The Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization are coming to Canadians across the country this summer!

Gatineau, Quebec, July 31, 2012—The Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum are pleased to announce that ten of their popular travelling exhibitions are on the road this summer, at eight venues in five provinces.

 “In keeping with our commitment to reach Canadians wherever they live, we are proud to share our passion for Canada’s human and military history through our travelling exhibitions,” explains Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. “Museum-goers in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec will have the opportunity to experience our country’s rich history in their own community.”

From west to east 

The Exploration Place in Prince George, British Columbia, is presenting Profit and Ambition, an exhibition that retraces the rise and fall of the Montréal-based North West Company, a commercial empire that pushed fur trade routes all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The exhibition is being presented until September 9, 2012. 

At the Military Museums in Calgary, Alberta, museum-goers have the opportunity to see A Brush with War: Military Art from Korea to Afghanistan. This exhibition, which includes artworks dating from 1947 to 2008, explores the two military art programs that started more than twenty years after the Second World War, the Canadian Armed Forces Civilian Artists Program (1968–1995) and the Canadian Forces Artists Program (2001– present). The exhibition is on display until October 7, 2012. 

At the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Winnipeg, Manitoba, visitors will have the chance to see Inuit Prints: Japanese Inspiration, an exhibition that features exquisite and extraordinarily rare Inuit and Japanese prints from the late 1950s and early 1960s. The exhibition is on display until August 26, 2012. 

The RCA Museum in Shilo, Manitoba, is presenting Places of Power: Objects of Veneration, an exhibition of photographs of Arctic landscapes, sacred sites and inuksuit, and The Tunit: a Palaeo-Eskimo People, a discovery box exhibition that explores the history of the Palaeo-Eskimos through themes such as “Way of Life,” “Hunting Magic,” “Religion” and the “End of the Tunit World.” The exhibitions are on display until September 21, 2012.

The Markham Museum in Markham, Ontario, is hosting two of the Museum of Civilization’s exhibitions. Heart and Soul: Quebec Folk Art, which showcases 65 exceptional works of Quebec folk art dating from the 18th century to today, and Wind Work, Wind Play: Weathervanes and Whirligigs, which features over 30 pieces of wind-powered folk art from the Museum’s Collection. The exhibitions are on display until September 2, 2012. 

A travelling version of the War Museum’s 1812 exhibition makes its debut at the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum and Archives in Penetanguishene, Ontario. Through descriptive text and images, the exhibition presents a new and dramatic account of the War of 1812 as seen through the eyes of its Canadian, American, British and Native American participants, for whom it had surprisingly different meanings and consequences. By comparing these perspectives, visitors will gain a richer and deeper understanding of a conflict that helped shaped Canada into the nation it is today. The exhibition is on display until September 16, 2012.

The Société d’art et d’histoire de Beauport in Québec is featuring Top Secret: Mission Toy. This playful exhibition invites children to use their investigative and playtime skills to explore, examine and learn about intriguing toys from around the world. It is being presented until August 17, 2012.

At the Musée maritime du Québec in the municipality of L’Islet, the exhibition Expedition: Arctic is making its debut. Developed in collaboration with the Canadian Museum of Nature, the exhibition revisits the triumphs and tragedies of the Canadian Arctic Expedition of 1913-1918 and shows how it affected the Canadian Arctic and its population. It is on display until November 4, 2012. 

The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation operates the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian War Museum and the Virtual Museum of New France. As part of their mandate, the Museums function as centres for research and public information on the social, military and human history of the country. Their principal role is to preserve and promote the heritage of Canada for present and future generations, thereby contributing to the enhancement of Canadian identity. 

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Information (media):

 For more information, visit www.historymuseum.ca or www.warmuseum.ca. Follow us on Twitter: @Civilization or @CanWarMuseum