Insight Summer 2010

NEWSLETTER Summer 2010

Dress Up‌ and Dabble in Deception The Artifact or Artifiction gala hosted by Tony Parsons Thursday, October 7

www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Membership

A message from our CEO

Summer 2010 1 FEATURE

The Royal BC Museum Presents Artifact or Artifiction

We’ve been pleased to offer these last two issues of WHAT’S INSIGHT in a convenient electronic format. It’s part of our commitment to environmental responsibility. How are you enjoying our e-newsletter so far? Is the frequency working for you? Your feedback is welcome. If you haven’t yet signed up for email delivery, we invite you to do so.

It’s a good year to be thinking green: 2010 marks the International Year of Biodiversity. We are taking a leadership role both by offering a green alternative to our traditional member magazine and by launching an exhibition that’s all about BC’s biodiversity. Beginning on June 25, we welcome you to The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes, a groundbreaking exhibition that revolves around our natural history collections and staff.

We’re trying new things, too: a children’s museum, activities for the whole family and our “Backstage Badge” program, where you can actually tour the collections, as well as the areas where we create our amazing exhibitions. Stand by for a fascinating summer!

3 CURATOR’S CORNER Gavin Hanke, Curator of Vertbrates 4 WHAT’S ON

Coming events & exhibits 5 STAFF & MEMBERS PROFILES Holli Hodgson, Marketing

and Sales Coordinator Caroline Riedel MANAGING EDITOR

Holli Hodgson, Marketing and Sales Coordinator hhodgson@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca MEMBERSHIP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Diane Lloyd, Director of Development Angela Williams, Director of Business and Operational Services Jimi Galvão, Membership and Communications Officer Gerry Truscott, Publisher PHOTOGRAPHY

Kim Martin, Carlo Mocellin, Andrew Niemann DESIGN AND LAYOUT

www.monolab.ca www.jackelynthompson.ca

WHAT’S INSIGHT is an electronic newsletter released four times a year by the Royal BC Museum Membership Department: March, June, September and December.

Pauline Rafferty CEO, Royal BC Museum

In the interest of keeping our administrative costs low – and our carbon footprint small – this print version is provided to members without computer access only. If you would like an email copy instead, please contact: Holli Hodgson 250-356-5070 hhodgson@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

You’re invited!

Monday July 5, 2010 8:00 – 9:30 pm (Doors open at 7:30 pm) Royal BC Museum – Clifford Carl Hall MEMBERS ONLY EVENT RSVP required Other Guys Theatre Company, with the Royal BC Museum, presents an original musical theatre production:

Good Timber: Songs and Stories of the Western Logger Good Timber: Songs and Stories of the Western Logger celebrates the golden age of logging in British Columbia - and the legendary Bulls of the woods, hookers, hi-riggers, fallers, whistle punks, and locie engineers from the time when loggers climbed trees.

This event is free for members but an RSVP by Thursday, July 1, 2010 is required. To RSVP, call in your first and last name (and the first and last names of those in your Family Membership if applicable) to 250-387-9490 or email us with that information at membership@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. Note: Seating is limited.

Curtain time is 8:00 pm sharp and the performance is approximately 90 minutes in length. Doors open for registration starting at 7:30 pm. Please arrive at the main entrance and present your membership card at the registration table in the glass lobby.

Member Guest Information Due to the limited number of seats available, this event is reserved for Royal BC Museum members only. If you would like to bring guests, please indicate your request to us at the time of your RSVP. We will put your name on a waiting list and contact you with information about any remaining seats available on Friday July 2, 2010. Guest requests are limited to 2 tickets per membership.

Not able to attend?

Good Timber: Songs and Stories of the Western Logger runs from July 2 to August 28 and tickets are available to members at a discount. Tickets can be purchased by calling 250-721-8480 or in person at the Royal BC Museum box office. www.otherguystheatre.ca

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FEATURE

Dress Up… and Dabble in Deception Meet The Stars at the Royal BC Museum

Thursday, October 7, 2010

C

ome on. You know you want to. What’s more fun than spiffing up in your finest and spending an exciting evening chatting, laughing and eating food that’s to die for while trying to solve not one, but twenty mysteries?

Right. Not much.

This fall, the Royal BC Museum rolls out the red carpet to host fans and stars alike at the sixth annual Artifact or Artifiction gala. Come meet our “stars” on staff – the curators, collections managers and archivists who make the Royal BC Museum such a rich place for learning and research.

With nothing quite like it anywhere else in British Columbia, Artifact or Artifiction brings visitors together with incredible food, our knowledgeable curators … and a whole bundle of mysterious artifacts from the Royal BC Museum collections.

Take a close look at the object, read the writeup for more details, and grill the heck out of that poker-faced expert who’s sitting at the table!

Only you can decide whether the artifact in question is really what he says it is – or whether it’s all just a pack of lies.

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The best part? The winner walks away with a luxurious ten-day cruise for two on Holland America Line. Not bad for a night’s worth of nibbling, winking and nudging.

One of our most successful annual fundraising efforts, Artifact or Artifiction takes place this year on Thursday, October 7. Emceed by Tony Parsons, anchor of CHEK News and CBC News Vancouver, this fun and social event features fresh, local and fabulously prepared food at every turn, thanks to our partners at Truffles Catering.

And be sure to partake in our exquisite selections of BC beer, cider and wine as you make your way through our galleries. After you’ve made your best guesses, reward all that hard work with a delectable dessert and a knock-em-dead after-dinner coffee down in the glass lobby.

Tickets are $125 each, with a 10 per cent discount for RBCM members. (You lucky things!) Snap ‘em up by phone at 250-387-7222 or online at www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca. The evening concludes in the IMAX Theatre where winners are revealed and big prizes are awarded. See you on the red carpet!

www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

CURATOR’S CORNER

Gavin Hanke, Curator of Vertebrates

I

t’s been busy in Gavin Hanke’s corner of the world these past few months. Not only has he bought a new house with his fiancée, Jeannette (and filled it with his various frogs, newts, birds and turtles), but he’s been getting things ready for The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes exhibition, opening June 25. “I just finished gluing together my personal collage of what makes me me!” says Hanke. “I’ve gone overboard on mine, as you’d expect.” Pictures of his fiancée and daughter overlap with images of fish and lizards. “And a scalpel,” he says, “because I use them so often at work and when building models.”

It’s just part of the daily working life of a museum curator – a working life that involves wearing a wide variety of hats. As Curator of Vertebrates, Hanke’s reach spans everything from the smallest minnow in BC to the largest marine mammal – and everything in between. Although it sounds like a lot, Hanke says the benefit of working for a large museum like the Royal BC Museum is that it allows him to specialize somewhat. His specialty? Fishes, of course, with a special fondness for lizards. But

back when he was Curator of Zoology at the Manitoba Museum – just after graduating with his PhD from the University of Alberta – Hanke was responsible for collecting and maintaining specimens of every kind of animal. “Everything from sponges up to mammals,” he says. “It was a huge job.”

On the day we speak with him, Hanke has just been contacted by researchers in a U.S. museum. They want to look at squirrel specimens. “So we’re going to have to figure out what squirrels they want and then send them out so they can do the sampling,” Hanke explains. Other days might see Hanke teaching a class at the University of Victoria, chatting people up at the tide pools in the Natural History Gallery or even painting a lizard model downstairs in the Exhibition Arts area.

While Hanke is happy to contribute his ideas and sweat equity to making the Royal BC Museum exhibitions look and feel fantastic, he’s looking forward to the launch of Behind the Scenes so that things can settle back down to normal again.

“Then I’ll be able to get back to some real research,” he says.

“I want to start up a project on the Wall Lizard.” It’s a perfect project for Hanke, who’s especially interested in exotic (nonnative) species in BC. The Common Wall Lizard was introduced to Vancouver Island sometime during the 1970s, and has since set up shop. There’s no evidence to indicate that it’s threatening the existence of the indigenous Alligator Lizard, but Hanke wants to study the Wall Lizard’s diet to assess whether its food preferences overlap with that of the Alligator Lizard.

Want to know more about Gavin Hanke (and those lizards)? Pop in to The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes when it opens this summer. You’ll get to know Hanke and his colleagues in the Natural History department, plus you’ll be introduced to some of BC’s alien species through our fascinating exhibition.

www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

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Summer 2010

WHAT’S ON

LIVE@LUNCH

Returns September 2010 through May 2011

CAMP INSIDE/OUT 2010

Register now for Camp Inside/Out 2010

Coming events & exhibits

DISCOVER

MEMBER ONLY OFFERS

Meet museum and archives staff at interactive Discover sessions.

Willie’s Bakery Cafe

1:15 -1:45 pm, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays all year-round and daily during the summer. Included with museum admission or membership.

For the full schedule, visit our website.

Here are a few samples:

Discover: Natural BC Friday, June 25, 2010

Discover: Climate Change in BC Saturday, June 26, 2010 Helmcken House / St. Ann’s Schoolhouse Open daily from12:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Tuesday, June 01, 2010 - Monday, September 06, 2010

OPENING IN JUNE

July 12-16 July 26-30 August 9-13 August 23-27 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (before/after care available) Summer Camps for children will offer ‘behind the scenes’ tours as part of weeklong explorations in July and August,

Friday, June 04 to Saturday, September 25, 2010 Museum and Royal Museum Shop Open daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (Fridays and Saturdays, the Royal Museum shop is open until 9:00 pm and the museum is open until 10:00 pm, from June 4 to September 25.)

FRIENDS OF THE B.C. ARCHIVES Returns September 2010 through May 2011

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MEMBER ONLY EVENT Good Timber: Songs and Stories of the Western Logger Monday July 5, 2010 8:00 – 9:30 pm (Doors open at 7:30 pm) Royal BC Museum – Clifford Carl Hall RSVP by Thursday, July 1, 2010 by calling 250-387-9490 or emailing us at membership@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.

HST and Membership at the Royal BC Museum Similar to other arts and cultural organizations across British Columbia, the introduction of HST on July 1, 2010 will have an impact on the pricing of our membership program. As of July 1, 2010, we are adjusting our prices to reflect the new HST, but we wanted to assure you that our base price (before tax) has not changed – other than rounding by one penny to create consistent price points.

The following table illustrates what the total price point (HST included) will be after July 1, 2010:

Visit our website for more details. www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

SUMMER HOURS

Members receive a free bag of chips with soup and sandwich orders until August 31, 2010.

The Royal BC Museum Behind the Scenes Part One: Natural History June 25, 2010 to October 10, 2011

GUIDED TOURS Join a Natural History, Human History, or First Peoples gallery tour. Or try the Highlights Tour for a little of each.

Included with museum admission or membership. Tour options change daily, so check what’s on today

Before July 1 with GST

On July 1 with HST

Adult

$59.00

$62.95

Senior/Student

$54.00

$57.60

Youth

$29.00

$30.95

Family

$99.00

$105.60

If you have any questions, please call us at (250) 356-7226 or e-mail receptionist@ royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or visit us online.

We look forward to delivering the same high quality programs and services that you have come to enjoy from your Royal BC Museum membership.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MUSEUM

Staff & Member Profiles OUR STAFF MEMBER Holli Hodgson

FEATURES JUNE 4 - AUGUST 5, 2010 Dinosaurs Alive

Opens June 4 DINOSAURS ALIVE is a global adventure of science and discovery – featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the Triassic Period to the monsters of the Cretaceous “reincarnated” life-sized for the giant IMAX® screen.

The Ultimate Wave Tahiti

Opens June 25 Challenging, scary and super cool, surfing play becomes surfing survival as the riders learn about some of the biggest, heaviest surf on the planet.

A Victorian by birth, Royal BC Museum Marketing and Sales Coordinator Holli Hodgson actually holds a Dental Assistant diploma from Camosun College. “That’s where I was heading,” says Hodgson, “then I started working for the museum during school.” From part-time cashier, Hodgson worked her way into her current position in sales. “I support everything the Royal BC Museum stands for,” she says. “I’ve never met a more dedicated group of people.” Hodgson works to promote the new membership program and develop partnerships within the local tourism and business community. “My job gives me the ability to be creative. There’s a lot of variety.”

Hodgson travels regularly to her three teenagers’ sports tournaments throughout BC and Alberta. Summer holidays see her chilling at the lake in Port Alberni ¬– and in the rainy season, Mexico beckons!

Forget gardening and scrapbooking: finding opportunities is where Hodgson excels. Never one to rest on her laurels, she’s always thinking about what’s around the next corner – and making plans to get there. “I believe that you get out of life what you put in,” she says.

OUR MUSEUM MEMBER

Whales

Returns June 25 Plunge to the ocean depths in some of the wildest locations on earth to witness the sights, sounds, and survival of the world’s largest mammal, the whale.

Hubble

Experience the gripping story - full of hope, crushing disappointment, dazzling ingenuity, bravery, and triumph from the award-winning IMAX® Space Team.

Under the Sea

This new IMAX adventure will transport you to some of the most exotic and isolated undersea locations on earth, including Southern Australia, New Guinea and others in the Indo-Pacific region.

Caroline Riedel “We’ve had our membership for two years,” says mother and Royal BC Museum member Caroline Riedel. “We take our two boys quite often, particularly in the winter. They are obsessed with the water wheel,” she laughs. “And the mine.

And the forest.” (Every now and then, she adds, a fight breaks out over the steering wheel in Ocean Station.) Riedel loves sharing with her two young sons the museum that she herself grew up with. A big bonus of museum membership is not having to stand in line with two small children, she says.

Riedel frequently visits the Royal BC Museum through her work, too. As the Curator of Collections for UVic’s Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery, she attends Royal BC Museum events such as talks and exhibition openings as much as she can.

“It’s a collegial thing,” she says. “Being interested in what’s out there shows community engagement.”

Thank you for your engagement, Caroline Riedel!

Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey

Experience an exploration of the sights and sounds of continents and cultures, guided by the internationally acclaimed performers.

For opening and closing dates and times, visit the IMAX website imaxvictoria.com or phone 250-953-4629. Feature times and offerings are subject to change.

Need to get in touch?

General Inquiries 8

info@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Membership Inquires membership@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Follow us on

www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Membership Department ) 250-356-7226 or 1-888-447-7977 (Toll Free)

Royal BC Museum * 675 Belleville Street

Victoria, BC V8W 9W2

the most thoughtful card you’ll ever send.

Give them unlimited admission to galleries and exhibitions, express entry privileges and valuable discounts on virtually all museum offerings. Buy online at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/membership, call or visit the museum. Plus you’ll receive a free guest pass with every gift membership you purchase.

250-356-7226 • Belleville & Government, Victoria

Membership Department 675 Belleville Street Victoria, BC V8W 9W2