Ottawa, Ontario, May 21, 2003 - Mr. Joe Geurts, Director and CEO of the Canadian War Museum (CWM), today presented the exhibition design concept for the new Canadian War Museum.
"It is with great pride, that I am presenting to you the exhibition design concept for the new Canadian War Museum. The exhibitions will tell the story of Canada and its people and how they have been affected and shaped by military events and activities at home and abroad", stated Mr. Geurts.
Permanent exhibitions in the new CWM have been divided into four chronological zones, from earliest times to the most recent military operations. A fifth zone, the Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour, chronicles the importance of honouring in the Canadian military experience.
Each zone highlights the defining moments in Canada's military history and the ways in which past events have subsequently shaped the nation. Visitors can explore each permanent exhibition separately from a central hub, or experience them sequentially in a military walk through time that transports them across the country and around the world. As visitors journey across the centuries and around the globe, they will meet the men and women who - in war, in peace and on the home front - have contributed to the development of Canada's social and political fabric.
The new CWM is dedicated to bringing this story to life as it familiarizes visitors with the human side of war, from victim to victor, from soldier to civilian. This is a story told primarily through the histories of individuals, rather than through objects and artifacts. To bring clarity and make the storyline easy to follow, the interpretive themes of geography, politics, brutality and survival will be carried throughout the exhibitions.
The new Canadian War Museum will provide an educational and entertaining visitor experience, with an open storage area for large artifacts, an art gallery, a special exhibitions gallery, and all the amenities of a modern museum, including a theatre, a boutique, classrooms, food services and more.
The exhibition design concept was created by the firm Haley Sharpe Associates, Leicester, United Kingdom, in partnership with Origin Studios, Ottawa, Ontario. For more than a year teams from Haley Sharpe, Origin Studios and the CWM worked to realize this concept.
"I would like to take this opportunity to invite the public to visit the CWM Internet site where they can see an outline of the various permanent exhibition areas with explanations of the presentation plan. A Web camera also allows Web site visitors to view the progress of the work," added the Director and CEO of the CWM.
There are also photos of the construction posted on the Internet site, from the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, shovelling the first earth on November 5, 2002 up to the present - another way to follow the progress of the work.
Destined to become an important addition to Ottawa's national institutions, the new Canadian War Museum will ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the important role that military history has played in the evolution of this country. It will also recount the history of Canada and its people, paying homage to the many Canadians who have been touched by conflict around the world.
The new Canadian War Museum was designed by architects Moriyama & Teshima of Toronto and Griffiths Rankin Cook of Ottawa. The opening of the new Museum is slated for 2005, the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 125th anniversary of the Canadian War Museum.
Christina Selin
Senior Communications Officer
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: (819) 776-8607
Cellphone: (613) 371-4402
Fax: (819) 776-8623
Christina.selin@warmuseum.ca
Sylvie St-Louis
Communications and Development Officer
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: (819) 776-8608
Fax: (819) 776-8623
sylvie.st-louis@warmuseum.ca
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