The Royal sa国际传媒 Museum will bring in international touring exhibitions, put the spotlight on local treasures and help protect local heritage this season, chief executive officer Jack Lohman announced Wednesday.
"The themes of our shows, our publications and our programs over the next six months all have an undercurrent of epic adventure, daring bravery and extreme natural beauty," he said.
Lohman, who announced six new exhibitions, is also recommending that the Douglas Treaties become sa国际传媒's first addition to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, which preserves global documentary heritage.
"sa国际传媒 only has three documents on UNESCO's world heritage list of archives," he said. "In October, I'm planning to change all that."
The Douglas Treaties contributed to the framework for First Nations' rights under Canadian common law. They will be on display for the first time this fall, Lohman said.
The treaties headline a rotating display of treasures from the sa国际传媒 Archives beginning Oct. 22 in the museum lobby.
But first, the season opens Oct. 4 with Envisioning the World: The First Printed Maps. Thirty of the earliest printed maps dating from the late 1400s will be on display, including the first world map and the world's oldest printed road map.
"In an era of Google Earth, it's important to realize just how the world was understood previously," Lohman said.
The Canadian War Museum's national touring exhibition The Navy - A Century in Art makes its first stop in the province Nov. 6.
Lohman said naval paintings in the exhibit are among the most evocative he's ever seen. "They focus less on ships and more on the sort of rugged life of service at home and overseas."
In another Remembrance Day-themed exhibition, the museum has partnered with the Canadian Scottish Regiment to mark its centennial with For Valour - The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) 100 Years of Service in Peace and War, opening Oct. 20.
Victoria hosts this year's North American premi猫re of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, which returns Nov. 30.
The top 100 shots taken around the world, selected from 48,000 entries this year, will be displayed as large-scale, back-lit photographs in a touring show from London's Natural History Museum.
The spotlight returns to the local stage Feb. 7 with a show focused on sa国际传媒's first Chinatown.
As part of Tradition in Felicities - Celebrating 155 Years of Victoria's Chinatown, the museum is working to conserve the oldest known Chinese lantern, as well as presenting a multimedia exhibition featuring personal testimonies.
The season finale focuses on the quest to be the first to reach the South Pole. Race to the End of the Earth, opening May 17, centres on the 3,000-kilometre adventures of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and Captain Robert Falcon Scott of the British Royal Navy. The exhibit will feature artifacts, camp re-creations and interactive displays and activities.
The museum will also offer half-price admission on weekday afternoons for a one-month trial period starting mid-October, in an effort to make it more accessible to locals with budgetary constraints.
It's publishing two books this fall: Saanich Ethnobotany by Nancy Turner and Richard Hebda, and Nature Guide to the Victoria Region, edited by Ann Nightingale and Claudia Copley.
Lohman, who replaced Pauline Rafferty as CEO in March, said he plans to modernize the museum in coming years, as well as continue a tradition of promoting sa国际传媒's heritage.
