2002 - Canadian Museum of Civilization

President and CEO’s ReportPhoto: Dave ChanIn May 2001, the CanadianMuseum of Civilization(CMC) was recognized asone of the country’s top culturalattractions. The AttractionsCanada award for best indoor siteplaced the CMC in the company ofa select group of Canadiantreasures, such as the ColumbiaIcefield in the Rockies, Montréal’sJardin botanique, and the historicPier 21 Museum in Halifax. Laterin 2001, the CMC was nominatedin a list of top Canadianattractions that placed it on a levelwith Banff National Park, theFortress of Louisbourg NationalHistoric Site, the Montréal JazzFestival and the CalgaryStampede. These were highlightsin an exciting year for theCorporation. For the second yearin a row, one of our premierexhibitions was recognized withan Outstanding Achievementaward from the CanadianMuseums Association (Canvas ofWar in 2001 and Lifelines:Canada’s East Coast Fisheries in2002). As well, the CMC wasagain the most visited museum inCanada, with over 1.3 millionvisitors during the year.Awards are always gratifyingbecause they represent thejudgement of professional peersand the enthusiasm of the public.But they tell only a small part ofthe story. Deeper appreciation forour institutions can be gained bylooking at the wide range of workcarried out by top-notchprofessionals in our museums, andthe many ways in which theCorporation fulfills its importantnational mandate.The national scope of our work isexpressed in part through ourcollaboration with other Canadianmuseums. An example is theinnovative model that resulted inLifelines, jointly conceived andproduced by the CMC and fourAtlantic Canada institutions.Another example is the nationallysignificant coast-to-coast tour ofCanvas of War: Masterpiecesfrom the Canadian WarMuseum, an award-winningexhibition which has broughtCanada’s war art into the publicspotlight and into Canadians’consciousness about our history.One aspect of the CMC’s nationalrole can be measured from thepeople who chose to visit us. Inthe summer of 2001, a statisticalstudy of visitors showed that86 per cent of respondents camefrom outside the National CapitalRegion (NCR). This totalconsisted of 55 per cent who camefrom all over Canada beyond theNCR, and 31 per cent of visitorswho came from outside thecountry. We intend to further studythe attendance profile of visitorsduring the winter period in orderto gain a more complete picture ona year-round basis. Overall,however, we are already certainthat the large majority of ourvisitors come from beyond the“borders” of the National CapitalRegion.9