SHARE:  
Join Our Email List
Acts of Resistance: Artist Talk
Thursday, March 5, 2020

Join Coast Salish artists Ronnie Dean Harris, Marissa Nahanee, Ocean Hyland and Brandon Gabriel - featured in MOV’s Acts of Resistance exhibition - for an in-depth panel discussion exploring their individual art practices and approach to designing “protest art”, notably their work commissioned for Project Sparrow. This 2018 Greenpeace action exposed threats to local waters posed by increased tanker traffic in response to the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) Pipeline project.

Guest artists will speak to their individual approaches to protest design, their art practices and the cultural and aesthetic influences that inform their work. This is a rare opportunity to hear from diverse artists within Indigenous communities as they address the challenges and successes of representing their Nations and the politics of sovereignty through individual artistic practices.
Drum Making returns to MOV!
Saturday, March 21, 2020

Join Derrick Whiteskycloud of the Metis community in a ceremonial and educational drum making workshop.

This hands-on workshop teaches participants how to make a traditional First Nations drum. Raw hide from elk skin and cedar tree wood will be combined to connect you with the natural elements of this instrument building process. Derrick will complete the instructional build process with a ceremonial blessing and perform traditional Metis and Coast Salish songs. Each participant will leave with their own traditional 16” drum and drum beater. Although participatory please note frames will be pre-cut and no carving is involved. No previous drum making experience is necessary.
Remembering Vancouver 2010
Winter Olympics 10 year anniversary celebration at MOV!
February 12 – March 21, 2020

Museum of Vancouver is celebrating by bringing one of the beloved official Olympic Mascots out from the vault to be on display in the MOV studio. Quatchi, the lovable sasquatch mascot and representative of the Lil'wat First Nation, will be on display in the MOV studio from February 12 to March 21, 2020. Take a selfie with Quatchi and post to share your Olympic memories from 2010 using the hashtag #powerofsport2010.

 Come to MOV sporting your 2010 Olympic Red Mittens, Official merchandise, or even bearing your 2010 Olympic pins and receive 2 for 1 admission to MOV and all our feature exhibitions. Please note this offer cannot be combined with other discounts.
Acts of Resistance
Now on view!

Museum of Vancouver is pleased to announce its newest feature exhibition Acts of Resistance , showcasing the artwork of seven indigenous artist activists from the Pacific Northwest, whose designs flew from the Iron Workers Memorial bridge on July 3, 2018 to protest the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline project.

Swaysən, Will George, a Tsleil-Waututh grassroots leader not only designed one of the featured banners, but also rappelled from the Second Narrows bridge as part of the seven-person aerial blockade to prevent an oil tanker from leaving terminal. In this exhibition, Will George will share his firsthand experience as a member of the aerial blockade in a video created in collaboration with multi-media artist Ronnie Dean Harris, whose artwork also flew in the path of tanker traffic.
Haida Now Gallery Tours at 11:30 and 1:30 from Friday to Monday.
Free for MOV Members or with museum admission.
Museum of Vancouver has partnered with  Point Two Designs  to create an online shop stocked with a collection of art prints that represent Vancouver's history! Each print has been digitally restored and beautifully re-colorized to bring these historical artefacts back to their original glory.

This "Cave Supper Club" art print is a souvenir of Vancouver's history. The original artwork is part of the Museum of Vancouver ’s archives and has been carefully preserved.
We’ve meticulously digitally remastered this artifact to bring it back to life for your home or office decor.
Collection Notes

Thanks to the  Government of Canada Museum Assistance Program , the   Museum of Vancouver  has just completed a storage upgrade in the Indigenous collections storage area.

The main component of this project was the installation of new seismic shelving which resulted in earthquake protection, improved storage and access through less crowding, and allowed for modest growth in new acquisitions. In the end, the project involved the movement and tracking of over 1000 objects to temporary storage and then onto new shelving. Many items also received cleaning and custom storage mounts.

A secondary component of the project was the creation of a designated storage unit for 170 culturally sensitive items. By setting these belongings apart, workers and visitors will not inadvertently encounter them, while rights holders will have a private area to visit with the material.

This project both upgraded the way we care for collections at MOV and supported our goal of reconciliation by implementing and prioritizing cultural protocols for care and preservation of these collections.

A territorial map painting by a Sḵwxwú7mesh hereditary chief showcases hundreds of stories that are tied to the nation’s land. Ian Campbell’s largescale piece “Temixw” contains a total of 308 images that relate to his own connection to the territory, traditional legends and teachings he learned from elders.
 
The map is now on display in the main lobby of the Museum of Vancouver  after an unveiling and witnessing ceremony in December. “Art is such a great way to showcase our rich history that spans many thousands of years,” Campbell said in an interview.  
“And having an opportunity to showcase this here at such a prominent museum in Vancouver is a tremendous honour, because we’ve been invisible in our own land for far too long.” 


Vancouver was an electric city during the 1950’s, made bright by its 19,000 neon lights along its busiest streets. That’s one for every 18 people, making the city’s lights a runner-up to Las Vegas.

But between the 1950’s to ’70’s, the city was divided on their view of the signs. And due to resident complaints and new laws, the city’s neon landscape eventually burned out into only a handful of signs.

Lattimer Gallery & Gifts at MOV is a contemporary and locally-owned gallery and gift shop featuring Northwest Coast First Nations art & jewellery as well as a wide selection of MOV products and designs.
Transcendence  is designed by Comox/Kwakwaka'wakw artist Andy Everson.
in partnership with Museum of Vancouver

Three amazing shows by three incredible women.

The Museum of Vancouver is a lead partner in Boca del Lupo’ s 2020 presentation series, which offers a trio of audacious works for Vancouver audiences to enjoy this March through May: Broken Tailbone by Carmen Aguirre, Social Docent by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard and Inner Elder by Michelle Thrush.

See all three shows for only $60 with the Presentation Series ticket bundle! Plus, the first 50 bundles sold will come with a Museum of Vancouver pass!
We acknowledge we are on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.