Special Delivery: The New Canadian Postal MuseumHull, Quebec, June 11, 1997 — June 12, 1997 marks the opening of the new Canadian Postal Museum (CPM) at the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) in Hull. Established in 1971, the CPM has now moved into new spaces that enable it to exhibit its prestigious collection on a permanent basis. Postal communication is featured in all its variety and scope at the new Canadian Postal Museum.
Dr. George F. MacDonald, President and CEO of the CMC Corporation, is delighted with the opening. "The new CPM promotes understanding between cultures and people, since the mail establishes a universal bond between individuals and societies. This is both one of the oldest and one of the most modern forms of communication, for it has constantly renewed and revised its methods in accordance with the needs and technological advancements of each era," states Dr. MacDonald.
With the opening of this new permanent postal museum, Canada can be proud of possessing, like the other G-8 countries, a postal museum of international quality that features the rich postal heritage of the nation.
The Museum is proud to announce a new partnership with Canada Post Corporation. Canada Post will increase its support to the Museum by making an annual grant thus becoming a major partner of the CPM.
The 900 square metres of new space allow the CPM to present a vast array of exhibitions on such themes as communication, various aspects of the history of mail, philately, and the arts and technology related to mail.
Familiar objects greet visitors on their arrival to the Museum: original mail boxes, giant reproductions of old stamps, letters, envelopes, post marks — even a real mail jeep.
For high-tech lovers, the new CPM features the Communication Studio that immerses visitors in a multisensory experience. Here, they can acquaint themselves with communication in all its forms, from the first writing systems to satellite communication.
And a module consisting of two computer terminals provides access to the CPM's new CD-ROM, Stampville, featuring hundreds of pages on postal communications and videos guaranteed to delight philatelists and new media enthusiasts.
Philatelists and collectors will also appreciate the temporary exhibition The Value of Error in Philately, in which some of the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world, worth as much as $10 million, have been brought together at the CPM. This unique exhibition will be on display for a limited time only, from 12 June to 13 October 1997.
Air mail has also been given a place of honour, with the opening of the temporary exhibition Winged Messenger (12 June 1997 to 30 September 1998). Visitors can explore the development of air mail around the world and in Canada, as the likes of pioneers Mermoz, Guillaumet and Saint-Exupéry as well as Canadian pilots attest to the invincible courage that opened up the airways. Winged Messenger will also fascinate aviation fans, who can continue their exploration of air mail with the CINÉPLUS film Wings of Courage.
For art lovers, the Museum opens the Pitney Bowes Art Gallery. Programming activities in this art gallery will be supported by Pitney Bowes for the next five years. The inaugural exhibition in the Pitney Bowes Art Gallery features works by Canadian artist Edna Myers in the exhibition Collages: Mixed Media Works by Edna Myers. The exhibition Mail without Boundaries takes a look at mail art.
The exhibition The Fast Track — Moving the Mail the Mechanized Way explores the technology of the mail world, while the writing alcove lets visitors try their hand at letter writing using the techniques of the New France era.
Modular partitions, constituting an "open storage" presentation, separate various exhibitions and feature a sampling of the CPM's collection that gives visitors a unique opportunity of seeing part of the Museum's extensive collection.
The following organizations have contributed to the inaugural exhibitions: Canada Post Corporation, Pitney Bowes, the Musée de la Poste de France (Paris), the Canada-France Museums Agreement of Canadian Heritage, the National Aviation Museum, Air France and the French Embassy.
Information (media):
Media Relations Officer: (819) 776-7169
Senior Media Relations Officer: (819) 776-7167
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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