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Apr17

Mother’s Day High Tea at MOV

Posted in: Art Installation, Events, Fashion, History, Holidays, Museums, Vancouver

This upcoming Mother’s Day weekend, the Museum of Vancouver mixes learning, fashion, and tea for its “High Tea @ MOV” museum fundraiser. Whether guests attend with friends or together with their mum, it’s sure to be a delightful afternoon spent at this special sit-down tea service.

Guest speaker Brendan Waye, accredited tea specialist (aka “The Tea Guy”) as well as a Vancouver Community College tea sommelier program instructor will provide insight on both the traditions and rituals of high tea culture over time.

Guests will enjoy a variety of teas and a delicious assortment of petite sandwiches and cakes. A guided tour of the Art Deco Chic exhibition will provide a base for conversation, and tea demonstrations will give guests an opportunity to discover new tastes while learning about teas from around the world.

High Tea @ MOV
Date: Saturday, May 12, 2 to 5 pm
Venue: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $40; $60 for two; order tickets online

All proceeds will benefit the Museum of Vancouver’s programs for conserving Vancouver’s history and material items.

The Museum is grateful to sponsors Herbal Republic, Bernardin, Salt Spring Coffee, and Angela James.
Mar22

Songs of the False Creek Flats

Posted in: Architecture, Education, Environment, Museums, Music, Vancouver

Vancouver’s False Creek contains a fascinating history, and its most recent development is explored in a Museum of Vancouver studio exhibition now on display called the Maraya Project: Waterfronts of Vancouver and Dubai. On Friday, March 30, False Creek mythology and history will be further explored in an intimate performance featuring local folk musician and city singer Veda Hille, and accompanied by a visual narrative by architect and city thinker Annabel Vaughan.

[Veda Hille at Smorgasbord: An Evening with Dan Mangan and Friends]

Through Songs of the False Creek Flats: Reflections, both Veda and Annabel will utilize music, talk, and pictures to animate an area of the city that currently lies primarily dormant. Audience members will be given a hand drawn artist map in order to take themselves on a local walk through the flats at their leisure.

Songs of False Creek Flats: Reflections
Date: Friday, March 30; Doors 6:30 pm, Performance 7:30 pm
Venue: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Tickets: MOV Members $15; General Admission $17; Students $10 (*with valid ID); available online
Includes admission to Maraya; Art Deco Chic & Neon Vancouver | Ugly Vancouver exhibits; music and reception to follow

Through photography, video, public art, public programs and an interactive online platform, the Maraya Project explores new forms of urban living pioneered in both countries, showing how we are connected in ways that are both familiar and surprising. Maraya — from the Arabic m’raya for “mirror” or “reflection” — connects the glass and steel residential towers that line the seawall walkways of Emaar’s Dubai Marina and Concord Pacific Place along False Creek. The project explores these two cities as leaders of 21st century urbanism.
Mar7

MOV: Art Deco Chic Sneak Peek

Posted in: Art Installation, Events, Exhibitions, Fashion, Fine Jewellery, History, Illustration, Museums, Vancouver

[Brass buttons designed by Salvador Dali/private collection. Worn to go tobogganing!]

Art Deco Chic at the Museum of Vancouver is about to unveil a gorgeous, historic collection of women’s international fashions from the 20′s and 30′s. This two room exhibit opens tomorrow and runs from March 8 through September 23. Lovingly purchased and kept by fashion historians and collectors Ivan Sayers and Claus Jahnke (both of whom I had the pleasure to meet and learn about the collection from yesterday) have amassed since the late 60′s.

Drama teachers were Ivan’s only competition shopping back in the 60′s, where the Salvation Army was his regular haunt. Chests full of pieces would be unloaded, where he bought them for a dollar a bagful. That of course is no longer possible. To acquire a collection like this today would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Unfortunately a lot of these vintage pieces around the world wind up in landfill, which is why collectors love to spare their fate and keep them, and which is why Vancouver is lucky to have the chance to view such a large collection in one space.

The exhibit’s opening party will take place tonight from 6:30 to 10 pm. Only 100 tickets will be made available to the public. Suggested attire? Why 20s and 30s dress, of course!

Here’s a sneak preview at a few of the nearly 60 pieces on display. I wrote a blog post last month that covers Art Deco Chic in more detail. Additional photos can be found here.

[Leather bag, England c. 1928-1935]

[Afternoon suit, 1933, worn by astronomer Virginia Nail when she met Albert Einstein in 1936]

[VW Beetle leather promotional purse, German bear perfume holder]

If you’re not able to make the party, consider these events:

Design Challenge/Design and submit your own art deco inspired garment (by May 15)
Curator’s Talk and Tour/1st Thursday of each month
Curator Ivan Sayers on Art Deco/A curator’s view of Art Deco on April 5
High Tea @ MOV/On May 12, bring your Mom along for a special Mother’s Day happening
Dapper and Flapper Formal/June 8 will be the next night to dress up! Live performances, swing dances, and cocktails
Pop-up Speakeasy/August, Date TBA. Celebrating the 20s and 30s, this event’s focus will be on learning about the era’s finest craft cocktails, speakeasy style

Tickets for the opening party can be purchased online. For more information on the exhibit and the events mentioned above, visit the MOV website.
Feb15

Art Deco Chic at MOV

Posted in: Events, Exhibitions, Fashion, History, Museums, Vancouver

The Museum of Vancouver is preparing to unveil a new exhibit this March, featuring Art Deco women’s fashion from the 1920s and 1930s. Entitled Art Deco Chic: Extravagant Glamour Between the Wars, this collection will contain over 66 garments from the era.

Art deco began in Paris in the 1920s and quickly gained worldwide popularity. Here in Vancouver, we have great art deco architecture examples in the Marine Building and Burrard Street Bridge. Starting March 8 (and continuing through September 23 of this year), the public can also see it captured in women’s fashions.

“The garments chosen for exhibition have been selected because of their beauty and fine quality,” explains guest co-curator Ivan Sayers. “Some of the most important fashion designers in the world in the 1920s and 1930s will be represented.”

The fashion design of the era was a distinct departure from previous design styles. Drawing inspiration from geometric shapes to evoke elegance and modernity, it was also influenced by an increased ability to travel world wide – bringing inspiration not only from modernism, but from faraway places such as Russia, Egypt, and Mexico.

Notable Vancouver items include a black beaded gown worn to the opening of the Commodore Cabaret in 1929 and a red and gold lamé evening dress made from fabric depicting the battles of the Trojan War. Many items on display are one-of-a-kind designer dresses from fashion houses such as Chanel, Lanvin, Vionnet, Patou and Schiaparelli. In contrast to these high fashion items is a piece from the MOV’s collection – a modest, yet stylish, navy polka dot dress made by the Aurora Dress Company of Vancouver circa 1927.

The garments and accessories on display come from the private collections of Ivan Sayers and Claus Jahnke, as well as from the MOV and other collections.

Ivan Sayers is a fashion historian who specializes in the study of women’s, men’s, and children’s fashions from 1650 to the present. From 1970 to 1990, he worked at the museum, serving as its Curator of History from 1976 to 1990. He also happens to own one of the largest collections of historic clothing in Canada.

Claus Jahnke specializes in the study of fashion design history in Germany and Austria and now has one of the most important collections of historical clothing from those countries existing outside of Europe. His collection includes men’s, women’s, and children’s garments from 1720s to 1960s and he now is consulted by historians and other researchers from all over North American and Europe.
Handbags, hats, shoes, and jewellery will further illustrate the use of geometric shapes to create sleek, sophisticated designs.
Jan5

New for 2012: City and Slope

Posted in: Dance, Events, Museums, Music, Nature, Resorts, Sports, Vancouver

City and Slope is a four day destination mountain and music festival set to take place over Vancouver’s three local mountains and rock its downtown core this coming February 9 to 12.

2012 will mark the inaugural City and Slope, poised to become Vancouver’s signature annual winter event. City and Slope has partnered with Grouse Mountain, Cypress Mountain, Mount Seymour, Yaletown BIA, The Adelphia Group, Live Nation, Blueprint Events, the Museum of Vancouver and Telus World of Science.

Vancouver is the only city in the world to feature three world-class skiing facilities within 25 minutes of the downtown core, therefore City and Slope has put together an exclusive bundled pass that allows guests to enjoy access to all three mountains and save up to 20 per cent on mountain passes.

On the slopes, the focus will be on winter sport activities and animations on each of Vancouver’s local mountains, all with a unique theme. A few highlights will include outdoor adventures at Grouse Mountain, snowboarding at Mount Seymour, and Canada 2010 Olympics at Cypress Mountain.

In the city, the focus will be on cultural and music events, including:
- Illuminations in Yaletown and the Telus World of Science
- A day-long ice carving competition at Yaletown Park
- Animations at the Museum of Vancouver
- The Frostbite music series, a performance showcase
- The Electric Avalanche, a 6,000 person music event featuring superstar DJ Benny Benassi, to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre

The highlights of 24 Hours of Winter at Grouse Mountain will include:
- 24 hours of skiing/snowboarding/ice skating
- Sunset, Midnight and Sunrise guided snowshoe tours/Fondue snowshoe tours
- Midnight Ski/Snowboard Park Jam
- Sunset and Sunrise tours to the Eye of The Wind
- Live DJ performances
- Midnight Touch Light Parade
- Action sport movie screenings at the Theatre in the Sky
- Skiing and snowboarding with an Olympian
- Night time ‘dark’ Zipline tours

More information will be added to the City and Slope website, so be sure to check back as the event dates draw closer.
Nov17

Winter Wander in Vanier Park

Posted in: Education, Events, Museums, Vancouver

Vanier Park is a cultural hub that many Vancouver residents know little about. That’s about to change. On Saturday, December 3, the six cultural institutions that call Kitsilano’s biggest park home will be celebrating this hidden treasure with Winter Wander.

[Photo credit: H.R. MacMillan Space Centre on Flickr]

“Music, history, space, sea, and Shakespeare reside together in stunning Vanier Park,” says Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach. “It is truly a Vancouver treasure.”
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Nov16

MOV’s Digital Collections Database

Posted in: Education, Exhibitions, History, Illustration, Museums, Technology, Vancouver

Vancouverites can now broaden their understanding of Vancouver history with the click of a mouse, thanks to the Museum of Vancouver’s newly launched digital collections database.
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Oct28

Migrating Landscapes at MOV

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

When people migrate, they carry their cultural memories with them in order to create a unique understanding of the world. Migrating Landscapes, a nationwide competition for young Canadian architects aged 45 and under, explores the nature of contemporary Canadian migration through original designs for housing. Vancouverites can immerse themselves in this idea beginning on Thursday, November 3, when the regional stage of the competition launches at the Museum of Vancouver.
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Oct12

MOV: Neon Vancouver/Ugly Vancouver

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

The Museum of Vancouver is about to unleash a series of 22 neon signs out of long-term storage for their aptly-titled exhibit, Neon Vancouver/Ugly Vancouver.

In 1977, a lighting activist named Ralf Kelman approached the Museum with a large collection of signs for sale. Fast forward to 1992, where these non-functional signs were found in a disoriented heap in MOV’s storage area.

According to museum curator Joan Seidl, MOV has since continued to collect neon from across the Lower Mainland.

Yesterday morning, I was invited to preview the exhibition, one that will feature both these signs and a handful from the long-term collection. It is hoped that the public will gain an appreciation for the lost art form, nearly banned from Vancouver in 1968, when Vancouver Sun headlines read “Let’s Wake Up from Our Neon Nightmare“.

Critics of neon (and there were many) argued that “you can have civilization or you can have neon”.

According to information signage in the exhibit, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver deemed it vital to Vancouver’s reputation as a beautiful city that sign controls be implemented before any more “visual squalor” be added to our most attractive streets.

The council compared Vancouver to cities in Europe that had long since implemented protective measures against advertising signage. The attack was started by the council in 1958, however their initiative to completely eradicate signs proved unsuccessful.

Eight years later, the CAC tried again. By that time, signage had been restricted to residential areas (except for house for sale signs).

In 1974, Vancouver finally adopted its first sign control by-law, keeping the old neon up but heavily restricting new neon.

The signs are not perfect, but this provides a unique, not often seen aspect of neon signage. The Museum’s goal is to not to restore the signs completely but to conserve them for future visitors, aiming for the signs to appear as weathered as they did on the day that they arrived at MOV.

I even found a tennis ball lodged between some of the neon tubing!

Newer neon tubes glow more brightly than the older ones, so it’s possible to see the age difference between them throughout the exhibit.

Speaking of neon, I didn’t know until now that the Smilin’ Buddha sign was donated to the museum by the band 54-40 a couple of years ago. 54-40 used the iconic neon sign as cover art for their 1994 album, “Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret“.

This decidedly urban side of Vancouver’s past will also be explored through the photography of Walter Griba, on public display for the first time. The exhibition runs until Sunday, August 12, 2012.

Neon Vancouver/Ugly Vancouver Opening Party
Date: Wednesday, October 12, 7 pm
Venue: Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver

For more information about the exhibition or to purchase a MOV membership, visit the website. More photos from the media preview can be viewed here.
Oct4

Dishing up Australia at MOV

Posted in: Dining, Events, Vancouver, Wine

This weekend’s Dishing up Australia event was a wonderful way to explore Australia’s immense variety of wines, paired with delicious small plates prepared by chef Dino Renaerts.
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