
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