Canadian Museum of History receives prestigious International Design and Communication Award

November 10, 2017

MEDIA RELEASE                                                      

 For immediate release

Gatineau, Quebec, November 10, 2017 — On November 8 in Los Angeles, the Canadian Museum of History was presented with an International Design and Communication Award for its new Canadian History Hall. The Museum received the bronze award in the category Best Scenography for a Permanent Collection.

“We are very proud of the way we have brought Canada’s story to life in our new Canadian History Hall,” said Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “A large part of that success is due to the Hall’s innovative design, and we are very honoured to have our cutting-edge approach recognized by this important award.”

The International Design and Communication Awards were created in 2007 to celebrate excellence in design and communication among museums and art galleries around the world. The awards serve to encourage innovation in communications-related design, while providing a valuable forum for design professionals and cultural institutions.

For architectural design, the Canadian History Hall team worked closely with Douglas Cardinal, the Museum’s original architect extraordinaire who is responsible for the building’s iconic curved walls and domed ceiling. For exhibition design, it collaborated with GSM Project, a world-renowned pioneer in the field of exhibition design and production.

This is the first award for the Canadian History Hall, which opened on July 1, 2017. It is also the first international recognition for this made-in-Canada national narrative that explores our land’s human history over the past 15,000 years. Some of the unique and cutting-edge features of the Hall are the forensic reconstructions of a noble Indigenous family who lived 4,000 years ago, and a large symbolic family tree of one of the first filles du roi (daughters of the king) to come to New France. More than 600 of her descendants are represented as branches and leaves.

The Canadian History Hall features an evocative, bright passageway leading to a central hub, and three galleries presented on two levels. Open vistas allow visitors to see large portions of Canada’s cultural history from various vantage points. The result is an architecturally innovative, content-rich exhibition that has already welcomed more than 200,000 visitors since its opening on July 1, 2017.

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History welcomes over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture. Work of the Canadian Museum of History is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

–­ 30 –­

Media contact:

Stéphanie Verner
Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 819-776-7169
stephanie.verner@historymuseum.ca