Museum of Anthropology

Arthur Erickson designed the building in 1976 around one problem: how to show house posts and totem poles standing as they were meant to. His answer was the Great Hall, a glass and concrete space whose posts and beams echo Northwest Coast post-and-beam construction, rising high enough for full-height poles with the sea and mountains behind the glass. The collection is largely First Nations of British Columbia, and the museum works with source communities on how objects are shown and what is repatriated. Bill Reid's The Raven and the First Men, a yellow cedar sculpture of the Haida creation story, has its own rotunda.

History

The museum began with the university's purchase of the Frank Burnett Collection in 1927, shown with two Musqueam house posts, poles from Marius Barbeau and the Buttimer basketry collection in the basement of the UBC Main Library, and it was founded officially in 1947, with Harry Hawthorn as director and Audrey Hawthorn as curator. Building began with federal and university funds in 1971, Arthur Erickson's new building opened in 1976, the Koerners' 1975 gift of Northwest Coast art filled much of it, and after a seismic upgrade it reopened on 13 June 2024 (Wikipedia, Museum of Anthropology at UBC).

The main sights

• The Great Hall - full-height totem poles and house posts against glass.
• The Raven and the First Men - Bill Reid's yellow cedar sculpture.
• The visible storage - drawers and cases holding much of the collection openly.
• The outdoor houses - Haida houses and poles on the bluff behind.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes Mondays in winter. It reopened in 2024 after seismic upgrading, so some galleries have limited access. Afternoon light in the Great Hall is best.

Before you go

Parts have been closed for structural work in recent years, so check what is open. The UBC campus is a long way from downtown. Photography is restricted for some objects at community request.

Nearby

UBC campus surrounds it; Vancouver downtown lies east.

Key facts