New Royal Alberta Museum officially open

The Voice of Canada News

Crowds of people poured through the doors as the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) began a new era in the heart of downtown Edmonton.

After years of construction, moving millions of objects, creating new galleries, installing exhibits and putting on finishing touches, RAM welcomed its first visitors in its new location.

Premier Notley officially opened the RAM, hosting a celebration that included an Indigenous blessing and the dramatic unveiling of two bronze mammoth sculptures that are a focal point of the museum’s vast, light-filled lobby. Mammoths have long been part of the museum’s identity.

“Alberta is a province full of compelling stories. The Royal Alberta Museum gives Albertans the opportunity to live in and share those stories, told from many perspectives, including those of Indigenous communities. These stories will provide us all a greater sense of the people, places and identity of Alberta and are an important contribution to our cultural landscape.”

Rachel Notley, Premier

“Welcome to the new Royal Alberta Museum. Today, we celebrate a new chapter in our province’s history. As one of the province’s greatest cultural attractions and a hub for all things Alberta, this museum is more than history. It is a place where art, design, community, research, science, identity and language all come together to tell the stories of Alberta.”

Ricardo Miranda, Minister Alberta Culture and Tourism

“This grand opening event marks the completion of a vital new landmark for the City of Edmonton and all of Alberta. The Royal Alberta Museum’s stunning new home will contribute greatly to the vibrancy of the downtown core and be a premier tourist attraction that will draw visitors from near and far. Our government is proud to be investing in projects that preserve and celebrate our rich heritage while contributing to economic growth and dynamic community development.”

Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources

“I am pleased to celebrate the opening of this new cultural facility in the heart of Edmonton. The Government of Canada recognizes that investing in cultural facilities helps create inclusive community spaces where people can come together and celebrate the diverse experiences that have shaped our country. I am eager to see how this new attraction fosters economic prosperity for Edmonton and for the province of Alberta.”

Randy Boissonnault, MP for Edmonton Centre, on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

“What an honour and privilege it is to be home to the largest museum in Western Canada, and one of the top museums in the country. On this special day and in the days to come, this museum will allow us to honour those that came before us and inspire curious minds to explore culture and history right in the heart of our beautiful city.”

Don Iveson, mayor, City of Edmonton

Visitor experience

Visitors to the new RAM are invited to feed their curiosity through hundreds of remarkable, uniquely Albertan stories of the natural and human history of our province.

More than 5,300 objects are featured in a variety of galleries. The new Natural History Hall celebrates the wonders and diversity of the living world, from the tiniest lichens to the mighty mammoths that once roamed the province. The Human History Hall shares compelling stories of who we are, from the earliest people to the Albertans of today. The experience is rounded out by the new Bug Gallery featuring live invertebrates, a 2,130-square-metre (7,000-square-foot) Children’s Gallery, and a state-of-the-art feature gallery space that will host international exhibitions, alongside a museum shop, café and theatre space.

Museum staff have worked closely with Indigenous communities and an Indigenous Content Advisory Panel to develop exhibits for the new museum. Indigenous content is woven throughout many of the galleries, and the experience includes use of Indigenous languages in telling these fascinating stories. As well, a dedicated, public pre-admission space to Manitou Asinîy (Manitou Stone) assures access to this sacred object. The Royal Alberta Museum is joining other Canadian museums that hold and exhibit significant Indigenous objects in waiving general admission fees for Indigenous Peoples.

The new museum also includes French language content in its galleries.

Gallery development

The new galleries share more of the countless treasures and stories in the museum’s care, offering visitors a better understanding of what epitomizes Alberta. Objects collected by the museum over the past 50 years are central to the exhibits, and the stories they reveal offer insights into the people, places and processes that have shaped Alberta. As much as possible, the personal perspectives of those who lived or experienced these moments are shared with visitors.

New technology integrated into exhibits enhances the museum experience for both visitors and staff. From multimedia elements that allow visitors to interact with the objects in the exhibits to technologies that museum staff will use to better care for the objects and creatures in the collection, the new RAM offers a multi-faceted, engaging experience.

Design and architecture

The design concept, led by Alberta architect Donna Clare, began from a deep understanding of the Royal Alberta Museum, the province and the new location, creating a museum that is sustainable, contributes to a vibrant downtown and is an accessible, architectural showpiece. The design is a continuous narrative between Alberta’s history, landscape and modern cities. The new museum is on the grounds previously occupied by a Canada Post distribution centre. Many elements of the former post office have been incorporated into the new museum.

Facts and stats

• The Provincial Museum and Archives opened on Dec. 7, 1967. In 2005, it became the “Royal” Alberta Museum in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, who visited Alberta that spring.
• The new museum is the largest museum in Western Canada, spanning 127,700 square metres (419,000 square feet), including 24,990 square metres (82,000 square feet) of exhibition space – twice the size of the former museum.
• More than 18,000 cubic metres of concrete was used to construct the museum. That’s enough to fill more than seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• Over 2,500 metric tons of steel reinforcement was cast into the concrete. That’s heavier than 500 elephants.
• There are more than 2.4 million objects in the Royal Alberta Museum collection.
• More than 5,300 objects will be on display in the new museum that features a Human History Hall, Natural History Hall, interactive Children’s Gallery, expansive Bug Gallery and an admission-free space dedicated to the Manitou Stone.
• Many of the panels in the museum’s galleries are written in both French and English, and several others include Indigenous languages – Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Nakota and Michif.
• The museum is proud to have received a number of awards and accolades including:
  • Percy Wickman Accessibility Award from Spinal Cord Injury Alberta for a new building project in Alberta that has exceeded building codes in wheelchair accessibility features.
  • Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada Award of Excellence 2018 for an Outstanding Design.
  • Praise from Travel and Leisure Magazine in its international list of 50 places to travel in 2018, and the museum was listed in Conde Nast’s 7 Biggest Museum Openings in fall 2018.
• A total of $375.5 million is invested in the new museum: $253 million from the Alberta government and $122.5 million from the federal government’s Building Canada Fund.