitors about the history of humans and nature in Alberta. It is the biggest museum in western Canada. It has over 82,000 square feet (7,600 m²) of space for exhibits. The total size of the building is 419,000 square feet (38,900 m²).
The museum was started by the Government of Alberta in December 1967. Back then, it was called the Provincial Museum of Alberta. In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II gave it a special royal title. That's when it became the Royal Alberta Museum.
In 2011, plans were made to move the museum to a new building. The old museum in Glenora, Edmonton closed in December 2015. Even though it was closed to the public, staff kept working. They prepared the museum's huge collection for the move. They also continued doing research outside the museum. The new building was finished in August 2016. It opened its doors to the public in October 2018.
The museum has many exciting areas. You can explore Alberta's natural world and human history. There's a special gallery for traveling exhibits from all over the world. Kids will love the interactive children's gallery, which is 7,000 square feet (650 m²). Don't forget the bug room, where you can see live insects and even a nursery for baby bugs!
Contents
Discovering the Royal Alberta Museum's History
The idea for a museum in Alberta started way back in the 1950s. The Canadian government and the Government of Alberta worked together. In 1962, they hired Raymond O. Harrison. He was an architect from Australia who had helped design the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Harrison was given $5 million to create the museum. This money was used to build the museum, hire staff, and collect items for display.
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The museum first opened on December 6, 1967. It was called the Provincial Museum of Alberta. On opening day, the main floor showed exhibits on the fur trade. It also featured Indigenous Peoples in Alberta. There were early photos of Aboriginal people by Ernest Brown and Harry Pollard. The second floor had exhibits on farming, early pioneer life, and businesses.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, the museum grew a lot. More exhibits were added, and more staff were hired. In 1968, new exhibits about Alberta's dinosaurs were added. There were also displays about how animals adapt to survive. The human history section added exhibits on old vehicles, uniforms, and early buildings. In 1969, exhibits about volcanoes and birds were added. Displays about Indigenous peoples' history and farming tools also joined the human history gallery. That same year, a diorama (a 3D scene) of Pronghorns was made. It was the first of many displays showing Alberta's natural habitats.
In 1982, the museum's dinosaur program was moved. The provincial government created a new museum just for dinosaurs. This led to the opening of the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in 1985.
In 1990, the museum started charging for admission. To attract more visitors, the main floor's Indigenous gallery was changed. It became a space for special temporary exhibits. In 1991, the mammal and bird gallery was updated. It included a display on "Survival and Reproduction." The next year, the "Beauty and Science of Birds" exhibit was built. It had three new dioramas and a "Naturalist's Study."
A temporary exhibit called "The Bug Room" opened in the summer of 1992. It showed live insects and was very popular. Because of its success, the museum made it a bigger, permanent part of the museum in 1993. A new "Earth Science Gallery" partly opened in December 1993. It was fully finished the following May. Also in 1993, the museum launched the "In All Their Finery" exhibit. This showed beautiful Indigenous artifacts. It was the first part of a larger gallery.
The complete "Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture" opened in November 1997. This gallery was later made even better. The museum bought many important items from the family of James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk. This happened at a special auction in 2006. The sale was called the most important auction of North American Indigenous artifacts ever. It included a very special beaded dress from 1859, which cost US$497,600.
In 2003, the Habitat Gallery was updated. It became the "Wild Alberta" interactive exhibit. From 2002 to 2006, the Royal Alberta Museum hosted the "Big Things" outdoor sculpture exhibition. These large sculptures were displayed on the museum's South Terrace. In 2005, Alberta celebrated its 100th birthday. The museum hosted a special sculpture exhibition for this event. On May 24, 2005, Queen Elizabeth II visited the museum. She gave it the special royal title. On December 6, 2015, the museum closed its old location. It had been open for 48 years and was ready to move.
Building the New Royal Alberta Museum
In April 2011, it was announced that a new Royal Alberta Museum would be built. It would be in Downtown Edmonton, near the city hall. The new building is 36,000 square meters (390,000 sq ft). It has twice as much gallery space as the old one. It was estimated to cost $340 million and was finished in 2015.
Construction of the new building was completed on August 16, 2016. The opening date was announced as October 3, 2018. The new museum is the largest in western Canada. It has over 82,000 square feet (7,600 m²) of exhibit space. The total size is 419,000 square feet (38,900 m²). The museum has large galleries that show Alberta's natural and cultural history. There's also a special gallery for traveling exhibits. The interactive children's gallery is 7,000 square feet (650 m²). There's also a bigger bug room with live insects. The total cost of the new building and the move was about CAD $375.5 million. The Government of Alberta paid $253 million. The federal government's Building Canada Fund paid $122.5 million.
Exploring the Royal Alberta Museum's Collections
The museum has a huge collection of items. These items are divided into four main groups:
- Life Science: This includes plants, fish, reptiles, insects, mammals, and birds. There are 577,745 objects in this collection.
- Earth Science: This covers archaeology (old human history), geology (rocks and earth), and paleontology (fossils). There are 9,224,075 objects in this collection.
- Human History: This includes items about different cultures, daily life, military events, and the history of Western Canada. There are 137,610 objects here.
- Collections Services: This group manages and takes care of all the collections. It also includes the museum's library. There are 70,103 objects in this section.
Between 1989 and 2001, the museum hosted 175 traveling exhibits. Some popular ones included: Prehistorics Gigantics (1990), Whales! Bigger than Dinosaurs (1992), Sharks: Facts and Fantasy (1993), Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats (1994), Carnosaurs! (1995), and Bugsworld (1996).
Current Galleries to Explore
The Royal Alberta Museum has several exciting galleries for you to visit:
- Natural History Hall: This hall shows Alberta's amazing wildlife, plants, and geology.
- Ice Age Alberta: Learn about plants and animals that lived in Alberta thousands of years ago.
- Ancient Alberta: Discover Alberta's Rocky Mountains and different types of rocks. You can also see an Edmontosaurus fossil.
- Gems and Minerals: See meteorites, crystals, and colorful minerals. There are rubies, diamonds, and emeralds from Canada and around the world.
- Wild Alberta: Explore the animals and plants found in Alberta's three main natural areas. Learn about the wild landscapes.
- Human History Hall: This hall tells the story of Alberta's past and its people.
- Ancestral Lands: Learn about the history and lives of Indigenous people who have lived in Alberta for a very long time.
- Worlds Meet: Discover how Indigenous people and European newcomers shared cultures and traded goods from 1680 to 1880.
- After Buffalo: Hear stories from 1859 to 1900 about strength, hope, and challenges in Alberta.
- Alberta Forms: Learn how Alberta became a province in the 1880s. Explore its economy, culture, and beliefs.
- Alberta Transforms: See stories from Alberta after 1945. Learn about oil, population growth, and the fight for equal rights.
- What Makes Us Strong: This section shares the knowledge and values of Alberta's many Indigenous communities.
- Bug Gallery: This gallery shows insects, spiders, and other invertebrates. You'll see creatures from Alberta and all over the world. Learn about:
- What an invertebrate is.
- How insects change through Metamorphosis.
- How some bugs are Ambush predators.
- How bugs find a mate.
- Reef Conservation and Social Insects.
- Why some bugs have Warning colours.
- The amazing Freshwater Diversity of bugs.
- Children's Gallery: This is a fun place for younger visitors to play, learn, and explore. It has areas like:
- Alberta Naturally.
- A Dig pit where you can pretend to be an archaeologist.
- A Toddler Area for the youngest visitors.
- Chautauqua and Makerspace for creative activities.
- A Community Gallery with local exhibits.
- Feature Gallery: This gallery hosts special, limited-time exhibits. These shows change regularly.
- Changing Exhibition: This gallery allows visitors to learn about Alberta's history and current stories.
See also
- List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
- List of museums in Alberta
