smart | city Te boldest idea of all: the startling


Canadian Museum for Human Rights Negative reactions to its conceptual architecture could be the result of misinterpretation


T


he voice on the other end of the line was agitated and concerned. Te caller wanted to know if I had read the November issue of Te Walrus. I hadn't – the magazine is a lit-


tle too pretentious for me, claim- ing as it does that it is "Fearless. Witty. Toughtful. Canadian." Especially because it is not that “Canadian,” unless we describe Canada as Toronto. “You must read it,” he told


Bold Ideas Dorothy Dobbie


me, “and write something to refute it. The Walrus writer is so negative about the Ca- nadian Museum for Human Rights.” He said that the article bad-


mouthed everything from the architecture to the concept to the funding, and from what


he said, it did it in a particularly supercilious and dismissive way. I am not surprised. One of Winnipeg’s boldest ideas yet is the Canadian


Museum for Human Rights. It’s so bold and new that it is setting the Canadian (read: Toronto) media into a frenzy of confusion and self-doubt, fueled, perhaps, by simple jealousy. It seems the writers don’t understand the unusual


architecture so they don’t have the language to deal with it. Uncomfortable and wordless, they rely on well- oiled phrases to describe this indescribable building, and since there is nothing like it, they end up with negative phrases. Tis is the same group that goes “oooh” and “ahhh”


when they see a blank canvas and are told it means something by some over-touted art critic. So don't let it get you down, folks. Like all art, architecture is a matter of subjective


opinion. You are going to love it or hate it. I love it; to me, it looks like a prairie campfire and fits beautifully on the banks of the Red River. One thing I know for sure, the museum will now replace its neighbouring bridge as an iconic symbol for Winnipeg. The building is bold and beautiful, stunning in


conception, design and construction. As one architect from Victoria told me last week, "You Winnipeggers should be very proud of your trades community – that is a very complex building and its construction has been very well-executed." He sees a lot of work coming our way because of it. Another mantra of the eastern media is that "taxpay-


ers' money" could be better spent. I don't know how, in view of the incredible job done by Gail Asper in raising almost $150 million to complete the job (the federal government put up just $100 million, with the province and the city anteing up the rest). And remember that this is the first national museum


ever to be funded with any private donations. It is also the first national museum ever to be located outside of Ottawa, which like the virology lab being here, is a thorn in the side of the over-privileged Ontarians. Much has been written about the museum’s offices


being exposed to the public as well as occupying the glass side of the interior. I am told by the people who work there that this is a most inspiring place to work. CEO Stuart Murray says every day is a different dis-


covery in how the light strikes the building; how the rain looks when it falls, what happens to snow. Does this matter? Yes, it does; this is a museum of


ideas, not artifacts. Inspiration will be key to its success in moving the human rights agenda ahead, because one thing the critics are correct about – telling the human story is complex and fraught with emotion, confusion and insecurities. Tat is okay. Te controversy over whose story should


be told and its hierarchy is a natural part of the human journey toward understanding, acceptance and peace. Every human right has been hard-won amidst debate and disagreement, sometimes even bloodshed. Why would the telling of these stories be any different? So the uncertainty about content is understandable


and it can be expected to continue. To Winnipeggers who feel a little brutalized by the eastern media, I say let it go. Laugh off their resentments. Get behind the museum and help it get on with the job of bringing ideas to light and giving permission to speak of the unspoken. Over time, the museum will mellow and the interior


will warm up with the heat of hope and optimism. Tere will be more stories presented in novel ways. Tere will also be tangible galleries to satisfy, for


those who need to, the experience of being near an actual artifact that speaks to their past.


6 Smart Biz


The bold design of the museum reflects the bold vision behind it. Photos by Dorothy Dobbie. Just the facts


Voted 2014 Global Best Project by Engineering News-Record Site: The Forks, First Nations Treaty One land, Winnipeg Design architect: Antoine Predock Executive architects: Architecture49


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 of Ottawa. Only Canadian national museum to be one-third funded by private donations: private sector, $142 million – so far; Canadian government, $100 million; province $40 million; Winnipeg, $23.6 million.


Admission: Adults $15 (tax included); youth aged seven to 17 pay $8 (under seven is free); students and seniors $12. A fam- ily of up to six can enter for $42.


A statue of Mahatma Gandhi stands near the museum. As time goes on, those who feel most concerned


about their story being told will see that it does have a place on the agenda, perhaps not just once but many times over the years as we learn from the past how to shape a better future. Tis is a museum, a gallery if you will, about moving


from darkness to light, just as architect Antoine Pre- dock presented as a physical entity with his building design. We are still in the stages of darkness, but never doubt


that we will rise toward the light. To put it in terms that The Walrus might under-


stand, this museum is about “Concepts. Ideas. Hope. Canada.” It is also about the boldness of Winnipeg, which


should feel buoyed up by the jealous arrows sent our way by media whose thinking is stuck in the past.


www.smartbizwpg.com The inventor of “bold ideas” When you’re reading this, the civic election might be only days


away, and that means decision time is looming. To ensure that the city is ready to meet the promise it currently holds, it needs bold leadership. The originator of the Bold Ideas concept by the Win- nipeg Chamber of Commerce was Brian Bowman, currently one of the leaders in the race for mayor. In my opinion, this is what we need in our next mayor – some-


one who thinks about the forest while dealing with the trees (read potholes); a bold leader who is not afraid to take a step beyond. Brian Bowman is his own man – not in the pockets of road


builders or developers or the civic unions. I strongly and personally endorse Brian Bowman for mayor. -Dorothy Dobbie


November 2014


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