A world of diverse cultural artifacts awaits visitors at the inspiring Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver.
Founded in 1949, the esteemed Vancouver Museum of Anthropology is famed for housing one of the most impressive anthropological collections in the world. Situated on the campus of the University of British Columbia, this fascinating museum of global culture is a magnet for history students, researchers and casual visitors alike.Perched on the cliffs at Point Grey, the museum's architecture is as stimulating as the collections it houses. Taking his cue from the post and beam architecture of the First Nations people, Canadian architect Arthur Erickson has created a space which is both inviting and inspiring in equal measure.While focusing on the culture of the First Nations people of British Columbia, this renowned cultural repository is also home to 38,000 ethnographic artefacts as well as over 535,000 unique architectural items hailing from the South Pacific, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.The museum’s galleries and spaces abound with an array of intriguing collections. At 540m², the Audain Gallery is the perfect space to curate temporary exhibitions one that promises to be particularly enlightening is Safar/Voyage: Contemporary Works by Arab, Iranian and Turkish Artists. This exhibition is coming to the museum in the summer of 2013 so keep an eye out! Another focal point is the monumental yellow cedar sculpture The Raven and the First Men by Bill Reid, one of Canada’s most distinguished sculptors.But perhaps the highlight of the museum is the Great Hall. The floor-to-ceiling glass in this exceptional space is specifically designed to maximise natural light. Here visitors can view wonderful totem poles from Haida as well as a selection of indigenous wood carvings from other First Nation villages.The museum itself is a dream to navigate. The touch screen MOA CAT digital catalogue system provides images, audio and video, making it easy for visitors to identify and locate specific collections of interest.Excellent public programmes provide a forum for open discussion as well as promoting intercultural understanding. The Museum of Anthropology is a fitting custodian of global artefacts and, for anyone seeking to increase their understanding of a wide variety of indigenous cultures, it really is an important place to visit.
