Move the Collection
A new, world-class Canadian Canoe Museum cannot exist without a world-class collection. And as you can imagine, moving more than 600 watercraft and 500 paddles, along with hundreds of artifacts and an entire archives and library collection to a new location is no small feat!
Every vessel and artifact required detailed cleaning, documentation, stabilizing, packaging, transportation, a quarantine and inspection process and installation in the new museum. Each step was crucial to preserve this renowned collection so it can be shared for generations to come.
The new museum is vital to the care of this one-of-a-kind collection and the realization of all that it can inspire.
Thank you for your help on this final portage and moving the collection to its new waterfront home!
Please note the Move the Collection campaign is now complete and the information below is being kept purely for reflection on this monumental achievement.
Help move the collection to:
- offer facilitated access to 100% of the collection
- increase educational and public programming
- honour its cultural histories and stories
- enhance artifact care, stewardship and accessibility
- inspire connection, curiosity and new understanding.
How do you move a collection of this size?
Under the direction of the Curatorial Department, staff and interns will be carefully cleaning, photographing, documenting, and packing each canoe and kayak before placing it on a custom pallet to see it safely moved. Once packed, each canoe will be tagged according to its future location in the impressive racking system within the Class “A” Collection Hall or to be incorporated into our brand new exhibits, making the move-in choreography as easy as possible.
Interested in other ways of giving and supporting the development of the new museum?
Learn MoreFill the Collection Hall: A Progress Update
Approximately 33% of the entire collection has been moved into the new museum, including all the canoes and kayaks that will be on display in our new exhibits!
This includes 100 canoes and kayaks, out of 500 total, that will live in the brand-new Collection Hall!
“A key reason we’re making this move is to put this collection in a safe and accessible place that matches the quality and significance of the collection.”
Carolyn Hyslop, Executive Director
Great Portage
$5000 donation
With your Great Portage contribution, you are supporting the transfer of the largest vessels cared for in the Museum’s collection (ranging from 25’ to 53’ long). This group of watercraft range from great cedar dugouts representing First Nations of the Pacific Northwest region to 15-person flatwater sprint “war canoes” used by racing clubs, to enormous Fur Trade era canoes.
These watercraft have a striking presence and their size tells a unique story, which also means their size poses unique challenges and accommodations in their handling and relocation. Each of these enormous vessels requires its own unique pallet, transportation and care to safely lift it to the second floor of the museum by way of a large davit crane that will swing out over the two-storey Atrium area.
Big Lift
$2500 donation
With your Big Lift contribution, you are supporting the transfer of the Museum’s large-sized canoes and kayaks from across Canada and around the world (measuring from 18 to 25 feet in length). From rugged cargo canoes used in the Canadian north to sealskin-covered kayaks made in Inuit communities, to unusual expedition canoes made specifically for remarkable journeys, these large watercraft also require special accommodations in their handling and relocation.This is no regular portage, these bigger-than-average watercraft need a big lift.
Solo Carry
$1000 donation
With your Solo Carry contribution, you are supporting the transfer of the largest cohort of canoes and kayaks represented in the Museum’s collection (measuring up to 18′ in length). This diverse grouping includes birch bark canoes that span across North America, Inuit kayaks and umiaks, patented production offerings from wooden canoe manufacturers over more than a century and canoes and kayaks designed specifically for use at the Olympics and International competition.
Paddle & Pack
$100 – $500 donation
With your Paddle & Pack contribution, you are supporting the transfer of more than 500 paddles and other related equipment that enrich our understanding and add to the interpretive value of the watercraft themselves. Aside from paddles from across the continent and around the world, this collection includes canoe and kayak-making tools, food harvesting equipment, expedition gear used over centuries, canoe sailing gear and a myriad of other objects.
Fun Fact!
If you were to line our watercraft collection up end-to-end, it would stretch more than 3km. That’s approximately the distance between our current location and our new waterfront home!
