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MOA collection: A6810. Photo by Jessica Bushey.

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Welcome to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Below you’ll find information and links that will help you engage with us online.

MOA houses nearly 50,000 works from almost every part of the world, and is known for its sizeable Northwest Coast collections, including the finest collection of works by Haida artist, Bill Reid.

MOA resides on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people and works by Musqueam artists welcome visitors to the site.

Popular MOA Links

Multimedia Guide

Enrich your visit of MOA with this self-guided tour! Explore the Museum and its worldwide collections through rich, multimedia content⁣. Download now. 

MOA Archives

Explore the catalogue for the Audrey + Harry Hawthorn Library + Archives.

What’s On

Find out what’s on: current and future exhibitions, programs and events, and other things happening in-person and online at MOA.

MOA Shop

Shop a selection of art and gifts related to MOA’s current exhibitions and current events plus a unique selection of exclusive MOA merchandise.

Great Hall Seismic Upgrades

A monumental seismic upgrade project underway in MOA’s Great Hall. The upgrades will ensure the resiliency of the Museum and protect its irreplaceable collection in the event of a major earthquake.

 #MOAFromHome

Scroll through this list of online MOA resources for you to enjoy from home.

Explore the MOA Collections Online

Discover nearly 50,000 objects in the MOA Collections online. Search different objects by places, peoples, cultures, categories, and even time. Or, explore by keyword to uncover something new.

Follow MOA on Social Media

Follow MOA on social media for daily doses of culture and delight: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

MOA Conservation + Collections: Instagram

MOA Library + Archives (Audrey and Harry Hawthorn Library + Archives): Twitter | Instagram

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Starting on January 16, 2023, MOA will be temporarily closing to accelerate the completion of the Great Hall seismic upgrades currently underway. The Great Hall seismic upgrades will be completed and the Museum will reopen to the public in late 2023. ⁣

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In this story, learn how Indigenous intern Daniel Pickering’s family and community took—and continue to take—direct action to resist oppressive legislation and assert Indigenous title to the land for the Lil’wat Nation.
In this story, learn how Indigenous intern Kala Hunt (Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw) witnessed the process of preparing a thunderbird mask for ceremony and her personal connection to its history.
T-shirts designed by Michayla King—winner of the MOA Shop’s 2021 Emerging Indigenous Artist Contest—are now in stock! Available at the MOA Shop online.
In this story by Elsie Joe (Nłeʔkepmx) learn about First Nations involvement in the history of rodeos in British Columbia.
Learn about Kkokdu (꼭두) – Korean funerary figures in this special Asian Heritage Month feature.
In this story by Ks’aan Moody (Haida), learn about the blockade at Athlii Gwaaii to protect rare old-growth rainforests.
Purchase beautiful art cards by featured artists in MOA’s exhibition, Sankofa: African Routes, Canadian Roots. Buy cards by Odera Igbokwe. Buy cards by Michèle Bygodt.
Today in honour of International Women’s Day we’re feature five Indigenous women artists that you should know who have works in the MOA Collections. Read the full story.
February 23 is Pink Shirt Day. This year, you can help create a more kind and inclusive world and show your support with this Coast-Salish-designed t-shirt, created by Melaney Gleeson-Lyall (Point).
Learn about the discovery of a Musqueam woven basket and its significance, in this story by Indigenous Internship Program member, Kelsey Sparrow (Musqueam/Anishnaabe).
So it begins! This 4D animated simulation of the Great Hall seismic upgrades provides an overview of the anticipated 18-month construction process, from start to finish.
Learn about the history of First Nations Brass Bands in this MOA Story by Indigenous Internship Program participant, Marc Williams (Squamish/Wet’suwet’en).
Vote for Uli, the MOA Mouser in the UBC United Way 2021 pet photo contest! Voting closes on December 3 and is open to all UBC employees and students. View the album and vote here.
Shadows, Strings and Other Things: The Enchanting Theatre of Puppets, curated by Dr. Nicola Levell, has won the Council for Museum Anthropology Michael M. Ames Prize for Innovative Museum Anthropology! Visit the exhibition’s virtual site.
Staff members from MOA Conservation have been in Lytton, BC the past few weeks helping with collection salvage following the Lytton Creek fire. Learn about the BC Heritage Emergency Response Network.
Ways to engage with Orange Shirt Day: 1. Wear an orange shirt  2. Attend an event 3. Read books from this must-read list from UBC Residential School History and Dialogue Centre 4. Stop by MOA’s Orange Shirt installation  5. Learn from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
Announcing MOA’s new multimedia guide! Explore highlights of the permanent collections, brought to life through the perspectives and voices of Indigenous artists and knowledge holders, museum curators, and other experts.⁣ Download now. 
This Canada Day, we encourage you to educate yourself about the Indigenous history of this land, which dates back thousands of years. You can learn more about the land you reside on by exploring the First Peoples’ Map of B.C.
Learn about the history of Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s Residential Schools. Digital resources provided by The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation can be accessed through: nctr.ca/records/reports
MOA stands with all Indigenous peoples at this time of mourning and widespread sorrow, following the tragic discovery of the unmarked burials of 215 Indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Read full statement: https://bit.ly/3z2rJWo
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of renowned landscape architect, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, just weeks before her 100th birthday. Read full obituary.
Join MOA on May 18 for a virtual conversation with Masao Okabe and Chihiro Minato—featured artists in A Future for Memory. Register here.
Nininigamł (earthquake mask), represents Ninini, or Earthquake. Learn more here.
A MOA Volunteer associate records a digital school program, now available for booking.

 

Learn about #SlowArtDay and what that means in this article from The Washington Post. Take a few minutes to enjoy Beau Dick’s work, “Kolus.”
Faamuli Sala (centre) and her daughter and granddaughter, sit on the floor in a wooden home, holding up siapo (bark cloth) art.
Learn about #WomensHistoryMonth featured artist Faamuli Salu (centre), a siapo craftswoman who has passed the tradition on to her daughter (left) and granddaughter (right).
Red block text on a black background says Stop Asian Hate.
Read MOA’s statement on anti-Asian Racism, and review a list of related resources to take action and self-educate.
Chief's headdress is tall and round, open at crown and topped with a thick circle of brown fur. The exterior is covered in black and white weaving in 'lightning' design on the sides, and 'diamond within a diamond' design at front, covered by a thick copper-shaped frontlet made of dark red glass.
Learn about a #WomensHistoryMonth featured artist—Kuuyas 7waahlal Gidaak, Lisa Hageman Yahgulanaas—and her work, Chief’s Headdress.
A coloured-pencil drawing of three totem poles in a row, in a soft brown colour to represent aged wood.
Check out our latest drawing feature from MOA visitor Kirsten Neil, and explore others by following the hashtag #MOADrawing on Instagram.

 

A carved canoe rests in a museum gallery in front of a large, carved raven in a rotunda. A man walks behind the canoe.
Museums are one of the safest public spaces to visit during COVID! Plan your MOA visit today for spring break and beyond.
A person wades through shin-high water in tsunami-stricken Kesennuma City. It is dusk or dawn.
March 11, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Register now for a special anniversary tour of MOA exhibition, A Future for Memory, with curator Fuyubi Nakamura. 7pm PST (12pm Friday in Japan).
Ink print of a woman wearing a fur coat with a hood. Owls are on either side of her, sitting on a branch.
Happy International Women’s Day from MOA! Explore the captivating works of perhaps the most famous Inuit artist—Kenojuak Ashevak—and visit MOA or explore the MOA Collections online.
Round drum with a wooden frame. A painted black and blue design on the surface shows a lifework raven in front of a red sun.
MOA is thrilled to congratulate longtime friend and master carver Dempsey Bob on his recent GG Award win. See more of his works in the MOA Collections.

 

A white line drawing of a woman's face on a black background. A red line drawn hand covers her mouth.
The MOA Shop Emerging Indigenous Artist contest is back. Submission deadline is April 30, 2021.
A woven tunic-like dress made from cedar, with an inset wool panel featuring geometric Coast Salish designs.
Learn about this contemporary potlatch dress by  Sto:lo/Squamish artist, t’at’miye Danielle Morsette.
A book cover featuring a young black woman in a white blouse and overalls, sitting at a desk with an open book. She has a neutral expression.
Visit the MOA Shop to purchase our Black History Month book feature, How She Read by Chantal Gibson.
Learn about this ox sculpture, as we enter the Year of the Ox.
Watch the full opening remarks for A Future For Memory / 記憶のための未来.
Learn about MOA’s new feature exhibition, A Future for Memory / 記憶のための未来.
A person wraps a cream blanket around their back. It has a Northwest Coast design of an eagle and a raven, facing outwards.
Visit the MOA shop to find great Valentines Day gifts for your loved ones.
MOA's Haida Village in the snow.
Visit MOA’s outdoor exhibition area to see this Haida Village and more.
A painted jug with cutwork arches on the neck. Three spouts on the rim are joined with a spout on the handle.
Learn more about this amusing puzzle jug.
Explore the online catalogue of MOA’s Audrey and Harry Hawthorn Library and Archives – AHHLA.
Explore MOA’s virtual and downloadable school programs, and other education resources we offer.
Join us as we kick off a new online MOA series, The Work We Do.
Read about the creation of one of Bill Reid’s most iconic pieces, Raven and the First Men – from conception to completion.
Learn more about this stunning sculpture, made by Javier Ramirez Hernandez, and gifted to MOA by the Mexican Consulate.
Plan your visit to the MOA Shop and find keepsakes and gifts for yourself and loved ones.
Kent Monkman’s exhibit Shame and Prejudice closed January 3, 2021. Learn more about this profound exhibition, and watch interviews and tours.
Learn more about the Kwakwaka’wakw mask which inspired this drawing. To have your drawings featured, use the hashtag #MOADrawing, and tag @moa_ubc.
Read about MOA’s incredible Conservation team.
Learn more about the project to seismically upgrade MOA’s Great Hall and ensure the safety of visitors and the collection.
Read the moving story of the repatriation of a Haida pole.
Read about the history of MOA’s architecture, and the museum’s role as a place of art, and defence.

 

Check out our photo album on Facebook to see the progress of seismic updates to MOA’s Great Hall.
Learn about MOA’s Native Youth Program.
Watch “A Talk with Kent Monkman” – co-hosted by MOA and Indspire.

 

Learn more about the 2020 winner of the MOA Shop Emerging Indigenous Artist Contest.
Read about MOA’s new initiative: an Indigenous internship program.
Listen to episodes of MOA’s original podcast “A Taste of Rumsalt,” and take a journey of musical discovery.

Find MOA

Museum of Anthropology
University of British Columbia
6393 NW Marine Drive
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z2

Talk to MOA

info@moa.ubc.ca
604.827.5932

MOA acknowledges that it is built on the traditional, ancestral and unceded land of the Musqueam people.

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