Canadian Museum of Civilization
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Image:Grandhall.jpg Image:Civilzation.jpg The Canadian Museum of Civilization is the most visited museum in Canada.
It is located in Gatineau, Quebec, just across the Ottawa River from Ottawa. The museum's current building opened on June 29, 1989, and has been proclaimed as an architectural landmark; however, it was criticized in the 1980s for the severe cost overruns.
The museum's focus is upon the history of Canada from the era of the First Nations until the present. Notable features include the massive Grand Hall, the 1000 years history walk through the Canada Hall, the Children's Museum, the First Peoples Hall, and the large IMAX-Omnimax movie theater.
The recreation of six aboriginal familiy homes is a spectacular sight, capturing the scene of a Pacific Northwest village with massive totem poles, village buildings and a North American forest backdrop. The backdrop is considered to be the largest print of a photograph, in the world.
The building housing the museum is a work of art itself. Designed by renowned aboriginal architect Douglas J. Cardinal, the building captures the undulating natural shapes of the landscapes, and uses materials indigenous to the area.
The Museum of Civilization is run by the Museum of Civilization Corporation, a Crown corporation that also manages the Canadian War Museum, located in Ottawa, and the Canadian Postal Museum, located within the Museum of Civilization itself.
History
The museum was first founded as the display hall for the Geological Survey of Canada, which was accumulating not only minerals, but biological specimens, and historical artifacts. Originally located in Montreal the museum was moved to Ottawa in 1895. In 1911 it moved into the new Victoria Memorial Museum Building. In 1968 the museum was split into the Museum of Nature and the Museum of Man, but both remained in the same building. In 1982 Pierre Trudeau's government announced that the Museum of Man would be moved to its own separate facility in Hull (now Gatineau). In 1989 the museum moved in to the new facility and was renamed the Museum of Civilization.
Directors
| Years | Director |
|---|---|
| 1968–1983 | William E. Taylor |
| 1983–1998 | George F. MacDonald |
| 1999–2000 | Joe Geurts (acting) |
| 2000–Present | Victor Rabinovitch |