Museums | ariane c design

Museums

Feb15

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A Visit to Craigdarroch Castle

Posted in: Architecture, History, Interior Design, Museums, Vancouver Island, Victoria

It’s funny how many people I came across in Victoria who live there yet haven’t been to Craigdarroch Castle. After all, this Canadian National Historic Site sits atop Fort Street, a brisk 20-minute walk up from Victoria’s landmark harbour.

On my recent trip, I decided that a visit to the 39-room castle was in order. While city tours do include this attraction as part of a package, I opted to go solo and make my way to Craigdarroch for a self-guided visit.

Constructed between 1887 and 1890, Craigdarroch Castle was built for coal magnate Robert Dunsmuir. Craigdarroch refers to “rocky, oak place” in Gaelic. Dunsmuir wanted to show off his wealth by building this massive Victorian mansion on the top of the city, using internationally-sourced building components.

Spanish mahogany, Hawaiian koa, and other exotic woods such as walnut, rosewood, jarra and oak are all used throughout the 21 acre estate, now diminished to a city-respectable 1.75 acre lot. Back in the day, visitors to the castle could enjoy walking along several paths, a stream, and meadow.

The curious door is actually made from curved wood; you’ll notice this one-of-a-kind door the moment you walk inside the castle.

Looking up inside the entrance leads your eyes to an imposing staircase and beautiful stained glass windows, some of the finest in North America.

Robert Dunsmuir was originally from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, born into a family of coal masters (renting mines from land-owning aristocracy). His future wife Joanna was born in the same town. They married in 1847; at that time, Joanna shortened her name to to Joan Olive.

They took a three year leave to work for Hudson’s Bay Company, sailing from Scotland around Cape Horn to Vancouver Island in a voyage that lasted 214 days. There’s a long, interesting story that leads in so many directions, including the Castle’s later use as a military hospital for WWI veterans, Victoria College, and the Victoria Conservatory of Music. The saddest tale is that Robert died over a year before the castle’s completion, never able to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

When the Conservatory finally vacated in the late 1970’s, the Castle was converted into a historic house museum. The Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society purchased the property from the City of Victoria, and currently maintains a staff of 14 with well over 100 volunteers, continually serving to restore this precious landmark.

As you walk through the rooms, there’s so many details to admire, from the lighting to the windows. Victorian-era furnishings and costumes add to the atmosphere, while a few rooms remain bare and ready for restoration.

Luckily, the Castle receives over 150,000 visitors annually, helping to cover costs. Craigdarroch Castle is located at 1050 Joan Crescent in Victoria.
Jan29

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MOV: Sex Talk in the City

Posted in: Art Installation, Education, Events, Exhibitions, Inspiration, Museums, Vancouver

This Valentine’s Day, the Museum of Vancouver will open the doors to a new exhibition dedicated to Vancouver’s sexual history. Sex Talk in the City will give visitors a chance to consider how sexuality is not only biological, but also cultural and political.

Moving from the classroom to the bedroom and out to the streets, Sex Talk in the City explores how sexuality is learned and how these conversations have impacted the way people self-identify and relate to one other.

“Exploring what people in Vancouver think about sex becomes a telling way to know the city,” explains Viviane Gosselin, Sex Talk’s curatorial lead. “Looking at Vancouver’s sexual history has enabled us to see that many people in the city have challenged the sexual norms of their time — whether it is on issues of contraception, gay rights, or the ergonomics of sex toys — to create communities that are more inclusive and educated.”

The exhibition shares stories ranging from early sex education in Vancouver to the local origin of the iconic black cougar logo that for decades warned movie audiences about sexually explicit content. Sex Talk in the City will also touch on issues of sex trade work, the role of the Internet as “sex educator” to many children, and the way in which the pleasure of belonging can be as important as pleasure itself.

Using the same collaborative style that Gosselin brought to the award-winning Bhangra.me exhibition, Sex Talk in the City was created with the help of an advisory panel of 17 people, plus a team that included Propellor Design, a writer, filmmaker, and several historians.

“Working with a large advisory committee has played a crucial role in this project,” says Gosselin. “Committee members stressed the importance of featuring diverse perspectives while highlighting concerns that are often shared across age, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.”

Sex Talk in the City is a unique opportunity to reflect on personal ideas about sexuality (where they came from, the values that shaped them, and how they help or impede our ability to live a healthy sexual life) in a safe, fun, and interesting environment. Visitors are sure to leave wanting to share their own quirky stories about their first time, their sex ed class experience, or the awkward birds and bees conversation they had with their parents.

The creation of Sex Talk in the City involved the participation of Options for Sexual Health, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, the Vancouver School Board, public health experts, activists, sexologists, educators, youth, and historians.

Sex Talk in the City
Dates: February 14 to September 2, 2013
Venue: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $12 adults; $10 students (valid ID required)/seniors (65+); $8 youth 5-17
Opening Reception February 13, 7 pm ($15 tickets available in advance online; members +1 free)
Available online or at the door
Jan21

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Winter Wander in Vanier Park

Posted in: Art Installation, Education, Events, History, Inspiration, Museums, Music, Vancouver

The six cultural institutions of Vanier Park will once again celebrate their beautiful Kits Point location for the Second Annual Winter Wander. On Saturday, January 26, explore all six for one low admission price.
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Jan3

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Vancouver I Love You But…

Posted in: Events, Museums, Vancouver

[Photo credit: Paul Krueger on Flickr]

Whether it’s the rain, the early-closing night clubs, the high cost of rent, or stricter parking regulations, we all have our beef with Vancouver. It’s a tough relationship to maintain, and as any relationship counsellor would attest: it’s just not healthy to keep those feelings inside.

In a unique two part evening, the Museum of Vancouver will help attendees process their feelings. Arrive early for a drink and some classic ‘misery loves company’ at the Ranters Lounge.

This event is inspired by Object(ing), the MOV’s exhibition of art and design work by Tobias Wong. The last piece that Wong created before his death in 2010 was a riff on the LCD Soundsystem song, “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down.” Wong wove that message in Morse code into the structure of a floor-to-ceiling bead pendant. The message embodied the ambivalence that so many of us feel for the cities we love.

Rants of Vancouverites worked together with Scottish performance artist and urban therapist Adrian Howells to bring this evening to our fair city.

Ranters include:
- Stephen Quinn, host of CBC’s On the Coast
- Watermelon, nudist, comedian, and purveyor of licorice and good times
- Kevin Chong, author, horse racing fan
- Scott McIntyre, publisher of beleaguered Douglas & McIntyre
- Tami Knight, mountaineer, yogi, circus performer
- Brandon Yan, urbanist and mega-tweeter
… and more!

Together, we will achieve catharsis. For the truth may hurt, but it may also make us laugh until we hurt!

Vancouver I Love You But…
Date: January 25, 6 pm
Venue: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $15; $12 MOV members; available online
Nov30

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Exploring Oregon’s North coast

Posted in: Architecture, Craft Beer, History, Museums

Driving Oregon’s long, scenic Route 26 West brought me to three Northern coast towns: Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria.

True to storm-watching season, the three resort towns were quiet and free from summer tourist traffic. I spent a night in Cannon Beach, with an ocean view out to Haystack Rock.

Because it was so rainy, I missed out on the rock’s well-known tide pools, apparently one of the best on the coast. Haystack Rock also happens to be part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Lots of cute boutiques and art galleries line Hemlock Street, Cannon Beach’s main artery. It’s also where EVOO Cooking School is located.

I had the chance to enjoy Chef Bob Neroni’s Dinner Show here one night.

Seaside is Oregon’s first resort town, and for me, made for a good breakfast stop between Cannon Beach and Astoria. It’s also at the official end point of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Did I mention storm-watching season?

A one and a half mile long promenade aka “The Prom” forms the core of this cute little village.

[Seaside Coffee Roasting Company]

If you’re into 1920′s-era classic arcade games like Skee-Ball or Fascination, Seaside’s got ‘em.

Further north in Oregon’s west corner pocket lies Astoria, the oldest United States settlement west of the Rockies.

In the late 1800′s, the town’s salmon canneries, forest, and shipping industries turned the region into the liveliest boom town between Seattle and San Francisco. Both the area’s culture and economy were expanded with the arrival of Finnish, Scandinavian, and Chinese immigrants.

One of my favourite Astoria icons is the Astoria-Megler Bridge, spanning 4.2 miles, making it the longest three-span truss bridge in the world. It connects Astoria, Oregon with Point Ellice, Washington. The bridge is designed to withstand wind gusts up to 150 miles per hour. At times last week, I felt as though the bridge was being tested as a major storm swept down the coast.
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Nov8

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The MOV Retail Collection

Posted in: Exhibitions, History, Museums, Product Branding, Vancouver

The Museum of Vancouver has partnered with local businesses to breathe new life into artifacts and make them available for culture lovers to take history home with them via a new retail collection. This initiative goes beyond an on-location gift shop, creating a model that works directly with local retailers to produce and sell items inspired by the MOV collection.

I was at the museum late yesterday afternoon for the collection’s launch. Murchie’s has released a limited edition Smilin’ Buddha Tea, both a nod to Chinese culture as well as inspiration drawn from the Neon Vancouver exhibition. Harvey Burritt’s 2nd Century Rug Company features streetcar scrolls listing destinations along the number 18 route in Vancouver.

The original scroll itself dates from the mid 1950′s and is on display at MOV. Each rug is individually hand-knotted in Nepal and rugs can be customized to fit your living space.

“When the MOV approached us to be part of the program, we jumped at the opportunity,” says Harvey Burritt. “We are known for our ability to create high quality, custom area rugs from items that are meaningful to our clients. We have applied this ability to the treasure trove of MOV’s collection. I can’t think of a better way for my family to support one of our city’s cultural institutions.”

In addition to Harvey Burritt and Murchie’s Teas, MOV is working with several local businesses, including Country Furniture, Cascade Room Restaurant & Bar, Walrus (one of my favourite shops!), Make Vancouver, Vancouver Special, Bookmark at the Vancouver Public Library, and London Drugs.

“This new model is a great way to take the MOV brand and our array of historical artifacts out to the city,” says Kate Follington, Director of Development at the MOV. “Given that we can only ever display a fraction of our collection, it is a way for us to breathe new life into artifacts and raise funds to continue our work.”

Each product in the MOV Collection comes with a history of the original artifact and a catalogue number so that buyers can look the artifact up on openMOV. Products and locations can be found online. Click here to view the MOV products on Flickr.

[Home Collection rugs: Bus Scroll, Corporate Seals, Riot Board - Love, No. 18 Scroll. MOV photo]

The retail line is part of a project supported by the Vancity Social Enterprise Portfolio and is being developed as an alternative line of revenue for the MOV. Funds raised through the retail initiative will benefit MOV’s special exhibitions and its school programs that reach 10,000 elementary school students annually. Think holiday shopping needs for any art or culture lover on your list!
Oct25

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Vancouver’s New Inspiration Pass

Posted in: Education, Museums, Nature, Vancouver

[Mayor Gregor Robertson, Vancouver Park Board chair Sarah Blyth, Vancouver Aquarium's Bee Bop]

Free is a good price – especially when it comes to admission to some of Vancouver’s top attractions and facilities. Yesterday, the new Vancouver Inspiration Pass was launched at the Vancouver Public Library’s downtown branch, allowing Vancouverites to enjoy many of the city’s favourite places to visit at no charge.

According to Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who was on hand to help launch the pass, “We want to promote the vibrant cultural, recreational and learning activities our city has to offer, and make these experiences accessible to every resident, regardless of income.”

Passes may be borrowed by showing a current Vancouver Public Library card. A total of 120 passes will be made available for borrowing every two weeks starting November 1. Passes are now available for reserving. The passes will be distributed as follows:

- 15 passes at VPL’s downtown branch
- 5 passes at each VPL location branch

How the pass works
Once a year, Vancouver residents aged 14 and older can use their VPL library card to borrow the pass. A pass allows admission for a family of two adults and up to four children, or a group of up to six young people (aged 14 to 18 years old) to participating venues. Passes can also be redeemed for a limited number of seats at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Opera, and the Vancouver Bach Choir.

Participating venues
Arts and culture
Vancouver Art Gallery
 Vancouver Bach Choir
 Vancouver Opera
 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Fitness and recreation
Vancouver Park Board fitness centres, swimming pools, skating rinks, and pitch & putt golf courses

Museums and heritage
Museum of Vancouver  
Roedde House Museum
 UBC Museum of Anthropology
 Vancouver Maritime Museum
 Vancouver Police Museum

Science and nature
Beaty Biodiversity Museum
 Bloedel Conservatory  
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden  
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
 Nitobe Memorial Garden
 Science World  
UBC Botanical Garden
 Vancouver Aquarium
 VanDusen Botanical Garden

“VPL has a long history of helping transform, build and support communities – and this new program is very much in keeping with that,” says board chair Catherine Evans. Learn more about the pass online or by visiting your local Vancouver Public Library branch.
Oct10

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Saskatoon History and Heritage

Posted in: Automotive, Education, Exhibitions, History, Museums, Nature, Photography, Technology, Travel, Urban Planning

A fantastic way to combine Saskatoon’s history with First Nations heritage is to visit both the Western Development Museum and the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, both easily combinable in one day.

Take a step back in time to 1910 Boomtown. At the Western Development Museum’s admission desk, I was handed a map to make my way through the museum at my own pace.

Inside those double doors is a street lined with turn of the century shops, a fire house, church, letterpress printing studio, meat market, pharmacy, photo studio and more, all meticulously detailed and lovingly brought to life.

I listened to the sweet sounds of birds chirping, organ music from the tiny, crooked Anglican church moments after I stepped inside, and a short film depicting one family’s emigration from the UK to the Prairies.

“We were brought up on prayers and next year’s crop.” – Ethel Killin

This quote is from Ethel Killin (born in 1914). She was interviewed by the museum in 2003, describing what it was like to grow up on a farm in Battrum, Saskatchewan. Times were pretty rough for those wanting to start a farm. Through stories recorded at various points around the museum, visitors can get a picture of how times changed through electricity, population growth, and technology. From virtual buggy rides to a fun house, it’s all here under one roof.

I felt taken back in time through the descriptive displays from the start of the city right to modern times, where a display case includes an iPod shuffle and hiking boots!

Many items have been donated to the museum by the public. An acquisitions team decides whether the object is appropriate for the museum, as well as checking to see whether it’s already part of the collection.

The WDM was voted 2011′s Best Museum in the province by Prairies North, the magazine of Saskatchewan. The museum was opened in 1972 and currently has four locations around the province: Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Yorkton, and Saskatoon.

The Western Development Museum is located at 2610 Lorne Avenue South in Saskatoon.

The Wanuskewin Heritage Park area contains 19 pre-contact sites (some 5,000 to 6,000 years old!) within its valley as well as two historic sites, making it the longest running active archeological site in Canada.

This Northern Plains Indian interpretive site is located five kilometers north of the city. It has a beautifully designed Visitor Centre – the first point of contact on your visit – with staff to help you choose between one or more of the designated trails.

Wanuskewin is partnered with the University of Saskatchewan, the Meewasin Valley Authority, and other organizations that help support the site’s programming and training.

The indigenous peoples of the Northern Plains used this area yearly to hunt bison and animals, gather local plants, camp, and live simply amongst the prairie. They adapted to their environment, living a nomadic life according to the seasons.

Hunters would drive bison over a steep hill and into bison pounds, corralling the thousand kilo-beasts long enough to be killed in one go. Buffalo jumps were created from steep cliffs in the area, the fall killing the animals. Several communal tribes participated in this yearly activity and all benefitted from having enough food to last through the harsh winter months.
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Oct3

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McSwain’s Homage to Tobias Wong

Posted in: Art Installation, Events, Exhibitions, Museums, Vancouver

There are few better ways to pay homage to an artist/designer than to create a portrait made of the same number of dice as the days they lived. Frederick McSwain, a friend of Tobias Wong’s, did just that, creating one of the world’s largest dice portraits using 13,138 die.

Now accompanying the exhibition Object(ing): The Art/Design of Tobias Wong at the Museum of Vancouver, McSwain’s piece “DIE” is a tribute to Wong, a Vancouver/New York artist who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 35 in early 2010.

“The idea of a die itself was appropriate—the randomness of life,” explains Frederick McSwain, who produced the dice portrait for NY Design Week, 2011. “It felt like a medium he would use. The idea of every decision you make and everything you’ve done in your life defines who you are. All of those days symbolically make up the image of Tobi.”

The medium was chosen from an exchange McSwain once witnessed: a stranger approached Wong to ask for a cigarette, and Wong accepted a cheap six-sided die in exchange.

The portrait also pays homage to Wong’s own style of conceptual art and design. Wong was well known in New York as a provocative artist, re-designing every-day objects and making poignant statements about the world around him.

The dice were organized into individual sheets of 361 pieces and then laid to rest free on the floor without adhesive. A time-lapse YouTube video of the piece being assembled can be viewed below.

American furniture giant Bernhardt Designs bought McSwain’s piece in 2011 and is currently touring it across North America. The portrait will be on display at the Museum of Vancouver until the end of October.

The exhibition Object(ing) at the Museum of Vancouver is the first major showing of Tobias Wong’s body of work. Since opening on September 19, it has received public accolades from the likes of Douglas Coupland and Jason Heard (IDS West’s show director).

I was amazed at this show’s thought-provoking objects and had the privilege to view it ahead of its public opening a couple of weeks ago.

Object(ing) will continue through February 24, 2013.
Sep19

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Museum of Van: Tobias Wong Preview

Posted in: Art Installation, Events, Exhibitions, Inspiration, Museums, Recycling, Vancouver

[Fur Lighter]

From repurposed coke spoons with a Golden Arches logo at one end to a Philippe Starck chair crafted into a lamp, Tobias Wong’s “paraconceptual” works (as he liked to call them) will be available to the public starting tonight at the Museum of Vancouver.

[I Want to Change the World Book]

Whether the Vancouver-born artist’s pieces evoke Marcel Duchamp or Rene Magritte, the works on display are definitely thought-provoking. I was invited to a media preview yesterday morning to learn about MOV’s newest exhibit, Object(ing): The Art of Tobias Wong and as much as I could about the man behind the work. Largely portrayed in the media, he died young; art historians are still scrambling to put the pieces of his life and work together.

[Gift Wrapping]

In fact, many pieces in the collection had been disassembled in Wong’s New York City apartment, or had missing pieces that needed to be reconstructed for this show.

[Coke Spoons]

As I’d written earlier this month, Wong is considered a provocateur of contemporary design, his works manipulated to create secondary meaning. He often utilized mass-produced products in his works, showing society’s excesses (the McDonald’s coke spoon, for example) while twisting the meaning of the item’s original use. Fellow artist Douglas Coupland was friends with Tobi; this 2005 work’s story is introduced in the show by Coupland. The infamous golden spoon has a legend attached to it: McDonald’s supposedly stopped using this model of stir stick because Wong had made it look too cocaine-y.

[This is a Lamp]

MOV curator Viviane Gosselin took a small group of us around the exhibit, pointing out some of the key works, including this Philippe Starck Bubble chair that Wong convinced leading Italian design company Kartell to sell to him before the chair actually premiered to the public. One day before the official showing of the Starck chair, Wong debuted his own version, complete with a built-in lamp! Cheeky.

Wong subsequently gained a huge following of movie stars, luminaries, and high-profile artists who came to appreciate his work. Each of the pieces contains a story behind it, whether from an actual collaborator or friend of Tobi’s, or someone who was inspired by the piece enough to add to the conversation by having their story included here.

[The Scent of the NY Times candle]

The exhibition starts tonight with an opening night party. Tickets are available online for both the party and the exhibition that runs through February 24, 2013.