Insight Spring 2010

NEWSLETTER Spring 2010

Membership

meet the

curators

at the

royal bc museum www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

A message from our CEO

Spring 2010 1 FEATURE

The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes

Welcome to our inaugural issue of WHAT’S INSIGHT, your RBCM member newsletter. Our members are so important to us as an organization.

As our supporters and champions, you are closely held.

We’ve unveiled our 100-year plan for the RBCM site.

Our vision is to connect with more British Columbians, to preserve and expand the collection while furthering the work of our researchers and scientists, and to inspire visitors with innovative and astonishing galleries and exhibitions. We welcome your input into the zoning process online and at our upcoming open houses. Your support is critical as we move forward.

Coming up: our riveting presentation of The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes. And in 2011, we bring you the fascinating Warrior Emperor and China’s Terra Cotta Army.

Look for WHAT’S INSIGHT every March, June, September and December. It will keep you up to date on the latest RBCM happenings. We’re so pleased to have you along for the journey.

Pauline Rafferty CEO, Royal BC Museum

3 CURATOR’S CORNER Beautiful Plumage:

Caring for your fine feathered things.

4 WHAT’S ON

Coming events & exhibits 5 STAFF & MEMBERS PROFILES Jimi Galvão, Membership

and Communications Officer Carolyn Tees and Family

MANAGING EDITOR

Holli Hodgson, Membership and Sales Development Associate hhodgson@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca MEMBERSHIP EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Diane Lloyd, Director of Development Theresa Mackay, Director of Marketing and Communications 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.

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

FEATURE

The Royal BC Museum: Behind The Scenes

A

t long last! Opening June 25, 2010, a groundbreaking two-part exhibition brings the work – and innermost workings – of the Royal BC Museum to the visiting public. You’ve wondered what goes on behind those walls… and down in the basement… and in that tall Fannin Tower… .

So this summer, come and see for yourself! Check out The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes – and experience a Royal BC Museum you never even knew existed. Get acquainted with the broad scope of our collections – many of which have never before been on public display.

Marking the International Year of Biodiversity, Phase One of The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes reveals the fascinating work of our world-renowned natural history researchers.

This year, be part of the ongoing conversation about British Columbia’s rich and complex natural history. Not only does Behind the Scenes introduce you to new, ancient and out-of-the-ordinary specimens, but you’ll also meet some of the people who make this place tick. Let our video and audio feeds introduce you to our natural history curators, collection managers and volun-

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teers. They’re the brilliant, diverse bunch that forms an internationally significant centre of scientific research and discovery right here at the Royal BC Museum.

Explore “Aliens Among Us” – an exhibition within an exhibition that examines current and future threats to BC’s biodiversity. Himalayan Blackberries hijacking your yard? Scotch Broom beating you down? Come learn what RBCM research and collections are adding to the ever-growing body of knowledge about introduced species in BC – and witness how our work contributes to the preservation of the planet’s biodiversity.

The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes promises to captivate the whole family. In our central learning hub, one-of-a-kind presentations and performances will engage your mind and broaden your appreciation of the BC story. Let our kid-friendly learning mascot tease your tiny Einsteins along on a journey of inquiry and delight as they follow a trail of discovery throughout the entire exhibition. We’ve designed an Amuseum just for kids, too – a whole museum with sustainability as its theme!

But there’s more. Visitors will enjoy Behind the Scenes café

SPRING 2010

WHAT’S INSIGHT

1

FEATURE

Exhibition renderings for Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes.

series, special lectures for members, an environmental film festival for the whole family, eco-themed adult workshops, family workshops like our “I Spy Saturdays,” and Camp Inside/Out. There’s even an exciting opportunity to “Speed Date a Curator” in a new annual event that lets you hang out with our experts and dish about all things museum-ish.

In another “first” for the museum, we polled our diverse and involved member community for ideas in developing the

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WHAT’S INSIGHT

SPRING 2010

Illustrations: Rennie Knowlton

exhibition’s name. And what a response! From the hundreds of survey respondents (570 just on the first round!) we eventually settled on The Royal BC Museum: Behind the Scenes. Thanks for all of your interest – and for your creative input.

Since 1886, it’s been our mission to explore and preserve British Columbia’s human history and natural history. So join us this year and next, when the Royal BC Museum turns itself inside out and invites visitors to go Behind the Scenes.

www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

CURATOR’S CORNER

Beautiful Plumage: Caring for your fine feathered things. by colleen wilson

F

eathers, engineered by bird brains, are one of the world’s wonders. Unable to manufacture such marvels ourselves, humans have plundered our feathered friends for duvets, quill pens, hat plumes. But while we may wish to feather our nests with swans-down muffs and ostrich fans, it will take more than careful preening to ensure that they are preserved intact.

Feathers are composed primarily of protein, similar to wool, hair and fingernails. Their physical structure is more complex, however, an intricate architecture of shafts, hooklets and barbules. The brilliant colours of bluebird, scarlet tanager and goldfinch are the result of chemistry and mechanics. Chemical colorants produced by the bird or acquired from its environment, absorb specific wavelengths of light, reflecting the rest of the visible spectrum. The shimmering iridescence of wood duck and starling is produced by mechanical means. Prisms and plates of pigment and air arranged within the protein of the feathers create refractive surfaces.

Birds produce feathers that will insulate, repel water, advertise sexual preferences and enable flight, but they don’t construct them to last. Live birds replace all their feathers at least once every year. Only the humble, earth-bound conservators hope to preserve feathers forever.

The sulphur in keratin, the fibrous protein that makes the resilient springy structure of feathers possible, is attractive to insects such as clothes moths and carpet beetles. Some bacteria will feed on the surface, even while the feather is on the wing. Birds of a feather preen constantly, distributing protective uropygial oils; we have to rely on good housekeeping and freezing to keep pests from destroying our treasures.

The exhilarating flash of a hummingbird in the sun belies the damage light can cause. The amazing organization of amino acids that forms the keratin structure can be broken

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by solar energy; heat can disrupt the bonds holding proteins in place; light can fade colours.

Contour feathers are water repellant; once off the duck’s back, though, high levels of humidity can lead to protein breakdown and to the growth of mould and mildew. Desiccation can cause embrittlement. The colours of some feathers will alter with humidity: turacin, the chromophore that produces the red-purple colour on African touracos, turns blue in the rain, but reverts on drying.

While many a bird enjoys a good dust bath, soil is not conducive to longevity. Although grease and grime will mute the colour and sheen of feathers, cleaning can be even more destructive. Remove dust with the softest of brushes – even very gentle treatment can damage the hooklets that hold the feather structure together. The mechanical marvels that create iridescence can be reduced by harsh handling – instead of peacock blue, dull brown. Although the utility feathers in a pillow or duvet can be washed like delicate woolens, some artifactual feathers have been dyed and their shapes altered by heat or glued additions. Structure and colours of natural and modified feathers can be irreversibly altered by solvents, cleaning solutions, even water.

In an effort to appear as wise as owls or fierce as eagles, humans have used feathers to signify ritual and status; we are happy as larks to have feathers to adorn our homes and bodies. With careful handling and protection from light and soil, preservation need not be just a flight of fancy.

The birds in the nest all agree that further advice is available from Conservation Services.

Colleen Wilson is a conservator at the Royal BC Museum.

SPRING 2010

WHAT’S INSIGHT

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Spring 2010

WHAT’S ON

LIVE@LUNCH

Bring your lunch and enjoy a free, monthly presentation on a wide variety of topics throughout the year.

Newcombe Conference Hall, Royal BC Museum.

LIVE@LUNCH with Jennifer Lash, Executive Director of Living Oceans Society Wednesday, April 7, noon to 1 pm

Finding Coral: Our Journey to the Bottom of the Sea Jennifer piloted a one person submarine to depths of more than 500 meters as she led the Finding Coral Expedition on Canada’s Pacific coast. Hear Jennifer’s stories, see videos of her adventure, and find out why we must protect coral and deep sea ecosystems.

LIVE@LUNCH with David W. Schindler, Professor of Ecology, University of Alberta Wednesday, April 28, noon to 1 pm

Coming events & exhibits

and Washington and the photographers who made images of them from the late 1850s to the 1920s. Author event and book signing.

DISCOVER Meet museum and archives staff at interactive Discover sessions.

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, check the online What’s On calendar at: www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca.

Here are a few samples:

Discover: A Day in the Life of the Natural History Gallery Sunday, March 21

Discover: A.D. Cowboy Kean Friday, March 26

OPENING IN JUNE

LIVE@LUNCH with Dan Savard, Anthropology Audio Visual Collections Manager, RBCM Wednesday, May 26, noon to 1 pm

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

From the Likeness House, Photography and First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and the interior of British Columbia, 1860 – 1920

Come and experience the Royal BC Museum as you’ve never seen it. To celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity, we turn inside out and reveal the hidden world of our natural history staff through an interactive exhibition and family-friendly activities.

Dan explores the relationship between First Peoples in British Columbia, Alaska

Get to know the researchers who dig, dredge, dive and document their way

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WHAT’S INSIGHT

SPRING 2010

We’ve been collecting and researching the plants and animals of BC since 1886.

What have we learned and how could it affect you?

Save the Date.

MEMBERS ONLY EVENT Behind The Scenes - Early Summer

Special guest lecture followed by a tour of the Behind the Scenes exhibition.

Look for your invitation with more details in the months ahead!

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.

CAMP INSIDE/OUT 2010

Restoring Mountain Lakes Damaged by Alien Species In the early and mid-20th century, lakes and streams in Banff National Park were stocked with fish species popular with anglers, causing declines in native bull trout and cutthroat trout. David will talk about methods used to restore the systems.

to new scientific discoveries. See new and ancient specimens on public display for the very first time. And children will flip for the Amuseum – a museum just for kids with a theme of sustainability!

Summer day camps for children offer ‘behind the scenes’ tours as part of weeklong explorations in July and August.

There are 4 sessions available, and members receive a 10% discount!

July 12-16 July 26-30 August 9-13 August 23-27 For more information and to register, go to our website.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MUSEUM

Staff & Member Profiles OUR STAFF MEMBER Jimi Galvão

FEATURES APRIL 2 – JUNE 3, 2010 Hubble Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio and vividly captured with IMAX technology, HUBBLE recounts the amazing journey of the most important scientific instrument since Galileo’s original telescope and the greatest success in space since the Moon Landing – the Hubble Space Telescope.

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, allowing you to experience faceto-face encounters with some of the most mysterious and stunning creatures of the sea.

Ocean Men: Extreme Dive Discover the beauty and competitiveness of a little known extreme sport where participants dive more than 91 meters (300ft) and return to the surface on just one breath of air.

Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey PULSE: A STOMP ODYSSEY is an exploration of the sights and sounds of continents and cultures, guided by the internationally acclaimed performers of the sensational stage show STOMP. 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.

A talented visual artist and writer, RBCM Membership and Communications Officer Jimi Galvão is always on the lookout for new things to learn. Halfway through a certificate in Public Relations at UVic, Galvão says he’s always keen to improve on the things he already does well. (That must explain why, at the tender age of 34, Galvão’s art hangs in private collections worldwide.)

It’s a trait he shares with his employer. “One of the best things about the museum is its ongoing commitment to evolve and improve,” says Galvão. “The museum has accomplished great things since it began over 100 years ago, but it refuses to let success lull it into a comfortable state of complacency.” Galvão enjoys interacting with museum members in the course of his workday. “I like helping them with their questions and learning about who they are by listening to their stories,” he says. He’s excited about the potential for the new membership program to strengthen the museum’s connections with its community.

A fan of music, films and interior design, Galvão spends his free time hiking, reading (comics, of course!), and browsing museums and art galleries.

Oh, and he cooks a mean roast, too.

OUR MUSEUM MEMBER Carolyn Tees For marketing specialist Carolyn Tees, a visit to the RBCM encourages families to learn and grow together. “I remember when I was nine or so, walking into Old Town and feeling like I was transported back in time,” reflects Tees, whose husband Matt also loved visiting the museum as a child. Nowadays Tees sees that same wonderment in her own son, nine-year-old Mark. “The first time Mark walked in, it was that same experience of, Wow, this is so neat!”

It’s all because of the exhibitions, says Tees. They just kind of… pull you in. And there’s something there for everyone – adults and children alike. “I think the museum has done some very good exhibits that have allowed parents and kids to engage in history and our culture in ways we will remember,” says Tees. “Especially some of the temporary exhibits. Treasures was fascinating, because each piece took you to a different part of time.”

An active gardener and dog walker, Tees loves spending rainy days with her husband and son at the museum. Many a great discussion have been sparked here!

Membership has its perks, too: “It’s a good feeling to just jump the line and head straight upstairs!” she laughs.

Need to get in touch?

General Inquiries 8

info@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

Membership Inquires membership@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