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Exploring the Museum of Anthropology at UBC – A Must-Visit Cultural Attraction in Vancouver

Posted By On 24 Jan 2025

We recently had the chance to tour the newly renovated Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia, which contains one of the finest displays of Indigenous art in the world. MOA is ranked among the top museums in Canada according to Destination Canada and the top museum in Vancouver on Tripadvisor, and it houses nearly 50,000 works, including the finest collection of artworks by Bill Reid. For anyone visiting Vancouver and seeking to learn more about Indigenous art, this museum is a must-visit attraction. And if you are staying at our hotel, it is only a short 15-min walk nearby!

The first thing you will see when entering is the Great Hall in the centre of the museum with its towering totem poles and floor-to-ceiling windows that bathe the space with natural light. The concrete arches that make up this space are an architectural masterpiece that have recently been seismically upgraded. Take your time to look at the totem poles and learn where they are from.

Not only is the Great Hall the centerpiece of the museum, but it is also a beautiful, bookable venue for special events, such as conferences or weddings. If you are planning a conference in Vancouver and are considering UBC as your venue, we would love to talk with you! For more information on conferences and accommodation at UBC, please visit our website at hostatubc.com.

Just outdoors and visible from the Great Hall, is Haida House, a beautiful wooden, Indigenous-built house, used for ceremonies and special events. Haida House was originally designed and built by Musqueam artist Bill Reid and ‘Namgis artist Doug Cramer. This place is also a bookable venue and can be used for intimate meetings or dinners. During our visit, we watched a music performance in this space.

The O’Brian Gallery at MOA features new exhibitions every year. Last year, it was featuring “In Pursuit of Venus [infected]” (pictured above), a long wall projection that showed encounters between Indigenous People and European explorers. The next exhibition in this gallery is set to be “Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun“, which will be the world’s first-ever dedicated exhibition of the Nuxalk Nation, bringing together over 60 Nuxalk historic belongings that continue to inspire contemporary Nuxalk carpenters, artists, and weavers. This new exhibition will be open from February 21, 2025, to January 5, 2026.

If you love history and would like to learn more about Indigenous art, or if you want to visit one of the most stunning museums in a breathtaking setting at the University of British Columbia overlooking the water and mountains of the West Coast, then MOA is well worth a visit during your Vancouver stay.

 

Learn more about MOA: moa.ubc.ca

Book your Vancouver hotel stay: suitesatubc.ca

Host an event or conference at UBC: hostatubc.ca

 


Author:

Alex Drost is the Marketing Coordinator for UBC Conferences & Accommodation at the University of British Columbia.