Vancouver World City of Literature - The Association of Book ...

museums
The city’s museums offer permanent and special collections for all interests, ranging from
the Museum of Anthropology, with its collection of more than 13,000 aboriginal and
international artifacts, to other major exhibiting institutions, such as the Vancouver
Museum and the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
The Vancouver Museum is over one hundred years old, designed by the well-known
architect Gerald Hamilton. It boasts a planetarium whose distinctive dome—similar in
shape to that of a woven basket hat made by the Northwest Coast First Nations peoples—
has become one of the best-known landmarks on the city skyline. The museum explores the
human and natural history of the Vancouver region, the Pacific Northwest Coast, and the
Pacific Rim with ever-changing exhibitions.
The Vancouver Maritime Museum is 45 years old and is Canada’s principal maritime
museum on the Pacific. It features maritime history, art, culture, industry, and technology.
Each year, more than 100,000 people visit the Maritime Museum, and thousands of
students take part in the museum’s guided education programs.
galleries
Vancouver is noted for its visual arts, and galleries of all sizes and schools can be
found throughout the city. Major galleries include the Contemporary Art Gallery, the
International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, and the city’s major exhibiting
institution for the visual arts, the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The Vancouver
Art Gallery
The Vancouver Art Gallery was once
described by TIME magazine as “an institution
that moves at the same speed as the cyclotron
that is Vancouver’s art scene.” Cutting-edge
exhibitions feature the work of emerging stars
as well as leaders in the field of contemporary
art, and Vancouver’s internationally renowned
artists. The gallery also houses the works of
major historical artists, including the most
extensive collection of BC’s most famous
artist, Emily Carr’s paintings in the world. The
gallery boasts one of the most valuable collections in Canada, with more than 9,000
artworks. It is now in its 76th year of operation.
Vancouver also has many private (commercial) and artist-run galleries. These include galleries
specializing in Inuit and/or Northwest Coast art; contemporary North American art;
crystals, minerals, and fossils; jewelry; printmaking; Russian art; and Chinese art.
chapter two: the cultural city
vancouver world city of literature | 9