MUSEUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
templative garden filled with water and plants and into the clouds, your eyes are ever roaming to take in the incredible angles and textures and dizzying use of natural light. “Te staff of the Museum moved into the building in early January of this year and every day is one of wonder and de- light,” says Stuart Murray, soft spoken president and CEO of the Museum. “Tis is the coolest building in Canada,” he says. Stuart quotes the master exhibit designer, who said he hoped that “the ex- hibits will dance with the building.” Te physical space inspires everyone who works here, including himself. “In the winter I would be captivated by the snow and the way it would hang in patterns on the glass and now I see the same thing with rain. Te views are always shifting and changing. You can’t help but be in- spired by the building even before you begin your journey.” Te corporate of- fices have been deliberately set on three levels beside the glass walls readily vis- ible by the public to show how people are working on human rights every day. Stuart, himself, is constantly learn-
Statue of Mahatma Gandhi near the Museum. Just the facts
Voted 2014 Global Best Project Award by ‘Engineering New Record’ Site: The Forks, First Nations Treaty One land, Winnipeg Design architect: Antoine Predock Executive architects: Smith Carter
Concept: Four stone “roots” represent all humans as children of the Earth, from which rises the Tower of Hope wrapped in the wings of a dove. Cost: $351 million Builders: PCL Construction
Building materials: 1,300 pieces of glazing; 35,000 tonnes of concrete; Spanish alabaster; local Manitoba Tyndall stone; basalt rock Height: 100 metres (23 stories) to the top of the Tower of Hope
First and Only: Only national museum built outside national Capital Region in Ottawa. Only Canadian National museum to be one-third funded by private donations: private sector, $142 million – so far; Government of Canada, $100 million; Province of Manitoba $40 million; City of Winnipeg, $23.6 million.
Access cost: Adults $15 (tax included); youth aged seven to 17 pay $8 (under seven is free); students and seniors $12. A family of up to six can enter for $42.
18 • Fall 2014
ing from both the work on exhibits and the building. He views the Museum as a “game changer,” not just for interna- tional understanding but for his city and his province. “We have had many speak- ers from around the world,” he says, “and they all had the same message: ‘I hope you realize what you have here.’ ” He sees the intrinsic opportunities for Manitoba to once again take a lead role in Canada on a topic that has immense possibilities for the future. Nor does he shy away from controversy, saying that this is okay because controversy pro- motes understanding. “Tis is a world of fragile freedoms,” he says, to illustrate his empathy with those who want their stories told. He hopes the stories we tell here will help heal old wounds and lend new hope for a better world, one less filled with conflict and fear. Stuart cautions that the opening of the Museum on Sept. 20 is just the begin- ning. “Never say you’ve achieved some- thing great,” he concludes. “Say, what’s the next chapter?” He is filled with hope and optimism and excitement about tomorrow – and that’s an inspiration in itself.
The Hub
Photo by Dorothy Dobbie.
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