Special Exhibits

STAR WARS™ Identities: The Exhibition

From May 10 to September 2, 2013 the STAR WARS™ Identities exhibition at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum will take visitors on an interactive quest to explore the science of identity. Using an extensive collection of over 200 objects from the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, the exhibition follows the dramatic journeys of Luke and Anakin Skywalker, cinema’s most famous father and son duo, exploring what makes these characters who they are.

Sakahàn: International Indigenous Art

From May 17 to September 2, 2013 at the National Gallery of Canada. Highlighting over 150 works by more than 75 artists from around the world, including impressive installations created specifically for the project. Poetic, unexpected and challenging, the artworks document and interrogate distinct cultural  and social issues. Various approaches and mediums are used in the ambitious exhibition including performance art, drawing, installations, painting, photography, sculpture and video. Several new works will be created specifically for the exhibition.

Edward Burtynsky: Oil

From May 31 to September 2, 2013 at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Edward Burtynsky: Oil includes over 50 large-scale colour photographs that together present a glimpse into the lifecycle of an energy source that has shaped our modern world. Burtynsky's masterful prints show—in superb detail—scenes of oil fields, refineries, automobiles, aircraft, other vehicles, high-speed motorway networks, and disposed and recycled materials.

Photo © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto / Howard Greenberg & Bryce Wolkowitz, New York

Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters

Until May 5, 2013 experience the power of nature at the Canadian Museum of Nature. This interactive exhibition focuses on four types of disasters; earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes and tornadoes. At the Nature Unleashed exhibit visitors can generate a virtual volcanic eruption, monitor earthquakes around the world in real time, simulate a tsunami, stand in the centre of a roaring tornado, and witness the power of hurricane-force winds.

Kandahar: The Fighting Season

Until September 22, 2013 at the Canadian War Museum. From 2005 to 2011, Canadian soldiers were deployed to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. There they engaged in heavy combat with insurgents as part of an international effort to support the government of Afghanistan. Award-winning Canadian photographer Louie Palu accompanied soldiers in the most dangerous districts of Kandahar. He captured their world of firefights and exhausting patrols in an unforgiving landscape.

Photo © Louie Palu

Double Take – Portraits of Intriguing Canadians

Until October 14, 2013 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Insightful. Revealing. Surprising. The exhibition Double Take – Portraits of Intriguing Canadians invites visitors to discover unsuspected or little-known aspects of 59 prominent personalities who left their mark on their times. Bringing together more than one hundred paintings, photographs and drawings, as well as artifacts, Double Take offers to take a fresh look at these renowned individuals who shaped the history of our nation.

Vodou

Until February 23, 2014, check out Vodou at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. This Haitian Vodou exhibit showcases more than 300 artifacts, documentary films, and first person accounts by Vodouists from Canada’s Haitian community. Come learn about this spiritual tradition, its beliefs and rituals.

Living in Space

Through 2014 at Canada Aviation and Space Museum. Created by the Canadian Space Agency this exhibit features great hands-on interactive activities for the kids including a computerized game that lets you assemble a space meal. Place your hand on an astronaut’s hand print surrounding a giant rotating globe to learn more about them and other fun facts from space. Find out how able you would be at working in a weightless environment. Check out the various objects, replicas and components used daily by astronauts during a mission. Fun for the family and kids of all ages.

Let's Talk Energy: Engaging Ideas for Canada's Future

Let's Talk Energy: Engaging Ideas for Canada's Future: is a national multi-year program (June 2011 – June 2017) exploring Canada's energy production and consumption and the implications of greening the country's energy network. Visit the energy exhibitions at these three national museums to learn more: