Inside Vancouver

“World’s best train” on a budget: Rocky Mountaineer Rides to Whistler

by Remy Scalza in Family Friendly on June 20, 2012

Photo credit: Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer train is perhaps best known for its epic routes through the Canadian Rockies. No less an authority than National Geographic declared the journey one of the “world’s greatest trips.” Seated inside elegantly appointed cars, sipping wine and nibbling on gourmet meals, passengers soak up some of the most impressive alpine scenery anywhere in North America.

Just one little asterisk: The trip of a lifetime doesn’t come cheap (the two-day Vancouver-Banff trip starts at US$902). But even if you haven’t saved up, there’s still a way to get a taste of the Rocky Mountaineer experience, without going too far from Vancouver.

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“World’s best train” on a budget: Rocky Mountaineer Rides to Whistler

Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe Exhibit – Held Over until March 24

by Remy Scalza in Events on March 1, 2012

Bill Reid's Black Eagle Canoe. Photo Credit: Harry Foster

Haven’t had a chance yet to check out the Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe Exhibit at downtown’s Bill Reid Gallery? You’re in luck. The landmark exhibition – exploring the dramatic role of the canoe in Northwest Coast art and culture – is being extended through March 24.

So what’s so important about the canoe? In the word’s of Bill Reid himself, the artist who nearly single-handedly triggered a renaissance in first nations art in Canada: “Western art starts with the figure – West Coast Indian art starts with the canoe.” In other words, the canoe is much more than just a means of transportation: It’s a work of art that embodies an entire culture.

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Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe Exhibit – Held Over until March 24

First Nations Dance Festival Returns to Museum of Anthropology, March 8-11

by Remy Scalza in Events on February 29, 2012

Photo credit: Dancers of Damelahamid

If you’ve been to the UBC Museum of Anthropology, then you’ve probably stopped to admire the Great Hall. Glass walls rise several stories high, flooding the enormous hall with light. Inside are towering totem poles from Haida and other first nations villages along the British Columbia coast. It’s a breathtaking way to glimpse the area’s rich aboriginal history.

Now imagine the Great Hall filled with with some of the best aboriginal dancers from throughout the province and around the world. From March 8-March 11, the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival returns to the Museum of Anthropology for four days of world-class performances in the shadow of the totem poles in the Great Hall. Celebrating its fifth year, the festival brings together acclaimed dancers from British Columbia, Manitoba, the Yukon, Alaska and as far away as Australia.

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First Nations Dance Festival Returns to Museum of Anthropology, March 8-11

Talking Stick Festival 2012 Starts February 20

by Dana Lynch in Events on February 14, 2012

Talking Stick Festival 2012

The 11th annual Talking Stick Festival returns next week with a roster of city-wide events celebrating Aboriginal performance and art. The festival features a range of national and international Aboriginal artists, and includes live music, dance, theatre, multi-media, storytelling and performance art.

Taking place at venues across Vancouver—primarily at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown and The Cultch—Talking Stick Festival 2012 has a packed schedule of performances, theatre, workshops, and artists’ talks spanning February 20 – March 5, 2012.

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Talking Stick Festival 2012 Starts February 20

Inside MOA: UBC’s Museum of Anthropology

by Dana Lynch in Town on January 30, 2012

B.C. First Nations artworks at UBC's Museum of Anthropology. Photo: Dana Lynch

Though Vancouver is home to a wealth of fascinating museums, there are two that stand out for their extensive collections of unique artworks from British Columbia: the Vancouver Art Gallery, which is home to over 9,000 artworks, and UBC’s Museum of Anthropology (MOA), which has a collection of over 500,000 cultural artifacts, including a world-famous collection of B.C. First Nations art and objects.

Though MOA is home to a wide range of ethnographic and archaeological objects from around the world—ranging from African tribal artifacts to the 600 European ceramics that make up the Koerner European Ceramics Gallery—it’s their focus on B.C.’s First Nations art and culture that makes MOA a must-visit for both locals and tourists alike.

MOA’s First Nations collections include massive, awe-inspiring totem poles, canoes, jewelry, ceramics, carved boxes, ceremonial masks, and one of the most famous First Nations artworks in Canada: Bill Reid’s Raven and The First Men sculpture, which appears on the back of every Canadian $20 bill.

Check out this mini photo gallery for a sneak peak inside MOA:

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Inside MOA: UBC’s Museum of Anthropology