June 13, 2025 marks one year since MOA reopened its doors to the public following an 18-month closure for the Great Hall seismic upgrades and renewal project. Reopening night last year saw an astonishing 3,000 people come through our doors in one evening. Since then we have been humbled and honoured by the many people who have returned to MOA this past year.
It has been a remarkable year of reconnection, reflection and new beginnings. Since reopening, we’ve welcomed 200,000 visitors (a new annual attendance record!) back into the Museum to experience our world-renowned collections. Plus, we’ve mounted five new temporary feature exhibitions:
in Pursuit of Venus [infected] (June 13, 2024–January 5, 2025),
To Be Seen, To Be Heard: First Nations in Public Spaces, 1900 – 1965 (June 13, 2024–March 30, 2025),
Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun (On now: February 21, 2025–January 4, 2026),
VALUE: Rebecca Belmore at the Museum of Anthropology (On now: May 15–October 13, 2025), and
We Come From Great Wealth: Ḵaḵaso’las—Ellen Neel and the Totem Carvers (On now: May 25–October 13, 2025).
We were thrilled to welcome visitors back to MOA for a public programs once again. Highlights included powerful exhibition openings such as Nuxalk Strong, which opened with a deeply moving private community celebration and public event, and the joyful return of the Coastal Dance Festival. We also relaunched our Culture Club series for families, hosted engaging artist talks and curator-led tours, and welcomed families for a fun-filled day during Kids Takeover UBC. It’s been a joy to see MOA buzzing with conversation, creativity and connection once again.
Over the past year, MOA has continued to deepen its commitment to Indigenous engagement through meaningful programs and partnerships. The Native Youth Program and the Indigenous Internship Program continue to provide valuable opportunities for Indigenous youth and emerging professionals to gain hands-on experience in museum work and cultural stewardship. We were also proud to launch the Cultural Interpreters Program, which brings Indigenous voices to the forefront of visitor engagement. In addition, MOA hosted dozens of Collections Access visits for community groups such as the Stoney Nakoda Community Group, the Katzie First Nation, Wagana Aboriginal Dancers and many classes of UBC students. Our community access visits support ongoing relationships with the cultural belongings in our care and facilitate knowledge-sharing across generations.
It’s been wonderful to welcome school groups back to MOA again, with thousands of students engaging in meaningful learning experiences both in our galleries and through performance. A total of 161 education programs were booked, welcoming 3,701 students—including 598 who participated in the Coastal Dance Festival and 322 who attended the Vancouver School Board’s First Peoples Festival. In addition, 5,364 students took part in self-guided visits from primary and secondary schools, exploring MOA’s exhibitions and collections at their own pace.
The final piece of the renewal project, the MOA grounds, is now nearly completed. Staff and visitors alike were thrilled to welcome the The Yosef Wosk Reflecting Pond back to life. The final touches on the grounds are currently happening and work will be completed this summer. It has been heartening to see birds already flying over the new pond, the grass on the hill begin to grow and visitors enjoying the grounds once again.
Welcoming New Staff to MOA
It’s been a time of change at MOA this past year as we said goodbye to many longtime staff and welcomed many new staff. Just as the building has been renewed, so too has our team! Over the past year, an incredible group of new permanent staff members have joined across all departments, as well as several cohorts of student staff and interns.
To the outgoing and retiring staff, MOA extends a heartfelt thank you for your dedication over the decades, laying the foundation for this next phase of MOA’s history. This year we are saying goodbye to several long-time staff who are retiring: Moya Waters (Associate Director) Skooker Broome (Designer), Anna Pappalardo (Assistant Director, Administration), Karen Duffek (Curator, Northwest Coast + Contemporary Visual Art), and Nancy Bruegeman (Collections Manager).
Now say hello to the incoming staff who have come on board in the past year:
The Design + Projects team, responsible for designing and fabricating our exhibitions and maintaining our physical spaces, has welcomed Joshua Doherty (Projects Manager, Design) who returns to MOA from the Museum of Vancouver; Pavneet Pal Singh (Projects Manager, Design) who moved from Toronto and is an experienced arts producer; and Liz Cortens (Facilities Manager) who cares for our galleries and offices spaces.
The Administration team oversees the front-of-house and public operations of the Museum, and now includes Amanda Marshall (MOA Shop Manager), an experience retail manager from the Vancouver Aquarium; Kieran Weber (MOA Shop Finance + Inventory Assistant) who returns to MOA with customer service and art gallery experience; Matt Louie (Financial Assistant) who also returns to MOA, to support our financial operations; and Sophia Ludwig (Receptionist + Booking Coordinator) who joined the team only three days after MOA reopened last summer.
The Collections team, which cares for and makes accessible in various ways the belongings housed at MOA, welcomed Philip Yu (Library + Archives Assistant) who was a long-time volunteer in the Audrey and Harry Hawthorn Library + Archives; and Dennis Ha (Digitizer), who is a professional photographer with years of experience photographing art.
The Curatorial team expanded with Mitiana Arbon (Curator, Pacific + Ceramics Collection Program Coordinator), who hails from the Sāmoan village of Tafua tai, Savai’i; Jordan Wilson (Curator, Pacific Northwest + Contemporary Indigenous Art), who is a member of the Musqueam Indian Band with deep ties to MOA; Amina Chergui (Curator, Education) who holds a Master’s degree in museum education from UBC; and Tzu-I Chung (Curator, Public Programs + Engagement) who is an award-winning museum practitioner and cultural and social historian.
Here’s to a vibrant year ahead—and many more to come! We are deeply grateful to all who have returned—and to those discovering MOA for the first time.
Reopening Anniversary Contest
To celebrate MOA’s one year Reopening Anniversary we are running a contest on social media! Enter to win a MOA prize pack which includes four MOA admission tickets, and a great selection of products from the MOA Shop including: a MOA architectural tote bag, a water bottle designed by Nuxalk/Nuu-chah-nulth artist Kelly Robinson, a MOA architectural magnet, a RavenSong Healing Full Moon soap and a delicious Salish Sea Belgian chocolate bar designed by Haida artist Jim Hart. Contest can be entered on MOA’s Facebook page or Instagram page.