The museum explores the world’s diverse cultures and displays humankind’s beauty and complexity.
Museum History
Dr. Harry Hawthorn, a renowned anthropologist and University of British Columbia professor, founded the Museum of Anthropology in 1947. Dr. Hawthorn wanted to create a museum where people could learn about the world’s diverse cultures and connect with their own to promote understanding and respect between cultures.
The museum moved to a larger space in 1976 after outgrowing its basement location in the university library. Arthur Erickson, one of Canada’s most renowned architects, was inspired by Northwest Coast Indigenous longhouses to design the new building. The museum’s iconic building is a modernist masterpiece with soaring glass walls and open spaces that connect visitors to the surrounding landscape.
Collections
The Museum of Anthropology has one of the world’s largest collections of Northwest Coast Indigenous art and artefacts, as well as other cultures. Each of the museum’s collections—archaeology, ethnology, and contemporary art—tells a story about its creators.
The museum’s collection of Northwest Coast Indigenous art, including totem poles, baskets, and clothing, is impressive. Bill Reid, Robert Davidson, and Susan Point are among the region’s most celebrated artists, and MOA visitors can learn about Indigenous culture and history.
MOA holds important international art collections in addition to Indigenous art. . The museum’s African collection includes over 4,000 masks, sculptures, textiles, and instruments.
Exhibitions
The Museum of Anthropology hosts several temporary exhibitions each year, each highlighting a different part of the collection or a theme. “In a Different Light: Reflecting on Northwest Coast Art” and “The Fabric of Our Land: Salish Weaving” examined the effects of colonialism on Indigenous art.
Explore the museum’s permanent exhibits. The Great Hall’s totem poles and other large Northwest Coast Indigenous art are popular.
The Multiversity Galleries and Koerner Gallery exhibit international objects and contemporary Indigenous art, respectively. A Haida village and a sculpture garden with Indigenous and non-Indigenous works are also outside the museum.
Activities
Workshops, lectures, tours, and cultural performances are examples.
Guided tours of the museum’s collections are a great way to learn about their cultures. General museum tours, collections tours, and tours for families with young children are available.
MOA also offers workshops and classes on the museum’s collections and cultures. Workshops may include weaving, carving, or lectures on Indigenous rights or cultural preservation.
Festivals, performances, and cultural celebrations supplement MOA’s regular programmes. Visitors can experience the cultures in the museum’s collections and meet the people who create and preserve them at these events.
Visitors can learn about the collections’ cultures through the museum’s exhibitions, programmes, and events. MOA’s workshops, tours, and galleries will leave an impression on visitors.