TEN YEARS OF MAKING HISTORYHull, Quebec, June 28, 1999 — In the course of ten years the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC), Canada's largest museum, has become the most visited in the country. Its track record of 12.7 million visitors in ten years is an impressive achievement for the Museum, which houses close to five million artifacts and is considered an architectural masterpiece. The site of the CMC was officially designated in May 1983, with groundbreaking in 1984. The Museum was designed by Alberta-born Métis architect Douglas J. Cardinal and officially opened its doors on June 29, 1989. This marked an important step in the evolution of a national institution whose origins date back to the research and collections activities of the Geological Survey of Canada, founded in 1842.
As the national museum of human history, the Canadian Museum of Civilization is committed to fostering in all Canadians a sense of their common identity and their shared past. At the same time, it strives to promote understanding among the various cultural groups that are part of Canadian society — through its exhibitions, research, collections and public programmes.
"In ten years, the CMC has risen to countless challenges and successfully completed numerous major projects, achieving its goal of offering rich and diversified activities and programmes that reflect Canada and the civilizations of the world," declared the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation's Acting President and CEO Joe Geurts. "Buoyed by the success of the past decade, the Museum sees the new millennium as an occasion to further enrich visitors' experience with new historical perspectives on our own country and the cultures that contribute to the global village."
Among the Museum's major achievements are the continuously evolving Canada Hall, which remains the most popular attraction for visitors; the June 1997 opening of the Canadian Postal Museum; the expansion of the Canadian Children's Museum and the opening of Adventure World, its highly popular outdoor children's park; the 1996 creation of the Virtual Museum of New FranceTM; numerous visits from foreign dignitaries and heads of state, including Bill Clinton in 1995 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1992; and an unparalleled visitor attendance record. The Museum has also participated in the production of three IMAX films on major civilizations.
Other projects of note have included the launch of Canada's first museum Web site. More recently, the Museum created its information system on cultural goods, a database providing researchers.
Internet surfers and other users unprecedented access to information in both languages on the artifacts in its collections. A trailblazer in the use of new technologies to enhance its exhibitions, the Museum has produced two films in virtual reality, one on Inuit art and culture and one on Egypt to complement the highly popular Mysteries of Egypt exhibition.
Major exhibitions produced by the Museum have captured the interest of visitors from around the world. Among them were:- Isumavut: The artistic expression of nine Cape Dorset women, recently presented at the Tzu Chi Institute Gallery in Taiwan and on view in Seoul, South Korea from July to September 1999;
- Lost Visions, Forgotten Dreams: The Life and Art of an Ancient Arctic People, which drew record crowds to the Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow before travelling to Copenhagen in Denmark, Bremen and Halle in Germany, Milan in Italy (from January to April 2000), and Hanover in Germany (June to October 2000), followed by a North American tour beginning in January 2001;
- This Other Eden: Canadian Folk Art Outdoors, now on view at the Museum, which will begin a Canadian tour on May 18, 2000, travelling to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, London, Winnipeg, Halifax and Montreal;
- Mysteries of Egypt (the exhibition and IMAX® film), which drew more than 900,000 visitors and is currently on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
"Canadians have every reason to be proud of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, a magnificent place where visions of the past, present and future are intertwined," declared Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage. "The fact that the Museum has managed to draw 12.7 million visitors in ten years is a sign of its enormous success, and the Museum can look to the coming millennium with confidence and optimism. I wish it a long life and continued success in its numerous projects."
Information (media):
Media Relations Officer: (819) 776-7169
Senior Media Relations Officer: (819) 776-7167
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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