The Museum's primary purpose is to collect, study, preserve, and present material objects that illuminate the human history of Canada and the cultural diversity of its people.
For the visiting public, the Museum of Civilization is most renowned for its permanent galleries, which explore Canada's 20,000 years of human history, and for its architecture and stunning riverside setting. The Museum also presents an ever-changing program of special exhibitions that expand on Canadian themes and explore other cultures and civilizations, past and present. The Museum of Civilization is also a major research institution. Its professional staff includes leading experts in Canadian history, archaeology, ethnology, folk culture, and more.
With roots stretching back to 1856, the Museum is one of North America's oldest cultural institutions. It is also home to the Canadian Children's Museum, the Canadian Postal Museum, and an IMAX Theatre with 3D capacity.
The Museum of Civilization is managed by the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, a federal Crown Corporation that is also responsible for the Canadian War Museum, the Children's and Postal Museums, and the Virtual Museum of New France. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM) and a member of the Canadian Museums Association.
The museum was designed by Douglas Cardinal, a famous North American Native architect educated at the University of British Columbia, and the University of Texas at Austin. In 1983, he won a national competition held by the Canadian Government, where Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau selected him to design the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec.
Between 1983 and 1989 a sculpture of monumental proportions gradually took shape on the northern bank of the Ottawa River opposite Parliament Hill, on a site known as Parc Laurier. This was the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC).
The CMC opened to the public on 29 June 1989. Its natural forms echo Canada's geological past, when wind, water and ice shaped the Canadian landscape.
The rising building's striking design evoked the eroded landforms and streambeds of post-glacial Canada. Being on one of the most conspicuous sites in the National Capital, it began to attract the public's notice.
The museum was soon added to the world "visit list" of important cultural projects; foreign delegations came to see it from such countries as the United States, Britain, Japan, South Africa, the Soviet Union, China and Australia. Its daringly innovative design and its symbolism led to frequent comparisons with the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '86 or with the Sydney Opera House.
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Information obtained on Sept 23, 2010.