WhereP eople and History Come to Life 03 04 > ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION CORPORATION CA NADIAN M USEUM OF CIVI LIZ ATION > CANADIAN WAR MUSEU M 03>04 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION CORPORATION CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION > CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM Canadian Museum of Civilization 100 Laurier Street P.O.Box 3100,Station B Gatineau,Quebec J8X 4H2 www.civilization.ca Information:(819) 776-7000/1-800-555-5621 Teletype (TTY):(819) 776-7003 Group Reservations:(819) 776-7014 Facility Rentals:(819) 776-7018 Members of the Museum:(819) 776-7100 Volunteers:(819) 776-7011 Financial Supportfor the CMC Development:(819) 776-7016 Cyberboutique:www.civilization.ca Canadian War Museum 330 Sussex Drive Ottawa,Ontario K1A 0M8 www.warmuseum.ca Vimy House 221 Champagne Avenue North Ottawa,Ontario K1R 7R7 Information and Other Services:(819) 776-8600/1-800-555-5621 Fax:(819) 776-8623 Friends of the Canadian War Museum:(819) 776-8618 Passing the Torch Campaign:(819) 776-8636 or 1-800-256-6031 www.passingthetorch.ca Museum of New France Creator of the Virtual Museum of New FranceTM www.vmnf.civilization.ca Published by Corporate Communications Public Relations and Publishing Division,Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation A printed version of this annual reportis available upon request:(819) 776-8380 Table of Contents > 2> Message from the Chair Sharing Knowledge and Expertise> 4> Presidentand CEO’s Report 30> Travelling exhibitions 30> Publications The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation> 31> Articles and presentations 6> Mandate 31> Civilization.ca 8> Highlights 32> IMAX® Theatre 9> Corporate governance 32> Musical heritage on CD 10> Meeting our objectives 32> Outreach atthe Canadian Children’s Museum 14> Upcoming challenges 32> History atthe Canadian Postal Museum Strengthening Financial and Operational Viability> > THE CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION 33> Boutiques 33> A new call centre Promoting Canadian Identity and World Cultures> 33> Maintenance of building infrastructure 16> Permanentexhibitions 34> The Corporation’s guides 18> New special exhibitions 34> Human resources 21> Virtual exhibitions 34> Volunteers Preserving Our Heritage> 35> Marketing and public relations 22> Acquisitions 37> Fundraising activities 22> Incoming and outgoing loans 38> Exhibitions 22> Artifactconservation 23> Repatriation 23> Aboriginal Training Programme in Museum Practices > CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM 23> Research 25> Archives and documentation The new CWM> 26> Preserving our postal heritage 43> Construction 43> Exhibition development Public Programmes for Everyone> 27> Enhancing visitors’experience 44> New special exhibitions 28> FirstPeoples programming 45> Preserving military heritage 28> Special series 29> Dramamuse Public programmes> 29> Programmes for students 46> Film and Lecture series 29> New volunteer interpreter programme 46> Special events 29> Learning atthe Canadian Children’s Museum 47> Educational programmes 29> Partnerships with the Canadian Children’s Museum 29> Public programmes atthe Canadian Postal Museum 48> Sharing knowledge 49> Public relations 50> Exhibitions 51> Donors and sponsors Financial Statements> Chair(cid:213) s Message 2> Two museums with > As national museums of social and military history, the Canadian Museum of Civilization multiple voices and the Canadian War Museum face a challenge highly symbolic of our country itself: how to illustrate identity and relate history in a way that reflects our extent, complexity and diversity. Under the strong direction of President and CEO,Dr.Victor Rabinovitch,the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation has undertaken to respond to this challenge by adopting an approach of presenting diverse points of view on the country(cid:213)s development.Dr.Rabinovitch calls this (cid:210)a multiplicity of voices.(cid:211) A member of the Board of Trustees from the very beginning of the Corporation, The Canada Hall, our most popular permanent exhibition, tells the story of Canada from the social and economic Claudette Roy served as Vice-Chair for developmentangle.Itengages visitors in a journey through four years before her appointmentas Chair in November 2003. time and across physical distances, enabling them to encounter various regions and historical periods, from the An educator by profession, Ms.R oy spent most of her career Atlantic to the Pacific, from the early whale hunts to the arrival of Asian immigrants.During the pastyear,we added teaching Social Studies atthe senior level in French immersion two new modules on communities and economic activities of and French firstlanguage schools,and in school administration. Canada(cid:213)s West Coast, thereby completing a portrait presented in the engaging style of the Canada Hall. She has initiated many Francophone projects and institutions, including Alberta(cid:213)s first publicly funded French first language Another voice now heard in a large permanent exhibition is that of Aboriginal peoples from all parts of the country.The school.She subsequently served as a member of the Minister of opening of the FirstPeoples Hall in 2003 has enabled the telling of the history of Canada seen and lived by the firstinhabitants Education(cid:213)s task force that led to the creation of Francophone of the continent. The First Peoples Hall, with over 200,000 school boards in the province. visitors during the pastyear,conveys four major themes that are an essential elementof currentAboriginal identity:We are still here,We are diverse,We contributeand We have an ancient relationship with the land. In 2005,another voice will be heard,with the opening of the new Canadian War Museum (CWM). This is the most importantcultural institution to open in the National Capital Region in 15 years. It is by far the Corporation(cid:213)s most important current project, to which we have dedicated considerable financial and staff resources. 3> What will be presented in the new CWM is the history of Canada seen from the viewpointof military organization and activity,and of the men and women who lived thathistory, both athome and abroad.Faithful to its motto,THE SPIRIT OF A COUNTRY,THE COURAGE OF ITS PEOPLE,the Canadian War Museum will address itself to all Canadians,showing present and future generations how the borders,values and even the industrial organization of Canada have been shaped by the realities of war. Overall, the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum are two national institutions in which all Canadians can recognize themselves. The Corporation undertakes to make the riches of its knowledge accessible to the greatestnumber of people possible.Half of the visitors of the Museums are Canadians from outside of the National Capital Region and one-quarter are international visitors to Canada.Additionally,once a year,the Board of Trustees travels to a differentregion of the country. In echoing the different peoples and regions that make up this country,the Corporation seeks to reflectCanadian society in its totality.We give expression to our culture and national identity as they have evolved,and as they continue to mature. We challenge our visitors to understand more fully what being Canadian means.And,I think,we do this with much success. President and CEO’s Report 4> > A tough year ends The past year was one in which the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) on a high note achieved exceptional success in the face of some formidable challenges. Like others in the Canadian tourism industry, the Corporation’s two Museums were hard-hit in 2003 by international visitors’fears aboutSARS.These fears were also reinforced by other concerns for potential visitors,including the news aboutBSE in Alberta,the war in Iraq,slowdowns at the Canada/U.S.border and reductions in air flights. During the peak period for SARS, cultural institutions and Dr. Victor Rabinovitch has served as tourism destinations in the National Capital Region and President and Chief Executive Officer of elsewhere in the country saw a significant reduction in the number of visitors.This negative trend continued throughout the Canadian Museum of Civilization the summer months — normally the busiestseason for visits to Ottawa-Gatineau. As a result, the Canadian Museum of Corporation since 2000. Civilization (CMC) experienced a significant drop in visits during the third quarter of 2003.Similar — and even deeper — Previously, Dr. Rabinovitch held positions as Assistant Deputy reductions were experienced by our colleagues across the Minister with various federal departments. With Human country. Resources Development Canada, he oversaw the Branch The difficult summer and early autumn were followed by a tremendous period of success during a season thatis normally administering the national public pension programmes in slow.We broke four monthly attendance records beginning in Canada’s social security system. As Assistant Deputy Minister December,and thereby regained both visit totals and a large portion of revenues lostfrom earlier in the year. with the Departmentof Canadian Heritage,he was responsible for a wide range of Canadian cultural programmes. We were overwhelmed by the public’s tremendous response to AncientTreasures and the Dead Sea Scrollswhich opened in December 2003. This exhibition — a once-in-a-lifetime Before joining the federal public service,Dr.Rabinovitch was the opportunity to see rare artifacts from the biblical period — national head of Workplace Health and Safety with the attracted so many visitors that we had to extend our weekend hours.We found thatvisitors took more time than Canadian Labour Congress. He also served as an Executive usual to view this exhibition,and our eightweek long lecture Director in the Governmentof Manitoba. series,featuring invited experts on the Scrolls,was so popular thateach lecture had to be delivered twice. This record attendance was helped by the innovative way we responded to a difficult climate. We developed a targeted 5> promotion strategy,reaching out to both local audiences in To help us reach beyond the physical confines of our two the National Capital Region, and to community groups in Museums,the CMCC uses printand electronic publications as Canada and the United States with a special interest in information distribution tools. Last year, we gave extra particular subjects.In other words,we brought information emphasis to producing book publications, and released 14 and encouragementdirectly to potential visitors in their own new titles in our Mercury Series,dedicated to research,or as communities,and thereby promoted their decisions to come commercial co-publications. see exhibitions of exceptional merit. With the help of the Internet,visitors from around the world Other exhibitions and public programming in 2003–2004 also accessed information through our Web site,Civilization.ca. explored new ways to combine entertainment with solid The site received 6 million individual virtual visits,up from learning.For Across Time and Tundra:The Inuvialuit of the 4.3 million the previous year.Among its many features,our Canadian Arctic,we incorporated highly engaging interactive Web site hosts more than 90 virtual exhibitions,to which we modules.These enabled visitors to learn Inuvialuitwords and add regularly. phrases,to touch reproduction artifacts or to see themselves dancing on a giantscreen alongside Inuvialuitdrum dancers. Travelling exhibitions are an essential activity to disseminate knowledge. CMC and CWM exhibitions travel across the In 2003–2004, Museum staff continued to add to our country, to both small and large museums, thus reaching knowledge and understanding of Canada’s history and Canadians who live far from Ottawa-Gatineau.And to better diverse cultures. Specialists undertook a great number of fulfill its national role, each year the Corporation lends research projects, in fields such as ethnology, archaeology, approximately 700 objects from its collections to other and history — both social and military.Many of these projects institutions. are connected to the development of new exhibitions. An excellent example is Presenza: A New Look at Italian- Visitor satisfaction assessed through our evaluation and Canadian Heritage, which examines the history of Italian survey work continued to show a very high level of approval. immigrants and their contributions to Canadian society. A satisfaction rate of 96 per centwas reported,and the total Presenza’s curator and his research team carried outseveral number of visitors was 1,350,000, continuing the CMC’s hundred interviews and collected artifacts from members of record as Canada’s most-visited Museum.The CWM received Italian communities across Canada. a solid attendance of 116,000 visitors.While it is expected thattourism in 2004–2005 will be somewhatstronger than Research and writing are central aspects of the new Canadian in the last year, we are still in a period of uncertainty. War Museum (CWM) project. Staff have worked to create Consequently, the Corporation will continue to seek narratives,selectartifacts and collaborate with designers to innovative ways to promote its public programmes and create the huge permanent exhibition that will form the exhibitions,while also maintaining a high level of activity in heart of the new museum. The building project is being research and collection.Our future success will depend on our carried outby a team led by Joe Geurts,Director of the CWM excellence in managing these fundamentals. and Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation.This corporate dimension is essential to the rapid pace achieved by this amazing project— for funding,technical supportand Board direction.The new CWM will change public understanding of our military history,and itis already changing the skyline of downtown Ottawa. Canadian Museum of Civiliz ation Corpor ation 6> Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation: Canada(cid:213)s national museums of social, human and military history Originating in 1856 as a branch of the Geological Survey of Canada,the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) >Mandate is a Crown Corporation established The Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian pursuantto the Museums Act,which came War Museum have a core mandate of being centres for into force on July 1,1990. collections,research and public information on the social, military and human history of the country. The The Corporation includes the Canadian Corporation(cid:213)s principal role is to help preserve and Museum of Civilization (CMC) and the promote the heritage of Canada for present and future Canadian W ar Museum (CWM). The generations,thereby contributing to the promotion and Corporation is also responsible for the enhancementof our national identity. managemento f the Virtual Museum of Guiding principles New France, composed o f virtual The Museums(cid:213)work is guided by five essential principles: exhibitions and on-line activities on the history of Canada from 1534 to 1763. 1> Knowledge Museum activities focus on the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Our research is rigorous and creative, thereby >From top to bottom: Claudette Roy (Chair); Pierre contributing to new understanding. Our exhibitions and Dufour (Vice-Chair);Mich(cid:143)le Alderton (Trustee);Joe programmes are knowledge-based and provide clear information Geurts (Chief Operating Officer and Director and CEO to the public. of the Canadian War Museum); Paul M anson (Trustee); RobertJ .O jolick (Trustee); Mark O(cid:213)Neill 2> Authenticity (Corporate Secretary and Director,Strategic Planning, and Acting Vice-President, Public Relations and Authenticity in our Museum means thatwe are truthful and Publishing);Victor Rabinovitch (Presidentand CEO); comprehensive.We are committed to showing artifacts from Marianna Simeone (Trustee);Claudia Simon (Trustee); CMCC collections and from other public collections. Harvey A. Slack (Trustee); Th(cid:142)r(cid:143)se Sp(cid:142)nard-Pilon Authenticity involves communicating accurate information (Trustee);Gloria Webster (Trustee). Absent:Thelma Ann Brennan (Trustee) which is balanced and in context. 7> 3> Coherence Visitor statistics Coherence applies to all our Museums(cid:213)activities as we aim to be The CMC:a national and international audience consistent,united in purpose and easily accessible.We strive for >Equal number of men and women coherence in our research,exhibitions,programmes,services and >45 per centof all visitors have a bachelor(cid:213)s or design,in our behaviour as teams,and in our use of the Museums(cid:213) graduate degree physical spaces. >32 per centare Francophone and 68 per centare Anglophone 4>Choice and respect >47 per centare Canadians from outside the The collections, programmes and exhibitions administered National Capital Region by our Museums reflect a wide range of people and subjects. >26 per centare from Ottawa-Gatineau Making choices is necessary for good management: we >27 per centare from outside the country can never include all themes, all perspectives, or all proposed artifacts. Our choices are informed by respect: we will The CWM:well-educated,diverse visitors notengage in activities or presentmaterials thatmightpromote >More than 40 per centof visitors have a intolerance. bachelor(cid:213)s or graduate degree >One-quarter have performed some type of 5> Canadian perspectives military service Our collections,programmes and exhibitions reflecta Canadian >64 per centare male perspective. We present Canadian contexts, comments, or >80 per centare Anglophone reactions on subjects of wider significance. This dimension >50 per centare from Ontario reflects the fundamental Canadian commitment to democracy in its political and social sense. Canadian Museum of Civiliz ation Corpor ation 8> > Highlights The new Canadian War Museum:progress on schedule Construction of the new building progressed on schedule. Attendance: a record-breaking year Excavation of the site was completed during the spring,and In 2003—2004,the Canadian Museum of Civilization welcomed concrete forms were raised during the summer. The 1,350,000 visitors. The Museum also set new attendance assembly of structural steel began in December. Over the records for every month of the period from December 2003 winter,the concrete structure was completely enclosed,and through March 2004.In these months,the critical success of work moved indoors. The new Canadian War Museum is AncientTreasures and the Dead Sea Scrolls resulted in a 20 per scheduledto open in May 2005. centincrease in visitors to the Museum compared to the same period in the previous year. Fundraising:Passing the Torchsurpassed its goal Passing the Torch,thefundraising campaign in supportof the Special exhibitions: another successful year new Canadian War Museum, surpassed its $15 million Over 315,000 people visited The Mysterious Bog People objective, making it the most successful fundraising effort exhibition during its nine-month run that ended in ever for a federal cultural institution. September 2003.Only four months after the opening,more than 100,000 people had already seen the exhibition Ancient Collections:building on donations Treasures and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Two major exhibitions Among several other important collections,the Corporation developed by the CMC, Presenza: A New Look at Italian- received hundreds of mementoes left by mourners at Pierre Canadian Heritage and Across Time and Tundra: The ElliotTrudeau(cid:213)s funeral.These objects,donated by the family Inuvialuit of the Canadian Arctic, also generated great of the former Prime Minister,include cards made by children, interestand attracted thousands of visitors. posters and other personal tributes. Permanentexhibitions: a major landmark achieved Civilization.ca:sharing more knowledge on-line In 2003, the CMC completed the installation of its largest Last year, the Corporation(cid:213)s Web site logged over 51 million exhibition, the Canada Hall, adding two new sections on accessed pages.The CMCC also launched seven new virtual Canada(cid:213)s Pacific Region:WestCoastCommunitiesand Pacific exhibitions.Together,the CMC and the CWM Web pages now Gateway. hostclose to 100 on-line exhibitions. Revenues:stable despite challenges Total on-site revenues for the Corporation of $8.8 million remained stable despite difficult times for the tourism industry across Canada in 2003.