Glenbow Museum

Great history, great art. Beautifully designed exhibits.
On my visit, the exhibit, «Kaleidoscopic Animalia: An exhibition designed and curated by Paul Hardy» was truly exceptional, a fashion-designer’s set of uniquely themed «rooms» based on items in the museum’s collection. Brilliant – a witty and beautiful that showed disparate objects in a new light.
Also, this is no minor thing, their museum store (cleverly open a half hour after museum closing), is one of the best museum gift shops I’ve seen anywhere, with a lot of Canadian artist-​made crafts and jewelry.
The only negative – overpriced parking at the convention center parkade which charges you beyond the stated limit.

A great museum. We were looking forward to visiting it, and it did not disappoint. There is so much to see and it is all so well done. We spent most of our time in the local history exhibits and were worn out when we got through — but there were still 3 – 4 other areas we wanted to visit, but decided to call it a day. We would go back (2 or 3 or 4) times if we were in the area longer. Alas — so much to see and so little time.

I’ve been to museums all over North America and this one definitely needs a little help. First floor of random art was kids drawings of ‚“Canadian art,” which is ok I guess but doesn’t justify the $ 15 price. I didn’t make it through the rest of the museum but substantially better. They need 24 hour passes or discounted rates because a few hours definitely isn’t enough time to get through it. I would have given it three stars otherwise.

Oh, Canada! This is a great museum. I loved the featured Canadian artists and learning the history and culture of the First Nations. The exhibits are fun, interactive, and endless. Seriously, around every corner there is another exhibit. They also have an incredible art center on the second floor where you can make your own art to take home with you. What a lovely visit to Calgary and what an amazing collection.

I haven’t been to the Glenbow for many years, but I’m glad I gave it another go.
Some of the permanent exhibits are a bit boring, but most of them have a nice layout, good architecture, and flow nicely. I really enjoyed the First Nations history and the Oil and Gas history as well.
A great place to learn about Alberta and its history.

The best I love how they change up the Exhibits very neat and they have amazing artists that sometimes come to. Very organized and super clean gee’s also the Staff are superb very friendly I’d say! I would recommend coming here you learn a lot different cultures to through out the art!!! there is nothing to complain about what so ever. 5 stars it deserves!!! I’l be back for sure

What’s not to love about a Museum. We’ve been here quite a few times, more so when there is an exhibit or event that appeals to us. I love wandering around, watching my kids take in every little detail and exhibit, the history… feeding my constant yearning to learn and discover.
Three times a year the Glenbow hosts kids events. And they are wonderful. Their crafts room coincides with the exhibits. The kids love rolling up their sleeves and having fun.
Recently we went on a Friday afternoon and it was not very busy. No need to wrangle the kids in and remind them to shhhush at times. It was like we had the place to ourselves. And the craft room, loved being the only ones there.
No matter how you see it, it’s a great way to spend a date, bring visitors/​guests for a tour, or immerse the family in some history on a cold day.

What an experience! I’m sad I didn’t go earlier. I was lucky enough to head to the Pivot party and really was amazed at the space in the museum. The grand staircases and chandelier and the open area.
Great location, paired with the Telus Convention Center.
I liked how they grouped their exhibits and the extensive knowledge of the staff at the museum. The grand, high ceilings added to the classy yet trendy ambiance. Very cool! Looking forward to going back.
The could use some dusting on the wood panels alongside the staircase, but otherwise, it’s a very well kept and beautiful space!

This museum reminds me of a smaller scale version of the ROM. There are obvious differences of course. The Glenbow is housed in a more modern building than the ROM. There are 3 floors of artifacts, & artwork. Most of their collection of paintings is modern work, focusing on artists from Calgary. My favourite parts of the museum was the mineral world & art of asia. Though the sections on the native peoples of Calgary were very interesting as well. Visiting the Glenbow makes me want to go back to the ROM & wander around again.

I feel like we forget about the Glenbow museum all the time and don’t take advantage of it enough. Sure its no MOMA or anything like The Met, but its really not that bad. They have so many feature exhibits that come to Calgary that are worth seeing! My boyfriend and I have gone at least twice in the past year to see two exhibits featuring some inspirational photographers and we were both pleased with the collection of photos they featured. So keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next exhibit in town. Could be worth seeing.

Talk about a time warp. This is a museum that shows what museums were like in the 60s and 70s. Hidden in a downtown office tower, it totally lacks any setting or ambiance. The lack of exhibit-​related signage and hand-​out materials makes it a little difficult to plan your visit if you don’t have time for everything. There is no museum-​dedicated parking which is makes it difficult for tourists, as does the poor street level signage.
But it does have an impressive art and artifacts collection, but the curation is a mixed bag. The Canada on Canvass show was top notch and the tree-​inspired modern sculpture installation thoughtful. The Asian religious artifacts display was repetitive and lacked a proper introduction. It really seemed like a pandering to donors.
The mineral display was perhaps the most boring museum display I’ve seen in five years (and I’ve been to many small town museums in that time). The Aboriginal gallery is the highlight, but perhaps tries to cover too much geography.
All in all, worth a visit, but not a good place for kids.

I wish I had more time to spend in Calgary so that I could have properly explored this museum. Two hours between the end of my customer’s day and when I needed to be at the airport simply wasn’t enough. Maybe Glenbow could have a late night in the week so that those of us who have to work for a living can stop by? Hmm?
Great art including a massive exhibit of classics from Stampedes going back to the first one and a hallway (no photography allowed) of Charlie Russell cowboy art. Lots of Calgary and Great Plains history and exhibits too. And of course, it’s an art museum so there was an exhibit of Calgary artists and Calgary art.
Calgary is a massive mining and resources town, so there is a huge display of rocks and minerals from the local area and from around the world. Not just precious stones like jades but all sorts of unusual ones like Calcite and Quartz and Hemimorphite and more. Don’t miss the display of phosphorescent rocks which glow in the dark (no, not radiation).
I was a little bummed that there wasn’t a display of Olympic stuff here, other than one bit.
A great deal and well worth it. I enjoyed it and would love to have had more time!

Kind of bummed that everyone is hating so hard on the «permanent» exhibits at the Glenbow. Some of them, I could take or leave, but I feel as though the exhibits on Alberta, as well as the First Nations peoples are too important to omit. It was only in my Canadian Studies courses at the University of Calgary that I really learned in depth about Alberta’s history, the National Energy Project, etc. The Glenbow provides excellent information on Alberta. I remember my friend having a couchsurfer from Germany this summer who had attended these exhibits, and when we all met up for a hike this week, he had gained enough information to have a long chat in the car with me about Alberta’s history.
One thing I really disagree with about the Glenbow, however, is their handling of certain «artifacts». I have heard many accounts of how an item at the Glenbow has belonged to a family member, or someone from their reserve, but the Glenbow has failed to return these items. Some may say, whatever, it’s a museum, right? Well, this past spring, there was quite a lot of controversy around this issue, as the Glenbow was auctioning many of their First Nations archives off. It was really heartbreaking to see. In one of my Indigenous Studies courses at the time, we gained acess to this list of items being auctioned off. It included beautiful paintings, useful utensils and tools, beautifully beaded dresses/​garments, etc. On each listing, they were able to identify exactly what area of Canada, and which band it came from. Hey Glenbow– here’s a thought… if you have all of these excess archives, you know exactly where they came from, and you actually care about your relationship with the First Nations community and the descendants of the owners of some of these items… why not return them, as opposed to auctioning them off for pitiful prices? After all, it’s not like you made these things yourselves, and many of these items come from areas within Calgary’s vicinity. We considered going to this auction to raise some ruckus, or to rescue some of these items from their fate, but unfortunately had a class that evening. Maybe I’ve just watched too many documentaries on repatriation (ex. «Stolen Spirits of the Haida Gwaii,» you all should watch it!) but since this incident, I always have a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth when I think about visiting the Glenbow. DRAMA!
Also, for those interested in some extra reading, here is an article about ANOTHER auction at the Glenbow just this September. It makes me throw up in my mouth.
The bitter taste is still there, but I managed to try and put this aside when I took my little new media studying brother to the Watch Me Move animation exhibit over the weekend. The exhibit itself was really lovely to watch, and I enjoyed the setting of the viewing stations as well on the big cozy sitting things and the sound isolating headphones. There were a few really cool animators featured.
In order to support one of Calgary’s only museums, I will try and continue to visit the Glenbow, but I have to say I am more than a little upset about these events, and can only hope that this museum will come to its senses.

We’ve got a pretty sweet museum on our hands… that’s right, on our hands. Because there’s no point in an awesome museum without locals coming to visit to help keep it on its feet.
Right now, the Glenbow’s hosting the Watch Me Move exhibit, an exclusive to Canada. It’s only here until Dec 23 (or is it the 24^th?) after that… watch it move on out of the continent for a couple of years. Just watch out for the lady birthing the rhino. Yes, you read that right. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it.
This visit, I also got to check out the 4^th floor of the museum. Besides getting to watch a bunch of movies and clips, I also got to check out their war exhibit. People from WWI times were little! It’d be the smallest of people now who could fit into the ones they’ve got on display.
What’s keeping the Glenbow from being a 5-​star in my books? I’m not entirely sure… but a tour of the archives would be a good start… and maybe a mommie. Yeah, definitely a mommie.
PS… finish your coffee before you head inside. No drinks allowed!
Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge: ²⁷⁄₃₀

Glenbow is a Calgary institution. With its constantly-​evolving visiting exhibits — bringing creative, experimental and unique works from across the spectrum to YYC — and beautifully-​curated in-​house collection — including the largest collection of Pop Art in Canada — Glenbow offers Calgarians and visitors with a veritable smörgåsbord of art, history and culture.
In addition to their exhibits, the museum hosts a plethora of lectures, films and events — including the always fantastic launch parties — to sate any appetite. It’s the perfect way to spend a Saturday or, until December 23^rd, a Friday evening. Do get an annual pass and do visit often.
Note: Until December 23, 2011, Glenbow is offering «Half price Friday nights» from 5 to 8pm.

This review is for the Watch Me Move animation exhibit, that, as of this writing, is currently exhibiting at the museum.
Being a fan of animation myself, I was thrilled to hear about this exhibit. As it’s set to tour in Japan after Calgary and not return to North America for about 2 – 3 years, this exhibit was not only its North American debut, but also a Canadian exclusive.
The exhibit takes up two of the four main exhibit floors at the museum, the second level and the fourth level.
111 or so films are showcased, some clips and some full length, in addition to various other presentations, talks, and films that get screened in the museum’s theatre or elsewhere in the venue.
My favourite part of the whole exhibit are the viewing stations. The are essentially temporary foam padded booth-​like areas with the speakers at the top. They are very intimate, surprisingly comfy, and the perfect place to bring a date along with. I’m even tempted to steal the design to use at home as it’s perfect for isolated viewing.
There are so many films to see that to take it all in would literally take hours, which I don’t mind so much. It just means I have to visit again and in fact, is making me really contemplate getting a membership, just so I can see it all again for free.
The exhibit runs until December 24, 2011, so if you have the chance, come down and check it out, as well as some of the permanent exhibits as well.
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I am impressed with the sheer size of the museum and how it exhausted me before I could see it all. Maybe I didn’t pace very well, but I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it for everyone. I’m not a huge museum fan, but the Glenbow is definitely worth a visit every few years. I don’t image all of the exhibits change, but I think they do a good job at bringing in cool, new stuff.
The only thing that was a pain was trying to use the secured hangers, as they didn’t work well and we lost some coin. No big deal.

I understand there are a handful of museums in Calgary, but the Glenbow is one of my favorites because it has such a vast variety of exhibits. Many of the new/​advertised ones are by well-​known and talented artists… but if you didn’t already know, some of the best exhibits aren’t even mentioned, but they are a treasure to find :)
My husband and I can literally spend hours scouring every floor, and on the top floor is an archive library for those of us who like to study the past.
This museum covers a whole heard of culture to do with Alberta, from Native Indians to pioneering engineers, thus the Train exhibit on the 3^rd floor is one of my favorites, as well as the teepee set up with the starry sky above it.
For the rare people who haven’t yet been, I very highly reccommend it :)
Did I mention some companies hold meetings here for their employees, clients, etc. and you can enter the museum for a nominal fee on those days. It’s worth checking out!

I would say that Glenbow is way too pricey for what it has inside. Don’t get me wrong — it is a nice place to visit, just not that super-​wow to cost so much.
Calgary in general has a very nice nice bunch of museums, but for some reason Glenbow, situated in the best possible tourist spot, is noticeably dropping below average. It is way too commercial, gift-​oriented. Much less fun or scientifically sound, in my opinion.
Definitely worth taking a look when you stay in the city, though if you wish to see the very best of Calgarian museums, go to a Military one! That will be an experience to remember, even if you are not fond of militaria.

I always feel like it’s too bad that we only have the one museum in Calgary. It isn’t that the Glenbow is an awful museum, but just that it has its relatively small amount of resources and space spread over many different permanent exhibitions. The result is that their exhibitions range from mediocre-​alright, but nothing permanent is really astounding. It’s pretty unfortunate because I think it has a lot of potential.
The permanent exhibitions have been nearly the same for the last twenty years. Anyone born and raised in Calgary made regular school visits. I’ve even made some since then. The travelling exhibitions range from alright to amazing, and I always try to make it down for the excellent exhibitions.
If you try to take the whole museum (including the travelling exhibition), it takes a good day. In this respect, I feel like it is more for the tourists than the locals. The Asian art exhibit is pretty cool. All of the exhibits are well laid out and multi-​layered, but one visit to them is more than enough. I understand that the museum has a mandate, I just don’t find it that compelling.
I think it’s a shame that a city with the size and wealth of Calgary doesn’t have more museums, so that we can start to build some quality culture and history.