Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you miss the tour or just want to go at your own pace, this is also a good museum in
which to get lost. And, despite its reputation for only showcasing aboriginal culture,
there is much more to be seen than you'd imagine. The renovation enabled more of the
university's immense collection to be displayed in the jam-packed
Multiversity Galler-
ies
. There are more than 10,000 fascinating and often eye-popping ethnographic arti-
facts from cultures around the world, closely packed into display cabinets. A sensory
immersion, you'll find everything from Kenyan snuff bottles and Maori stone knives to
ancient Greek jugs and Navajo blankets. A selection of ornate, brightly hued Asian op-
era costumes is also a highlight.
There's so much to see in this part of the museum that it can be a little overwhelm-
ing, but you can calm your brain in the soothing
European Ceramics Gallery
. Some-
times overlooked by visitors clambering to see the totem poles, it's a subtle stunner,
created from a private collection of hundreds of pieces of delicately beautiful pottery
and porcelain made between the 16th and 19th centuries. This gallery is rarely
crowded, so you can usually peruse in relative tranquillity: look out for detailed porcel-
ain figures, ornate tea sets and a hulking tile-covered oven that once graced a busy kit-
chen.
Before You Leave
Aside from the regular permanent galleries, there are some diverse
temporary exhibi-
tions
here during the year. Do not leave before you've checked these out. Recent visit-
ing shows have included Buddhist art, Peruvian silverware and First Nations treasures
from across BC and beyond. Check the MOA's website calendar before you arrive and
you'll also find
lectures
,
movies
and
presentations
, as well as occasional
live music
performances, which are often staged in the grand Great Hall. Some shows and present-
ations are included with your admission, for others you'll have to pay extra.
But the final part of anyone's visit here - aside from a coffee-and-carrot-cake pit stop
at the courtyard cafe - should be the
gift shop
. While many museum stores are lame
afterthoughts offering cheesy trinkets at inflated prices, the MOA's version is far super-
ior. And while you can certainly pickup postcards and T-shirts here, the best purchases
are the authentic aboriginal arts and crafts created by local artisans. Look out for rare
and unique carved masks as well as intricately engraved gold and silver jewelry. There
is also delicate Japanese pottery as well as intricate Tibetan paintings and South Amer-
ican beaded necklaces. In fact, you could start your own anthropology museum when
you get back home.
