What's inSight Winter 2015

Winter 2015

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR BRITISH COLUMBIA PHOTOGRAPHER AMONG BIG WINNERS LEADERSHIP PROFILE CHIEF BYRON SPINKS STORIES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA THE INDO CANADIAN ETHNIC FOOD HISTORY PROJECT

$3.95

19 © Petr Bambousek (Czech Republic) Reflection in black

WINTER 2015

MANAGING EDITOR

FEATURE Wildlife Photographer of the Year

4

LEADERSHIP PROFILE Chief Byron Spinks

6

Join Our Second Annual Director’s Tour

9

Reimaging Christmas, in Old Town and Beyond…

10

Treasures of a Small-Town Press

12

Brrr! Climate Change and Mammoth Extinction

14

Celebrating our Successes

16

A CLOSER LOOK The Future has Arrived

17

Visit to Inner Mongolia, China

18

My Nanjing Experience

20

GOING DIGITAL Discovering Emily Carr Online

22

FEATURE Stories of British Columbia

23

PARTNER PROFILE Truffles Catering

25

Kyle Wells Communications Specialist

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PROFILE Peeter Wesik

26

Nathan Oickle 2D Graphic Designer

CURIOUS The Point Ellis Disaster

26

Shane Lighter Photographer

Gold Mountain Dream!

27

VOLUNTEER PROFILE Wisdom Hsu

29

Species at Risk Returns Triumphant

30

IMAX Victoria Moves into the 21st Century

31

Asian Tourism on the Rise

32

What’s On Calendar

33

Help Us Bring British Columbia’s History to Life

34

4

Jennifer Vanderzee Marketing & Sales Manager MAGAZINE COORDINATOR Kathryn Swanson Membership & Marketing Coordinator EMBERSHIP M EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Erika Stenson Head of Marketing & Business Development David Alexander Head of New Archives & Digital Preservation Michelle van der Merwe Publisher Erik Lambertson Corporate Communications Officer

6

What’s inSight is an electronic magazine released four times annually, in March, June, September and December, by the Royal BC Museum.

In the interest of keeping our administrative costs low—and our carbon footprint small—this print version is also provided to members in digital format at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/magazine To switch your What’s inSight subscription preference from print to digital format, please email membership@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or call 250-387-3287.

Cover Image Wildlife Photographer of the Year Finalist 2015 30 © David Doubilet (United States) Turtle Flight

2

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

23

Dear friends, More than before, cultural diplomacy has a vital role to play in our international relations, especially with Guangzhou and Guangdong Province where so many Chinese Canadians trace their origins from. Importantly it gives us an opportunity to appreciate points of commonality.

BC Premier Christy Clark at the opening of the Gold Mountain Dream! exhibition at the Guangdong Museum of Chinese Nationals Residing Abroad.

This fall we opened two exhibitions in China. In October 2015 we opened an exhibition of seventy historic photographs from our collections at Yuexiu Park Metro station in Guangzhou. That exhibition, sponsored by the Guangzhou Metro Company, was seen by over 17,000 visitors per day making it one of Canada’s most successful and most visited exhibitions this year. A second exhibition located at the Guangdong Museum of Chinese Nationals Residing Abroad in Guangzhou, on the gold rushes of British Columbia, was opened by the premier of British Columbia and the vice governor of Guangdong Province on November 5, 2015. This was widely reported and featured as the centrepiece of a film report of the premier’s visit to China.

We were also delighted to publish a Chinese edition of our coffee table book, Treasures of the Royal British Columbia Museum, to coincide with these exhibition openings. Premier Clark presented copies of this book to a number of dignitaries with whom she met in China. As I explained to the premier, these museum treasures represent the essence of our provincial heritage, history and art. Our international work offers opportunities to grow our reputation and build relations for the future.

Yours,

Professor Jack Lohman, CBE Chief Executive Officer, Royal BC Museum

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 3

87 © Connor Stefanison (Canada) A Black Bear Looks In

The Rising Star Portfolio Award Winner Connor Stefanison, Canada

Connor loves wild places and revealing intimate moments or new perspectives on natural events through photography. All but one of Connor’s portfolio images were taken in his home province of British Columbia on the west coast of Canada, most with a wide-angle lens, placing the subject within its wider environment. Encouraged by winning this award in 2013, while still at university studying ecology and conservation, Connor is now working as a professional photographer, aiming to concentrate on photojournalism.

4

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

A Black Bear Looks In When Connor spotted bear droppings on the track leading to his camera trap, his heart fell. He was worried the bear had damaged the equipment he had set up to photograph spotted skunks. Relief at finding his gear intact turned to delight when he realised not only was there an image of a black bear glossy with health, but it was also looking right into the camera.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year British Columbia Photographer Among Big Winners

By Kyle Wells, Communication Specialist

A

black bear peers out of the dark of night directly into the lens; a raven stands out as the sole black figure in the white of winter; a mountain goat lounges under a star-filled night sky.

These striking images are among the six stunning photographs of British Columbia nature at its best by Burnaby-based photographer Connor Stefanison—singled out as the winner of the Rising Star Portfolio Award for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015.

Chosen from more than 42,000 entries submitted from across 96 countries, Stefanison’s images are among the 100 selected as the year’s best and will be on display at the Royal BC Museum starting December 4, 2015.

“It’s absolutely amazing to have my images selected again for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards,” Stefanison said. “These awards attract so many talented photographers from around the world, making it a real honour to be included. In my images I tried to show close up scenes of animals in their environments, but throughout the exhibit, you’ll see a large variety of image styles and techniques. The calibre of this competition keeps increasing every year, making this exhibit a must see.”

Don Gutoski, another Canadian, was named the overall winner for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 for his image Tale of two foxes, a beautiful and haunting portrait of the struggle for life in the subarctic climes of Cape Churchill, Canada.

The annual competition, organized by the

Natural History Museum and co-owned with BBC Worldwide, receives entries from professionals, gifted amateurs and young photographers alike. Its international judging panel includes some of the world’s most respected nature photographers and wildlife experts.

involve going behind the scenes to our imaging studio and spending time ‘in the field’ with Stefanison.

For more information and to register for these events, visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Young Canadian Josiah Launstein is a finalist in the 10 Years and Under category for two photographs: Goose attack, taken at Burnaby Lake in BC, and Snowy scene, a photo of a snowy owl taken in Calgary. Currently 10 years old, Launstein, who lives in Alberta, has been a photographer since the age of seven. This is his first time as a Finalist for Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 at the Royal BC Museum—the only showing in Western Canada—will feature all 100 winning images in huge backlit displays, each accompanied by the story behind the image.

Connor Stefanison will host a number of events at the museum that tie into the exhibition—on display until April 4, 2016.

A special Gallery Tour on March 18 will see Stenfanison take visitors on a personal tour of the exhibition.

Also in March, Spring Break Camps: Focus on Nature will encourage aspiring shutterbugs to find inspiration in Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Each week-long session will feature a visit from Stefanison, as participants learn about photo composition and storytelling. This popular event sells out quickly each year.

Finally, the Photography Workshop for Adults, running March 19 and 20, will

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 5

1.

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Chief Byron Spinks

By Erik Lambertson, Corporate Communications Officer

C

hief Byron Spinks is the former Chief of the Lytton First Nations Band, an Elder, a long-serving community builder and bridge between cultures. No longer politically active, at age 22 he was the youngest elected Chief in the British Columbia interior. Among many political accomplishments, he fought to preserve the pristine Stein Valley watershed and was instrumental in creating the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park.

The Royal BC Museum has a deep relationship with Chief Spinks, who we recently called upon when developing a short film about the Fraser Canyon War for our Gold Rush exhibition.

We caught up with Chief Spinks this autumn to learn a bit more about him, his life’s work and his guiding philosophy.

Chief Spinks, you’re now working in Boston Bar, but do you still have responsibilities in Lytton?

I still work for the Lytton First Nation as an Elder. I didn’t realize what a responsibility it is to be an Elder until quite recently. My learning is never finished.

Also, for the last 15 years I’ve been sitting on the Board for the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux School. It’s a communitybased independent school where we speak and write our traditional language—Nlha.

KapamhhchEEn—every day. It’s owned by the Lytton First Nation and has about 130 students right now.

Can you tell me a bit about the Nlaka’pamux Nation?

The nation extends south into Washington, up the Fraser to Texas Creek, cuts over

to Ashcroft and to the Highland Valley, and up north into Shuswap. There are 16 communities, or bands, involved.

We’re the river people. Fishing is one lifeblood of our nation.

What responsibilities did you have as Chief?

Mainly community development. I recognized that right off the bat; it was essential to encourage folks to be more confident. I hate to say this but we were in a welfare state at that point, receiving money from Indian Affairs Canada. It was quite a challenge to wean people off the idea of free money.

I also had to recognize the reality that the level of alcohol abuse in the community was quite high. This was a result of living through the residential school experience.

In fact, I didn’t really realize what an impact these schools had until about 1979, when I worked as a childcare worker in a school and saw for myself.

Additionally, I had to run four miles a day in the morning, after school too. That’s on top of running to school. I also had to bathe in spring water year-round. I have to tell you, that water was cold, but in the dead of winter it felt pretty warm.

After a year my grandmother intervened, as she didn’t want me to do things so rigorously. She wanted me to expand my horizons.

How did your life experience prepare you to lead your band?

My grandparents gave me a lot of strength, for which I’m grateful, because it’s quite challenging to have that much responsibility, especially when you are a young person.

1. Chief Byron Spinks, 2015.

2. Chief Byron Spinks, 1967.

2.

Who were your role models when you were growing up?

My grandparents had a huge impact. I feel very fortunate that my grandparents taught me so much; I think this helped shape my core values and who I am today.

My grandfather on my mother’s side was an Indian doctor. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. When puberty started, my training started. The training was tough.

Every day from 6:00 am to nightfall I had duties beyond my regular chores—and we lived on a farm, so I had plenty of those!

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 7

But I had to maintain my focus. At certain points in my leadership, almost half of the band wanted to separate. You see, when I came on board, the services on the west side of the river weren’t nearly as good as those on the east side. Not too surprisingly, those people who lived on the west side felt left out.

My father is the last remaining hereditary chief in our community. When I was elected, his first instruction to me was to meet the elders, listen to them and befriend them. So every Thursday I would cross the river to meet each house on that side, just to develop a good relationship, especially with the elders. I met with them regularly over a year.

You’ve clearly had a lot of strong role models, but was there anyone in particular who inspired you as a mentor?

My uncle, Chief Tim Spinks. Traditionally, uncles and aunts do a lot of teaching.

Politically he was really helpful for me, because he had so much experience. He was a community development worker and worked all over the province.

successes because we have had so much hardship. We try to promote successes in schools, celebrate with elders. But we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We simply work with what we have.

I spent a lot of time with him, talking about and dealing with certain situations. I was fortunate to have him so close to me during my early years as a leader.

My job is to promote our core values, what the elders call our laws; ideas like generosity, forgiveness, respect, humility.

If you can balance these values you can overcome all challenges in your life. I try to share these with any group I meet.

Chief Spinks, what message would you like to share with the youth of your community?

Chief Spinks, thank you for your time.

One message I’ve always promoted, especially at the school, is the importance of respecting the land and environment. It looks after us and we have to look after it—not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

You are welcome.

It’s pretty hard for our community to celebrate

Many Voices, One Award

By Erik Lambertson, Corporate Communications Manager

In November 2015, the Royal BC Museum joined five other champions of diversity to receive an award at the 6th BC Multicultural Awards, an honour hosted by the province of British Columbia.

The Royal BC Museum won the award in the ‘Government’ category for its many exhibitions, special programs and partnerships, which have advanced public knowledge of British Columbia’s multicultural heritage, such as creating the Our Living Languages and Tradition in Felicities exhibitions and commemorating the centennial of the Komagata Maru incident.

Royal BC Museum Executive Financial Officer Melissa Sands accepting a BC Multicultural Award on behalf of the museum, from Shannon Baskerville, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Responsible for Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism.

8

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

s)

Join Our Second Annual Director’s Tour

Members Enjoy Discounts Around the World

By Jonathan Dallison, Head of Fundraising and Development

O

ur Francis Kermode Group’s second annual Director’s Tour takes place next September 21– 28 in the Czech Republic—please join us if you can.

Regardless of the result, each would Professor Jack Lohman, an expert on tell an interesting story about deep-sea leadeither us on a faunaBohemian across thepainting, vast Northwill Pacific: certain species are more tour connected than and privileged-access of Bohemia previously thought, or these if Prague to explore thespecies, art, architecture, unique, have changed relatively little museums and design found in Central since divergence.

Europe’s most beautiful city. We will also be

Suchjoined visits tobyour naturalRaymond, history former Canadian Valerie collections are not rare. In addition to the Ambassador to the Czech Republic, who thousands of specimens sent out as loans the experience with her intimate eachwill year,enrich more than 100 researchers of thetravel history of this unique land. fromknowledge around the world to Victoria to use the RoyalisBC Museum’s collections Bohemia exceedingly picturesque, and and ultimately, to answer important Prague itself enjoys an unequalled density scientific questions, ranging from of architecture that spans the Romanesque, traditional taxonomy and systematics Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, to biodiversity, species at risk, invasive Art Nouveau species climate change. andand Modernist periods.

It is always a pleasure to host visiting Based at the luxurious Four Seasons, our VIP researchers. Our collections benefit guests will enjoy an expert-led tour of everything tremendously from the shared from and Ceský Krumlov to theasLobkowicz Palace. expertise knowledge, and Please save the dateour in your researchers, we broaden own calendar—this is a scopeonce-in-a-lifetime and understanding.

But perhaps opportunity. more importantly, this is what the collections aremore for – to share,this to study, To learn about tour, or about the and ultimately, to learn more about the Francis Kermode Group, please contact natural world.

Head of Fundraising and Development Jonathan Dallison at 250-387-3283 or Dr Gennady Kamenev and Natalya jdallison@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca Kameneva use the Royal BC Museum’s high-magnification microscope and See you in Prague! image stacking software to examine and photograph details of a deep-sea clam.

1. Gallery of Art, Prague.

2. Old Town, Prague.

1.

2.

Member

Flash your membership card at any of these locations to receive your special Royal BC Museum member rate:  Art Gallery of Greater Victoria  Barkerville Museum  Beaty Biodiversity Museum  Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art  Britannia Mine Museum  Canadian Museum of Nature  Crocker Art Museum  Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden  Fernie Museum  Gallery2 Grand Forks  Glenbow Museum  Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site  Haida Gwaii Museum  Hope Visitor Centre and Museum Complex  HR MacMillan Space Centre

 Huble Homestead / Giscome Portage Heritage Society  Kelowna Museums  Kilby Historic Site  Mackie Lake House  Manitoba Museum  Museum of Caribou Chilcotin – Williams Lake  Museum of Vancouver  Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre  O’Keefe Historic Ranch  Point Ellice House  Quesnel & District Museum and Archives Society  Quesnel Museum  Revelstoke Museum & Archives  Robert Bateman Centre  Roedde House Museum

 Royal Saskatchewan M  San Francisco Maritim Historical Park  Science World  Shaw Ocean Discover  Sooke Region Museum  SS Sicamous  The Maritime Museum  Vancouver Aquarium  Vancouver Art Gallery  Victoria Butterfly Gard  Wells Museum  Yale Historic Site  Yukon Beringia Interpr

For a full listing of your m and discount details visi royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/jo

Royal Museum Shop Intriguing and Unique

RoyalRoyal BC Museum members and&IMAX BC Museum members IMAX season season pass holders receive 10% off all purchases. pass holders receive 10% off all purchases.

Use coupon code: member Use coupon code: member

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/shop

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/shop

YourYour purchases support purchases support the Royal BC Museum. the Royal BC Museum.

No Admission Required.

No Admission Required.

Shop hours 10 – 5 daily

Shop hours 10:00 am 5:00356 pm0505 daily Tel–250 Tel 250-356-0505

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 9

Reimaging Christmas, in Old Town and Beyond…

By Megan Anderson, Exhibit Fabrication Specialist and Delphine Castles, Collection Manager, History

G

arlands and bows, toys and games, a grove of trees, archival Christmas cards—come see how the exhibitions team has breathed new life into the Christmas displays at the Royal BC Museum.

In Clifford Carl Hall you will find large banners printed with seasonal cards from our Modern History collection and new festive lighting effects, plus you can check out some of our favourite archival cards in our backlit display.

And, in Old Town, you’ll find the streetscape transformed into a historical holiday scene. The faux greens, called ever-lasting botanicals, have been replaced to achieve a more natural evergreen appearance and garlands are hung as they would have been in the day, based on an archival photograph of the Government Assay and Hotel de France in Barkerville, British Columbia. The single large Christmas tree—which was looking tired and took up a great deal of space and time to get ready—has been replaced with a snowy grove of trees, leaving room for photos with Father Christmas and a Christmas toy display featuring more of the museum’s collection.

Books, board games, alphabet blocks and lead soldiers were typical Christmas presents in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, when toys were developed primarily to teach youngsters a lesson or a moral.

Shown in the Hives & Evans shop window display is the ever popular tea set, given to little girls to impart the etiquette of serving tea. One of the most loved and iconic toys of all time is the teddy bear, which first appeared for sale in the United States

10

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

and Germany in 1903. The teddy featured in our display is from 1908 and belonged to Ms. Eleanor Stewart who, at age 100, remembered “Theodore” being given as a gift to her from her mother’s sister. The donkey and cart and the Noah’s Ark—one of the few toys allowed on Sunday as it’s based on a religious story—belonged to Alfred Bossi, whose parents immigrated to Victoria in the 1880s.

The exhibitions team will continue to refresh and build upon the museum’s

1.

2.

Christmas displays, looking for ways to make them more culturally inclusive and layer more stories into the artifacts. This year the focus was on Old Town, next year … well you’ll just have to wait and see.

1. Government Assay Office and Hotel de France, Barkerville. A-03754.

2. The streets of Old Town decked with seasonal finery.

Enjoy the Traditions of the Holiday Season Christmas in Old Town The sights and sounds of Christmas long ago. Visit the wood-cobbled streets laced with festive garlands and see shops decked with seasonal finery.

November 14 – January 3 | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Included with admission or membership Father Christmas in Old Town Visit with Father Christmas in Old Town, have your photo taken and share your holiday wishes.

December 4 – 6 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm December 11 – 13 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm December 18 – 20 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm Included with admission or membership Photo by donation Helmcken House Old-Fashioned Christmas Helmcken House comes alive with the spirit of Christmas. Visitors will discover the Christmas customs of early Victorians and marvel at the home decked with traditional hand-made decorations.

December 20 – January 4 | 12:00 – 4:00 pm Included with admission or by donation For a full listing of what’s happening at the Royal BC Museum visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/calendar

11

Treasures of a Small-Town Press The David Taylor Collection

By Dr. Lorne Hammond, Curator of History

I

n 1986, two members of the Royal BC Museum’s modern history staff found themselves on a rather unusual collecting expedition thanks to a letter the BC Archives had received about an estate and then passed along. David Taylor (1904–1986)—the last owner/editor of the Princeton Star—had died.

Jim Wardrop, then manager of modern history at the Royal BC Museum and Robert Griffin, curator of history, headed out to Princeton, BC to work with the Princeton Museum and collect a small-town newspaper and print shop—the pre-First World War Similkameen Star (1900–1918), which became the Princeton Star (1918–1935, with subsequent special issues).

1.

12

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

Taylor, who was born in Scotland, grew up on Vancouver Island and, in 1927, joined the Princeton Star as a reporter. Tempers flared between him and owner/editor Joe Brown so Taylor borrowed money and bought the paper. He served as secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, joined sports teams, organized parades, played in a local dance band and, along with former Chief Forester Martin Allerdale Grainger, lobbied to have the Hope-Princeton highway built.

The newspaper business was slow during the Depression. In 1937 a friend suggested Taylor join him on a tramp steamer bound for adventure in China, so he closed the paper and went, landing in Dalian. In Nanjing he found work as a reporter for the Manchuria Daily News, became the

Reuter’s correspondent for Manchuria, and wrote for the Shanghai Times. As a reporter he saw the Japanese occupation and invasion of China and was briefly arrested as a possible spy—he was released.

He collected over two hundred documents—Japanese propaganda about Manchukuo and its puppet government, railway tables, tourist guides, newspapers and industrial directories. Just before Singapore fell to the Japanese he was the news editor at the Singapore Herald.

He then joined the British military. After the war he returned to Princeton as an unusually quiet, increasingly reclusive and distant man, changed by war. He only published his paper on special occasions until his death.

The Royal BC Museum acquired most of the contents of the Star’s wooden building.

To extract the great printing presses, a chainsaw was used to remove the side of the building and then the presses were winched out onto a flatbed truck. Also collected were piles of unsorted documents Taylor collected or printed for others, hidden beneath a layer of coal dust. The family offered the emptied building to the fire department for training.

Our Taylor Similkameen Star collection is large and has yielded many treasures, such as a collection of First World War recruiting posters from Canada and Britain. These documents from Taylor’s time in Asia are not about British Columbia. Today, due to war and time, they are uncommon documents—rare, even—from the history of China.

there about British Columbia and have developed museum partnerships, including an active staff exchange with the Nanjing Museum. Their mandate includes preservation, education and research on the history of the area once known as Manchukuo, where David Taylor collected.

2.

We look forward to working with Nanjing on repatriating this small part of China’s lost history. It may be a small collection but it symbolizes an important discussion among museums today, about how we can act together to provide safe and temporary storage for collections at risk from war and destruction.

1. Jim Wardrop in the interior of the Similkameen Star building, Princeton, BC, 1986.

2. A selection of rare Asian publications to be repatriated to China. Originally collected by David Taylor, the last owner of the Princeton Star.

Through our international partnership activity with China we have two exhibitions

EXHIBITION OPEN JUN 3 – DEC 31, 2016

Get tickets at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/mammoths This exhibition was created by The Field Museum, Chicago.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 13

Brrr!

Climate Change and Mammoth Extinction

By Dr. Richard Hebda, Curator of Botany and Earth History

L

ook at a picture or reconstruction of a mammoth and it’s hard not to feel a bit chilly.

With its huge meaty bulk, long shaggy fur, highly reduced ears compared to an African or Indian elephant, and typically found melting out of northern permafrost, you can be sure of one thing—this is a creature made for the Ice Age. Mammoths and other extinct creatures of the Ice Age, or Pleistocene Epoch (12,000 to 2.6 million years ago), are stark reminders that the plants and animals of our planet are impacted by changing climates.

As global climates cooled during the Pliocene Epoch (2.6 to 5.3 million years

ago) in central Asia, the first mammoths developed adaptations to cold and dry environments. They entered North America through the wide land connection of the Ice Age, between Alaska and far-east Russia, and invaded the heart of our continent as global climates cooled even further during the early Pleistocene Epoch and the earth entered its deep-freeze about one million years ago.

After this time, huge ice sheets periodically covered northern North America and most of British Columbia. More importantly, the planetary cold climates fostered widespread occurrence of grassy steppe vegetation south of northern and polar regions. The highly-ridged mammoth teeth were perfectly suited to eating this

gritty food—and lots of it. An individual mammoth needed to gobble up to 200 kilograms of grassy plant matter each day.

Just imagine how much habitat area each creature needed!

Studies of DNA from fossils is transforming our understanding of mammoth evolution.

Woolly mammoths evolved in the dry and frigid landscapes of eastern Asia to Alaska as much as one million years ago and spread westward to Europe and southward into northern North America. Though basically a cold-adapted beast, they invaded the warmer steppe climates of continental North America. North American Columbian mammoths may have evolved when huge glaciers divided polar regions from the heart of the continent.

Both types of mammoth prospered as long as the cool to cold and dry Ice Age climates supported the huge tracts of grassy steppe that provided vital fodder for the creatures. During the relatively brief times when woody vegetation prevailed, their population numbers likely decreased for, unlike many modern large mammals (elk for instance), their highly-adapted ridged teeth were not well-suited to browsing buds and leaves from trees and shrubs.

1.

1. Altai fescue grass or northern alpine grassland.

2. A mammoth molar from Mt. Tolmie.

RBCM.EH.1994.003.0025.

14

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

2.

9.5 cm Both the Woolly and the Columbian mammoth may have lived towards the end of the Ice Age in British Columbia, possibly even on Vancouver Island. Remains of both mammoth types have been recovered from our province, differentiated on the basis of the number of enamel ridges on their grinding molars.

Sudden warming overwhelmed the northern hemisphere 12,000 to 15,000 years ago and the area of dry cool grasslands shrank markedly. Within a few thousand years all mammoths were gone except on the isolated and cold Wrangell Island. Drastic and rapid climate change brought on widespread forest expansion and the way of the mammoth was no longer sustainable. Human hunters likely hunted them down to complete the extinction.

In our upcoming Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age exhibition, opening in 2016, you will be able to appreciate these remarkable creatures and their remains up close, including those from British Columbia.

You will learn of the highly exceptional conditions of the Ice Age—giant continents and great tundras—and how we study them at the Royal BC Museum.

Perhaps the extinction of these marvelous creatures by way of rapidly shifting climates may even lead you to pause, and think about what ongoing climate change may mean to today’s remarkable plants and animals.

Please keep supporting the remarkable programs that make our museum a forward-looking institution. We cannot be leaders without your help. Better understanding of our natural history can help us shape a better future.

Your support enables and helps us to continue to learn and teach and to give knowledge back to our visitors.

To make a contribution today, contact us at 250-387-7222 or donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 15

Celebrating our Successes

By Erik Lambertson, Corporate Communications Officer

T

he Royal BC Museum has received nice feedback in the past few months, thanks to the hard work of researchers, curators and archivists, box office staff, our executive team and … well, just about everyone involved in the museum and archives.

1.

For the second year in a row, TripAdvisor reviewers from around the world crowned us the best museum in Canada. We remain humble, but this is really a wonderful award, especially as it comes unsolicited and completely spontaneously from our visitors. Many TripAdvisor reviews laud our fantastic welcome by box office staff, the phenomenal depth and breadth of our permanent galleries, the immense knowledge and patience of our docents as they lead tours and even the cleanliness of our washrooms.

2.

Given the increasing importance of social media in trip planning, these positive reviews—and the top-rate ranking—help us immeasurably, making us a “must-see destination”.

1. Professor Jack Lohman in the spectacular Grand Hall in the Canadian Museum of History, just prior to the announcement that the Our Living Languages exhibition was a finalist at the 2015 Governor General’s History Awards for Excellence in Museums.

2. For the second year in a row, reviewers on TripAdvisor.ca have picked the Royal BC Museum as the best museum in Canada.

One of the things TripAdvisor reviewers like about the Royal BC Museum is our rotating cast of feature exhibitions. The three-yearlong exhibition Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC is often singled out for its compelling, essential message about the importance of mother tongues and the struggle to keep languages alive. Visitors also love the exhibition’s palette of colours, invitations to touch and interact with the materials on display and the smart, modulated use of sound throughout.

Happily, in October 2015 Our Living Languages was named a finalist of the annual national competition, the Governor General’s History for Excellence in

16

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

Museums: History Alive!. The Governor General’s History Awards are Canada’s top honours in the field of history and heritage.

They celebrate significant achievements in the historical field and encourage standards of excellence in the presentation, preservation and interpretation of national, regional or local history. As a finalist we were invited to the celebration in Ottawa, hosted by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston at Rideau Hall, and our CEO Professor Jack Lohman attended on our behalf.

The Royal BC Museum recently garnered even more national attention, for its work in paleontology. Marji Johns, paleontology collection manager at the Royal BC Museum, was lead author of a recent article that the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences lauded as an Editor’s Choice paper, “Neogene strontium isotope stratigraphy, foraminifer biostratigraphy, and lithostratigraphy from offshore wells, Queen Charlotte Basin, British Columbia, Canada”. Johns’ paper took a multidisciplinary approach, leading to revelations about new geological ages and clues about how Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait and offshore Vancouver Island were formed.

All these accolades are welcome news, letting us know that the work we do—whether in collaborative research, innovative exhibition design or welcoming guests with warmth—is recognized and valued. We certainly hope that you feel as proud as we do because the ongoing support of members helps us achieve great things.

A CLOSER LOOK

The Future has Arrived Reflecting on the Climate Change Gallery

By Dr. Richard Hebda, Curator of Botany and Earth History

I

n 2004, with a grant from the Government of Canada, the Royal BC Museum opened one of the first major exhibits on climate change in the country. The exhibit’s goals were to help visitors understand what climate change is and how it might shape lives. With that in mind, we used innovative models to project how climate change might affect various aspects of our province in 2020, 2050 and 2080. As we near that first benchmark year of 2020, it is interesting that this warm year of 2015 is strikingly like those projections made 11 years ago.

As I write this on September 11, 2015 I am flying over the Coast Mountains east of Mount Waddington. Dry brown and grey peaks stare back at me, free of snow. Even the glacial ice is naked of its nourishing snowy mantle. Glacial ice masses are fissuring, crumbling and wasting away. Glacier snouts pour water into new and growing lakes and seemingly endless streams of glacial silt snake down mountain valleys.

In the lowlands, coastal rivers are running dry, water restrictions are widespread and forest fires burn in the rainforest. My garden has produced an excellent crop of almonds. The grape crop has been bountiful and several weeks early. Our western red cedars are dropping copious reddish branchlets and the tops of some appear to be dying, a sure sign that we have exceeded the climatic limits of our iconic provincial tree.

Although direct comparisons are difficult on the basis of one season, considering

1.

natural variability, my impression is that we have reached and, for this year at least, surpassed our 2020 projections. May CO2 concentrations were at 380 parts per million (ppm) when we opened our exhibit in 2004.

This past May they exceeded 404 ppm at the Mauna Loa observatory—literally off the chart in our exhibit!

When you visit the climate change gallery, look at the monitors and contemplate our new future. Despite what some might think about the role of museums, they are not just about the past—they are vital to contemplating our future. While we were

perhaps ahead of our time in 2004, our climate change exhibit cannot be more pertinent than it is today.

Please keep supporting our remarkable programs. We cannot be leaders without your help.

1. Snow-free heights of the Coast Range with young glacial lake at toe of wasting glacier, September 11, 2015.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 17

Visit to Inner Mongolia, China

By Dr. Ken Marr, Curator of Botany

I

n early July I was invited to present at the 3rd International Forum on Grasslands held August 22–23 in DaMaoQi, BaoTou, Inner Mongolia, China. This two-day conference involved 96 participants from many parts of China and five international participants and it had two goals—scientific exchange on global grasslands and their management, particularly those of Inner Mongolia; and promotion of eco-cultural tourism along the route of the Silk Road, which passes through this area. Although I am somewhat conversant in Mandarin, I was grateful that translation was provided part of the time.

The Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, where the conference was held, lies south and east of the country of Mongolia. The Mongolian grasslands are some of the most extensive in the world and are home to the Mongolian people, traditionally nomadic

1.

herders—not agriculturalists—with their own spoken and written language. The second day of the conference included a visit to nearby grasslands so we could experience them firsthand.

I was asked to present on some aspect of North American grasslands so, in my presentation “The History and Future of the Vegetation of British Columbia’s Grasslands”, I briefly introduced the diverse landscapes/ecosystems of British Columbia, then focused on the approximately five percent of BC’s land area where grasslands currently occur.

North America and Asia share many species due to migration across the broad Bering ‘land bridge’ during glacial advances of the Pleistocene era, when global sea levels were lower. But British Columbia’s

2.

18

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

grasslands are relatively young compared to those of Asia, where glaciation has not played as great a role in shaping the modern landscape. Our largest grasslands occur in the hot dry valleys of the southern part of the province, where many rare and endangered species live. Smaller grasslands occur in high mountain alpine meadows, along the south-facing slopes of deeper river valleys such as the Peace River, and in the Garry Oak meadows of the southwest coast.

After briefly summarizing the history of British Columbia’s grasslands—the extent of which has varied during the last 12,000 years due to changes in climate—I highlighted some aspects of the utilization of our grasslands, including that of First Nations and European settlers. I then discussed the problems of overgrazing—a

3.

situation that has improved in the past decades due to improved management—and invasive species, and the successes of ‘biological control’ in reducing the numbers of some invasive plants. I concluded with some of our research results concerning the use of DNA markers to trace the migration of Altai fescue (see What’s inSight, Winter 2014), a species of grass that occurs in western North America and in Asia.

In addition to the presentation itself, I was asked to join a panel to answer participants’ questions—one participant enquired about the management of grazing lands in Canada—and was interviewed

by Chinese print and television media.

The journalists were curious about my impressions of the conference and of the grasslands, and they welcomed my comments. My response to them was that the research undertaken by Chinese scientists is providing valuable insights into how to manage Mongolian grasslands in a sustainable manner.

Following the conference I spent three-and-a-half days in Beijing visiting the Great Wall, a traditional Chinese medical doctor and a produce market. I also spent one day visiting some farms and a fruit tree nursery outside of Beijing, where I had the opportunity to take photographs of various crops such as sesame, melons, hawthorns and persimmons.

I feel very fortunate to have participated in this conference and visited Beijing. The local organizing committee generously covered expenses for the entire visit and I was treated to wonderful hospitality. I made professional contacts with botanists from China, Japan, Germany and Turkey and it was a personally rewarding visit, reminding me that the more people of different cultures mingle, the more we come to understand that our common desires greatly exceed our differences.

1. Wild Crataegus (Hawthorn) grown in a

nursery as part of a fruit tree breeding effort.

2. Edible lettuce stalks in Beijing market. The same cultivar is grown by Chinese immigrants in Victoria.

3. International scientists in front of Mongolian religious site. Dr. Ken Marr, far left.

Museums cannot thrive in isolation.

We need to share our research with other experts not only in Canada, but around the world. By supporting the Royal BC Museum you are helping us to ask and answer questions about the natural and human history in our province. We then bring that knowledge to you through our collections and exhibits.

To make a contribution today, contact us at 250-387-7222 or donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 19

My Nanjing Experience Navigating Through Culture and Conservation

By Lisa Bengston, Objects Conservator

1.

A

s the Air China jet landed I sat on the edge of my seat and craned my neck to see out the window, but all I could see was the pitch black night sky. I was in China, Nanjing city to be exact, and I had arrived four days early for a four-week staff exchange.

To strengthen their relationship and deepen cooperation, the Royal BC Museum and the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu Province have developed and committed to a formal staff exchange program. It’s a program that encourages innovation and supports the Royal BC Museum values of community, creativity, diversity and partnership.

The Nanjing Museum—an art and history museum—is the third largest museum 20

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

in China after the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Shanghai Museum. It was established in 1933, is situated on 17 acres and employs six hundred staff and thirty-two conservators. There are over 400,000 objects in its permanent collection, including collections of Ming and Qing imperial porcelain that are among the largest in the world.

Highlights of their collection include two jade burial suits from the Han dynasty.

Royalty believed that, upon death, the jade would prevent their bodies from decaying.

Each jade plaque is joined together with threads or wires—gold for emperors, silver for princes and princesses.

Each year, two Royal BC Museum staff members will take part in a one month exchange that benefits both the museum employees—through exposure to different types of work environments—and the museum—through the exchange of ideas, skills and experience, resulting in an enhanced workplace.

The exchange program takes place in areas such as conservation, curation, exhibits, education, management and administration and I was there to work with the Nanjing Museum Conservation Department, to observe and participate in conservation activities and research. But first, once I was over my jet lag; I did a bit of sightseeing

with three Nanjingites—friends of a friend from Victoria, BC. They took me to see the Nanjing City Wall.

Stretching 35 kilometres, it is the longest Ming city wall in the world and was built between 1366 and 1393 by a million labourers. To ensure that the bricks were well made, each brick bore the names of the maker and the overseer. We also explored a park with a small temple and lined with leafy gu tong trees and enjoyed a Thai-style meal that included a whole fish brought simmering to the table.

On October 8, I met with Head of the Nanjing Museum Conservation Department Mr. Wan Li, and Vice Head of Conservation Ms. Jinping Zhang, whose direction I would work under. The conservation building has six floors, with labs devoted to ceramics, metals, ancient books, paper and paintings and even one floor solely devoted to research and analytical investigation.

I was scheduled to work in a different conservation department each week, beginning with the paper and paintings mounting lab where I would work with one of six conservators and four students.

I communicate through one of three translators and through cellphone internet translation, which is fun and challenging.

One particular translator, Ge Chung, alias ‘Gothic’, is particularly animated so communications are lively and humorous.

It was through another translator Xiao Li, pronounced Shirley, that Mr. Li explained there was an opportunity for me to help restore the wall paintings of a late Qing dynasty temple in the city of Jintan—1.5 hours outside Nanjing. I jumped at the chance. Then, in the final week, I will visit an off-site archaeological working studio, spend time in the metals and ceramics labs and give a presentation about my Royal BC Museum activities to the Nanjing conservation staff.

As I write this article, I have been at the Nanjing Museum Conservation Department

2.

3.

almost one week. In the paper and paintings mounting lab I have observed, photographed and videotaped the washing, lining and mounting of exquisite Qing dynasty paintings and calligraphies. My appreciation of the handling characteristics of damp fabric and paper was renewed as I watched senior conservator Master Yu deftly remove old linings from a silk painting, sometimes using just his fingertips to roll away the paper. I was surprised to see that the lab walls were used to flatten the works of art for several months following lining and mounting. What a novel and practical space-saving solution!

1. A jade suit from the Han dynasty.

2. One of the paper conservators mounting a calligraphy.

3. Lisa Bengston in front of the main exhibition building of the Nanjing Museum. It was built in 1933.

The ceramics lab is next, where I hope to see the transformative restoration of a broken Ming dynasty porcelain vase to like-new condition.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 21

GOING DIGITAL

Discovering Emily Carr Online

By Meg Sugrue, Web & E-Commerce Specialist

D

id you know that the Royal BC Museum is home to the largest Emily Carr collection in the world? Famous for her spectacular paintings of First Nations communities and beautiful British Columbia landscapes, Carr was an adventurous and colourful woman whose life and work continue to inspire more than 70 years after her death. The museum is proud to steward an outstanding collection of more than a hundred paintings and thousands of sketches, diaries, letters, manuscripts and photographs spanning her life and career.

Now, you can discover BC’s most famous artist and author online.

Born in 1871, Carr began her life in Victoria as a curious, smart, nature-loving girl. She was fascinated with the outdoors from a young age and explored the landscapes around her home. This love of nature would last a lifetime and was the inspiration for much of her art and writing.

Pulling from the rich resources in our Human History and BC Archives collections, the Emily Carr Timeline is an interactive digital resource that highlights Carr’s many adventures, both inside and out, alongside stunning images and media.

Along with her love of nature, Emily Carr cared for all kinds of animals—parrots, rats, cats, dogs, parrots, chipmunks and her most famous pet, Woo, the Javanese monkey. Learn more about Carr’s ‘menagerie’ on the Learning Portal, a dynamic educational website that provides a window into the Royal BC Museum’s collections.

Much of the museum and archives Carr collection can be consulted on a daily 22

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

basis in the BC Archives or online through the BC Archives Collection Search. You can also browse and purchase Emily Carr publications, prints and merchandise on the Royal BC Museum’s online shop, view high resolution images on the Google Art Project or learn about the collection from the Royal BC Museum’s Curator of History and Art, Dr. Kathryn Bridge, on the RBCM Channel.

Emily Carr is a Canadian icon whose paintings are cared for and exhibited in more than 35 public galleries, museums, institutions and private collections around the world. The Royal BC Museum’s Vision 2017 calls for a permanent Emily Carr gallery to provide visitors with unprecedented access to the works of this important BC artist. Until then, these digital resources provide a way to explore and share Emily Carr’s art and writing from anywhere in the world.

What can you discover about the life and art of Emily Carr? Start exploring today at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/emily-carr

The BC Archives is among the oldest archives in Canada. This treasured provincial resource provides access to records of enduring value from which all of us can learn and benefit. It’s your history, so come and visit or access information online at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/bcarchives.

To make a contribution today, contact us at 250-387-7222 or donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 1.

Stories of British Columbia The Indo Canadian Ethnic Food History Project

By Dr. Tzu-I Chung, Curator of History and Janet MacDonald, Head of Learning

T

he Royal British Columbia Museum works closely with BC communities to celebrate the spectacular diversity and historic richness of our province and share their stories in our galleries, travelling exhibitions and public programs.

1.

The Ethnic Food History Project, made possible by funding from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, is one avenue through which we are able to tell the stories of our diverse immigrant histories. The project began in 2012 when we conducted research on Chinese Canadian food collections and stories and its results were showcased in the exhibition Tradition in Felicities: Celebrating the History of Canada’s Oldest Chinatown, developed in collaboration with Chinatown communities in Victoria and Vancouver and currently travelling in China.

The work has already begun.

In the past year (fall 2014 – fall 2015), we have worked closely with the Indo Canadian communities in British Columbia though a partnership with the Centre for Indo Canadian Studies (CICS) at the University of Fraser Valley (UVF) and an individual, Naveen Girn, to document Indo Canadian pioneer stories.

This project complements the Royal BC Museum’s mission to preserve, share and celebrate BC’s heritage with a view to restore the Indo Canadian migrant experiences as an integral part of that heritage.

1. Product of India, basmati rice in burlap sack. 2007.16.8.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 23

1.

One thread connecting almost all early Indo Canadian pioneers is the sawmill industry so the CICS team and Girn worked with us to complete an oral history collection of over 90 stories from Indo Canadian sawmill pioneers and urban intercultural families.

The stories are all transcribed (most were originally in Pubjabi) and accompanied by audio tapes or videos.

The Royal BC Museum and CICS also worked with the David Lam Centre at Simon Fraser University to form the Indo Canadian Intercultural History of BC Committee, to advise and work with us on a joint project to explore, preserve and share this history.

The shared goals of fostering intercultural dialogue in support of academic research, community engagement and social justice are evident in the work, including the development of curriculum and public learning tools online and on-site, as well as community engagement activities and a future exhibition.

24

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

History in action.

As this article goes to press, a defining and provocative event is being planned for November 21, 2015—a history intervention in the logging exhibit in the Modern History gallery. This learning initiative is an actionoriented progressive sharing of stories that are not currently shown or told in the exhibit. The Indo Canadian community will be invited to reset the course of history in a tangible way, using the research gathered from the sawmill oral history project as the starting point of a forward movement to reset the way we talk about history at the Royal BC Museum. Break-out sessions, with advisory group members and museum Learning staff as facilitators, will interrogate altered themes and exhibit text, post new narratives, and suggest interactive elements and multi-media components for future inclusion.

This important occasion will bring Indo Canadian communities together to mark and

explore their contributions to the growth of this province, to recognize hardships, and to celebrate ingenuity and innovation in BC. The significance of staging this event at the Royal BC Museum is important to the Indo Canadian community and to all British Columbians. The sharing of previously hidden Indo Canadian stories marks the beginning of a committed long-term relationship and a defining moment for our province. We are excited and energized by this model of outreach. It provokes real change and encourages a sense of belonging and further sharing of stories at the museum.

This is what on-site action looks like.

1. Sawmill crew working on mill cut at Sewall Mill, circa 1940. D-04655.

OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Satwinder Bains Director CICS, UFV

Sukhdeep (Sukhi) Brar Research Assistant CICS, UFV

Meena Bolla Research Assistant CICS, UFV

This work has been personally fulfilling specifically because the histories of Indo Canadian men and women came alive in a most poignant and moving manner. The urgent nature of our work is not lost on us—we are keenly aware that pioneers and old timers are passing away and whole libraries will be gone forever with their demise. Their oral histories bring past and present into one trajectory of memory, preservation and honouring.

Being a research assistant at CICS has proven to be an invaluable learning experience for me, both personally and academically. I had the privilege of listening to and recording the histories of early Indo Canadian immigrants who worked in sawmills and the lumber industry. Many of the poignantly warm memories evoked by the men we interviewed resonated with my own parents’ experience, as first-generation immigrants to western Canada.

My experience with this project is one I will cherish for years to come. My favourite aspect was the one-on-one connection with each of the interviewees, being able to bear witness to their moments of genuine recollection. This project also had a deeper connection as, being of South Asian background, I was able to link my language and culture with the richness of the research conducted.

PARTNERSHIP PROFILE

Truffles Catering T

ruffles Catering has been a proud partner of the Royal BC Museum since the inception of its facility rental program.

Seasonally-inspired and locally-sourced whenever possible, Truffles Catering artfully combines ingredients to showcase the natural beauty and diverse offerings of the Pacific Northwest. With menus specifically designed to complement the curiosity and wonders of the Royal BC Museum’s vast collection, Truffles creates memorable culinary experiences for every guest.

From an intimate three-course dinner nestled amongst hand-carved totems in the atmospheric First Peoples gallery

accompanied by traditional singers and dancers, to a reception for several hundred where guests can travel through time through the Modern History galleries, Truffles Catering, in collaboration with the museum’s talented facilities management team, specializes in creating unique events that leave a lasting impression.

Since serving its first meal over two decades ago, Truffles Catering has been dedicated to minimizing the environmental impact of events, while maximizing the guest experience. As an early adopter of sustainability, Truffles has been recognized at the highest level by the Vancouver Island Green Business Certification Program and is

proud to have a 98 per cent waste diversion rate for on-site catering.

As the flagship company of The Truffles Group, Truffles Catering’s success has been the direct result of consistently delivering exceptional service and innovative cuisine to groups from Victoria, Vancouver Island and across the world. With a diverse collection that inspires curiosity and wonder, the Royal BC Museum provides the perfect backdrop for any special occasion.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 25

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PROFILE

Peeter Wesik

By Erik Lambertson, Corporate Communications Officer

T

he Royal British Columbia Museum and Archives is very pleased to welcome Mr. Peeter Wesik to its Board of Directors.

Mr. Wesik is the president of Wesgroup Properties, a family business started in British Columbia more than 50 years ago. Wesgroup is a private real estate organization with a diversified portfolio spanning both residential and commercial real estate.

Wesgroup has also invested in the equipment

sales and service business under the brand names Williams Machinery and Westerra Equipment, with eight branches located throughout British Columbia.

Mr. Wesik previously practiced law as a partner at Russell & DuMoulin (now Fasken Martineau DuMoulin) and is involved in numerous industry associations including the Urban Development Institute, where he served as a director and past chair. He is also a past trustee of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Peeter Wesik.

CURIOUS

The Point Ellis Disaster

By Lily Wray, Grade 9 Student, Oak Bay High School 1.

C

urious is an app and online publication featuring essays, research, illustrations and photography produced by Royal BC Museum curators, archivists and other experts. Each issue is assembled around a theme. In the latest issue of Curious, we explore all things to do with ‘Ancestry’, a broad overarching theme of connection through time. Lily Wray, a 4th-generation Victorian currently attending Oak Bay High School, is the youngest contributor. She stopped by the Royal BC Museum to tell Curious guest editor Ben Fast about her school research project on the Point Ellice Bridge Disaster, and her own family’s connection to it. This is an excerpt from her project: On May 26, 1896 a streetcar crowded with 143 crashed through the Point Ellice Bridge

26

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

into the Gorge waterway. Fifty-five men, women and children perished in this terrible accident, making this one of the worst accidents in Canadian transit history.

With Point Ellice House just a few minutes down Pleasant Street, the bridge serves its name well. The bridge is easily visible from the dock in the backyard of the house, which is why the lawns of the house were used to lay out the victims of the collapse.

In 1957 the mayor of Victoria at the time, P.B. Scurrah, opened a plaque dedicated to the disaster and is located on the Southeast corner of the bridge.

Days after the disaster the city closed all the bridges to vehicular traffic due to the need of inspection.

Discover the rest of Lily’s research and the other Curious articles online at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/curious 1. Lily Wray with artifacts from her ancestors involved in the Point Ellis Place Disaster.

Gold Mountain Dream!

Exploring the Chinese Experience in Canada

By Kyle Wells, Communications Specialist

T

his fall, the Royal British Columbia Museum was honoured to open two new exhibitions in China, each exploring the Chinese experience in British Columbia and highlighting an important and ongoing relationship between the provinces of British Columbia and Guangdong.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and Royal British Columbia Museum CEO Professor Jack Lohman were on hand to open a new exhibition at the Guangzhou Museum of Chinese Nationals Residing Abroad on November 5.

Gold Mountain Dream!: Bravely Venture into the Fraser Valley is a modified version of Gold Rush! El Dorado in British Columbia, which was on display at the Royal British Columbia Museum this past summer. It tells, through photographs, video, archival

documents and modern interpretation, the story of the Chinese immigrant experience in British Columbia during the gold rushes of the 19th century.

Gold Mountain Dream! offers a new perspective of the gold rush by exploring Chinese migration to Canada, within the context of British Columbia and the transPacific region.

In recognition of the strong ties between the city of Guangzhou and British Columbia, on October 28 the Royal British Columbia Museum opened a beautiful and powerful photography exhibition at the Yuexiu Station with Guangzhou Metro Corporation.

Guangzhou to British Columbia: The Chinese Canadian Experience, 1858 to 1958 features over 70 photographs from the BC Archives, including many from John Frederick Crease,

whose photographs of Guangzhou, taken in 1858, have never been exhibited.

Curated by Royal BC Museum Curator of Images and Paintings Don Bourdon, the exhibition opened to great acclaim at a grand opening with Royal BC Museum Vice President, Collections Knowledge and Engagement Dr. Scott Cooper in attendance, along with members of Guangzhou Metro Corporation and the Canadian Consulate. Yuexiu Station is a major hub for the city and sees millions of commuters per week.

Professor Jack Lohman, CEO of the Royal BC Museum, discussing a detail of the Gold Mountain Dream! exhibition with the Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of BC; the Honourable Teresa Wat, BC’s Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism; and Ming Hui Wang, Director of the Guangdong Museum of Chinese Nationals Residing Abroad.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 27

NEW from the Royal British Columbia Museum A

dd another dimension to your Royal BC Museum visit with Highlights—your own personal tour guide and a beautiful companion to our innovative exhibits.

Highlights lets you explore British Columbia’s natural and human history through dazzling photographs and interesting stories about our objects and displays. Who knows, you may even learn a museum secret or two.

Available at the ticket counter and the Royal Museum Shop.

$14.95 ISBN 978-0772-66733-5 For more information on Royal BC Museum publications, visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/publications

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

Wisdom Hsu

By Erik Lambertson, Corporate Communications Officer

W

ith significant projects on the go in China, including travelling exhibitions and staff exchanges, the Royal BC Museum is increasingly turning its focus across the Pacific.

The museum and archives is communicating more frequently and fluently with Chinese cultural institutions, but also with Chinese people as they plan their vacations to Canada.

Of course, there’s stiff competition from other visitor attractions in Victoria, in British Columbia, and across Canada—all of whom are eager to convince potential tourists that they are a must-see destination.

Happily, the Royal BC Museum has a secret weapon in its arsenal: an enthusiastic and skillful volunteer, a bilingual marketer and translator from Taiwan. Fittingly for a museum and archives whose credibility is founded on knowledge, her name is Wisdom—Wisdom Hsu. Wisdom sits down weekly with Sales Coordinator Shawn Embree to assist with the Royal BC Museum’s marketing tactics in China. Her duties range from proofreading and translating website copy and marketing brochures, to providing feedback on the usability of the Royal BC Museum’s Chineselanguage website, to thinking of clever ways to reach people through the Chinese social media equivalent of Facebook (Weibo).

Wisdom’s skillset is founded on her ability to switch back and forth between the English and Chinese languages, and between the Canadian and Chinese mindsets. She’s worked hard to develop her English-language skills, starting as a junior high student, studying through high school and then studying journalism at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei, where she opted for

the English-language stream. “Some of my teachers were from the USA,” she says. “I was really lucky to be immersed in such a great opportunity to study English without having to go abroad.”

Upon graduation Wisdom secured a job at a government publication in Taiwan and then worked for the Chinese-language version of TIME Magazine, for Air Canada, for a pulp and paper company and in publishing, both in-house and as a freelancer. In every job, she’s employed and strengthened her writing skills, marketing expertise and translation abilities. One job that may have really helped her understand the priorities of the Royal BC Museum was her tenure at the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, where she translated exhibition information and artist biographies and interviews.

Wisdom Hsu, heading to the Royal BC Museum’s Marketing department to help the team with translation.

Last year Wisdom and her daughter came to Canada, settling in Victoria. Before becoming a volunteer at the Royal BC Museum this summer, she and her daughter were ardent visitors, clocking more than ten visits in a year. “My daughter and I visited most of the permanent galleries, the BC Archives, and of course the Gold Rush! exhibition and IMAX, too,” she says. “These areas gave us a close look, to help us know more about BC. It’s like having an adventure in BC, going back hundreds, or even thousands, of years.”

Wisdom’s enthusiasm is contagious and encouraging, and her approach to her volunteer responsibilities is admirably sincere.

“We need more people to build bridges between cultures,” she says of her role.

So add one more job to her extensive resume—engineer of cultural bridges.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 29

Species at Risk Returns Triumphant

By Kyle Wells, Communications Specialist

T

he inaugural year for the Royal BC Museum’s travelling exhibition Species at Risk wrapped up at the close of summer, after a road trip through Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan.

Species at Risk, an exhibition produced in-house at the Royal BC Museum, with the support of TELUS, The Robert Bateman Centre and the John and Joan Walton Innovators Fund, delivered essential information on BC’s endangered species to the doorsteps of communities around the province.

O’Connor. “By having trained interpreters on the road with the exhibition, we were able to put a human face to our museum, faces that were personable and engaging.

This helped solidify the perception that the Royal BC Museum is a warm, welcoming and inclusive institution.”

To Royal BC Museum Family and School Programs Producer Chris O’Connor, the trip was an overwhelming success.

The tour capped off with a week-long stay in Kelowna and a final display in the Royal BC Museum’s Clifford Carl Hall.

A closing panel discussion on August 27, hosted by Kelowna Museums, gave O’Connor and other special guests, including the CBC’s Chris Walker, a chance to reflect on the exhibition’s successes and on the role of museums in communities in general.

“The ability to make authentic connections with communities, through partner institutions, was really meaningful,” said

Exhibition organizers are now looking to next summer. Visits to sponsor Quality Foods locations on Vancouver Island will take place

1.

in June, prior to the main tour. Visits to local schools and other organizations are also in the works. Then Species at Risk will head out into the province for an extended road trip, although where it’s heading has yet to be determined.

Stayed tuned—it could be coming to a community near you.

1. When Species at Risk launched at the Royal BC Museum in June, it had a lot of road ahead of it. Now it’s back, and organizers say the trip helped bring important information and the spirit of the Royal BC Museum to many communities in the province.

There is a thirst for knowledge in our province. We saw that in huge volumes as our mobile learning unit visited small museums, nature centres, farmers’ markets and community venues this summer.

Thousands of school children learned about their province and were excited and intrigued about what they saw. Please help us to make it happen next summer for a new travelling exhibition.

To make a contribution today, contact us at 250-387-7222 or donate@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 30

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

IMAX® Victoria Moves into the 21st Century

By Paul Wild, IMAX ® Victoria Theatre Director

I

MAX Victoria is taking a quantum leap into the future of cinema! It will be one of the first theatres in the world to bring a 4K Laser Projection System to its audience. And its partner, the Royal BC Museum, will be the first museum in Canada to showcase this advanced cinema technology.

1.

What is laser projection? It’s only the biggest advancement in IMAX history ever, introduced after years of research and development and a significant investment ($60 million at last count). Think of IMAX Laser as a complete re-imagination of the movie-going experience.

Designed at the first permanent IMAX theater (Cinesphere at Ontario Place), the output of the new 3D-capable laser-driven system is 60% brighter than existing systems and features a significantly larger colour gamut. It also has the capacity to project at an aspect of 1.43:1, consistent with the tall format used by existing IMAX film capture and projection technology.

IMAX Laser features two 4K projectors running simultaneously with sub-pixel alignment in both 2D and 3D to deliver a perceived resolution greater than 4K. Sharper and brighter images, darker blacks and an overall heightened level of realism are hallmarks of the new system.

For 3D presentation, redesigned 3D glasses take advantage of the purity of laser light to eliminate residual light ghosting inherent in traditional 3D projection technologies.

The sound component for the IMAX Laser system includes an additional immersive element—six more channels, totalling 12 dedicated channels, envelope audiences

with crystal clear sound by using new speakers mounted in the ceiling as well as on the side walls.

Upgrading to this amazing technology has required a significant investment of just over $1 million dollars by the company that owns and operates the theatre, Destination Cinema Canada Inc. The theatre preparations—from image, to sound, to comfort—began in early 2014 with advance modifications to the projection booth and are due for completion by early spring 2016.

Updates include enlarging the projection port window and installing the highest quality optical glass available, installing the beginnings of a complete new speaker package along with a giant new 18.59 m high x 25.9 m wide (61 ft. x 85 ft.) silver high-gain screen, and plans to install a new seating package.

What does all this mean? It means that when you attend a presentation at IMAX Victoria, you are going to have a movie-going experience like no other. An experience designed to transport the you to awesome worlds, where senses and emotions are engaged by the sharpest, brightest, clearest and most vivid images and accompanied by a whole new level of immersive audio.

1. A behind-the-scenes look at the brand new 4K Laser Projection System at IMAX Victoria.

royalbcmuseum.bc.ca 31

Asian Tourism on the Rise

By Shawn Embree, Sales Coordinator

A

s a world class institution, the Royal BC Museum is gaining a lot of global attention and there’s a growing desire amongst Asian tourists to mark the museum as a must-see when visiting Canada.

Park subway station in Guangzhou, our Gold Rush exhibition—which is travelling to Guangdong—and a staff exchange program with the Nanjing Museum (see page 20).

With Canada’s international profile and a strong Chinese economy, Chinese tourism to our country and our province has grown exponentially. “The Chinese source market is now Canada’s second largest international tourism source market after the United States,” says Paul Nursey, president and CEO of Tourism Victoria.

From October 12–31, 2015, I, along with Tourism Victoria and partner businesses, attended the annual Showcase Canada Asia sales mission to China and Japan.

At this event—Destination Canada’s biggest tourism marketplace outside our own country—representatives from 108 Canadian tourism businesses met with more than 120 regional buyers from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, for four days of business and network building in Shenyang, China. The Tourism Victoria delegation then

Keeping this top of mind and building on the relationship that British Columbia has long held with China, the museum continues to share our stories with China through cultural exchanges such as an upcoming photo exhibition at the Yuexiu

32

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

wrapped up the trip with seventeen additional sales calls in Shenyang and Beijing.

We look forward to forward to fostering all of these relationships and sharing our stories with the world.

The Tourism Victoria delegation.

From left to right: Josh Bickerton (The Butchart Gardens), Dave Cowen (The Butchart Gardens), David Roberts (The Butterfly Gardens), Mary Bea Moyle (Huntingdon Manor Hotel), Paul Nursey (Tourism Victoria), Karen Wiltse-Antolin (Hotel Grand Pacific), Suzanne Darling (Victoria Clipper), Rob Ringma (Tourism Victoria), Ben Duthie (Prince of Whales), Shawn Embree (Royal BC Museum), Mayor Lisa Helps, Doug Treleaven (Tourism Victoria) and Councillor Margaret Lucas.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Victoria.

What’s on HOLIDAY EVENTS Father Christmas in Old Town December 4 – 6 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm December 11 – 13 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm December 18 – 20 | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm Included with admission or membership; photo by donation Helmcken House Old-Fashioned Christmas December 20 – January 4 | 12:00 – 4:00 pm Included with admission or by donation

LECTURES & EVENTS An Evening with James Daschuk Author of Clearing the Plains January 27 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm FREE | Registration required Night Shift: Wild Romance February 13 | 8:00 – 11:00 pm 19+, photo ID required for entry International Mother Languages Day February 21 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm $10 per person In partnership with First Peoples’ Cultural Council

Photograph Workshop for Adults March 19 | 9:00 am – 3:00 pm March 20 | 9:00 am – 3:00 pm $45 per person, per day Space is limited to 25 participants Music for Natural History Performances January 15 & 16 | 8:00 – 10:00 pm Featuring local musicians and community members using instruments, object and voices in unusual ways.

Produced by LaSaMusic

Through the support of Canadian Council for the Arts

For a full listing of what’s happening at the Royal BC Museum, view our calendar online at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/calendar MUSEUM HOURS: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily Closed December 25, 2015 and January 1, 2016

Letter Writing Week January 2 – 9 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Free with admission or membership Staff Picks Mingle: Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition January 30 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm February 27 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm March 15 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm Free with admission or membership Journeys in ReSkilling Series – Food, Tools, Clothing and Shelter February 10 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm March 9 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm April 13 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm May 1 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm $35 per person per day or $120 for the series

LIVE@LUNCH SERIES First Wednesday of every month 12:00 – 1:00 pm Free | Newcombe Auditorium Building our Whale Research Collection Presented by Dr. Gavin Hanke, Curator, Vertebrate Zoology January 6 Black Pioneers of British Columbia Presented by Karen Hoshal, descendant of the Alexander pioneer family February 3

Road to Ruin: James Douglas and the Obfuscation of the Cariboo Wagon Road Presented by Frank Leonard, PhD February 21 | 2:00 pm

EXHIBITIONS & INSTALLATIONS Our Living Languages On now In partnership with First People’s Cultural Council

Glass Sponges by Research Associate Dr. Henry Reiswig November 2015 – February 2016 | Clifford Carl Hall Deep Sea Discoveries Pocket Gallery November 2015 – February 2016 | Clifford Carl Hall Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 December 4, 2015 – April 4, 2016 John Lennon’s Rolls Royce January – April 2016 | Lantern Lobby Macaulay Point Installation January – May 2016 | Clifford Carl Hall Mammoths: Giants of the Ice Age June 3 – December 31, 2016

Life and Times at the End of the Ice Age: A New Picture of an Old World Presented by Dr. Richard Hebda, Curator Botany and Earth History March 2

FRIENDS OF THE BC ARCHIVES LECTURE SERIES $5 per person or free for Friends of the BC Archives members Newcombe Auditorium The De Cosmos Enigma Presented by Gordon Hawkins January 17 | 2:00 pm

DID YOU KNOW? Royal BC Museum members enjoy up to 20% off admission at more than 25 partner attractions. Just flash your membership card to receive your discount!

View the full list of partners at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/reciprocalpartners

Information correct at time of printing. Subject to change. Please visit royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/calendar for most up-to-date information. Prices do not include applicable taxes.

Help Us Bring British Columbia’s History to Life

By Shaun Cerisano, Philanthropy Manager

T

he Royal BC Museum’s Learning Department has developed an engaging new program designed to provide learning opportunities to individuals and organizations across British Columbia.

Our outreach boxes are designed to create a hands-on learning experience outside the walls of the museum and archives. They contain copies of original objects, archival documents, suggested activities, questions, and a resource

guide to aid in exploration. Imagine them as tool boxes for telling the story of British Columbia.

We plan to create up to 10 outreach boxes in order to provide a high level of educational content to British Columbians.

These boxes cost $14,000 each to produce and travel around the province, for a total program cost of $140,000.

We ask that you consider making a donation today that will go directly

toward this important program, helping us share our collection and knowledge with multiple communities across British Columbia. What we are able to accomplish with this program is dependent on the philanthropic support we receive from the community, including donors like you. You can make a difference.

If you would like more information on how to fund this important program, please contact Shaun Cerisano at 250-387-3102 or scerisano@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca One of our outreach boxes, designed to document and educate on the theme of Historical Wrongs against Chinese Canadians.

34

What’s inSight

Winter 2015

Support our Outreach Box Program

Yes, I am pleased to support the important work of the Royal BC Museum.

Our outreach box program will cost up to $140,000 to create and tour around the province. We can accomplish this with your support. Please give generously.

TELEPHONE

Please send my charitable tax receipt to: (Please complete in capital letters) NAME ADDRESS

CITY PROVINCE POSTAL CODE

EMAIL

NAME FOR DONOR RECOGNITION PURPOSES

Single Gift (cash, cheque or credit card – enter credit card details on reverse side).

1.

My cheque is made payable to Royal BC Museum Foundation, charitable registration number #118933241RR0001

$50

$100

$250

$500

$1000

Other $ ________

Monthly Gift* using my credit card only (enter credit card details on reverse side).

On the $10

1st or $25

15th of each month, I would like to give $50

Other $ ________

All gifts are tax-deductible donations. *You may cancel or change your montly donation at any time by calling 250-387-7222.

Credit Card Details Please charge my Visa

2.

MasterCard

American Express

CARD NUMBER

EXPIRY DATE

NAME ON CARD

SIGNATURE

Thank you for supporting the Royal BC Museum.

Please return this form, along with your donation to: The Royal BC Museum Foundation 675 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC V8W 9W2

Other ways to give. Please contact me about: Legacy Giving.

Gift of Publicly Listed Securities.

Making a gift in honour of a friend or family member to mark a special occasion or as a tribute.

I am a Provincial Employee and would like to make a gift through the Provincial Employee Community Services Fund (PECSF).

Royal BC Museum Foundation Privacy Policy

1. Species at Risk on exhibit in June 2015.

2. Students engaging and learning through Royal BC Museum’s new outreach box program.

The personal information collected on this form is collected under the legal authority of the Societies Act (RSBC 1996, C. 433) and is subject to the personal Information Protection Act (SBC 2003, C. 63). The personal information collected will be used to update/maintain our donor list, issue tax receipts and publicly recognize your donation. Personal information collected will be shared with the Royal BC Museum to provide you with upto date information on current events/exhibitions.

PM42265026

Spring Break Camps

Focus On Nature Aspiring shutterbugs can develop their skills by participating in a photography-inspired camp. Each week-long session will include a visit from a winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Campers will learn about photo composition and storytelling, venture to Beacon Hill Park to capture dynamic nature shots and explore the Royal BC Museum’s Natural History collection.

March 14–18 and 21–25 | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm $224 per person Ages 7–11 Register today at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/camps