Spend some creative time at MOA during our Open Art Studio, a relaxed, drop-in art space hosted by MOA’s Indigenous Cultural Interpreters.

Located in MOA’s Multiversity Galleries, this informal studio invites visitors of all ages to slow down, observe, and respond to the artworks around them through hands-on art making. Drop in, stay for a few minutes or a little longer, and enjoy a creative pause during your museum visit. Open to all ages and abilities.

Please note: Open Art Studio is not a guided workshop or tour (visit the Cultural Interpreter tour page for information on tours).

Open Art Studio Summer Schedule* (June 22 to August 21, 2026)

Monday – Friday | 2:30 – 4:30 pm

*Schedule subject to change.

The Cultural Interpreters Program is made possible by the generous support of the Campbell Family Trust.

In this special tour, Sesemiya—Tracy Williams provides a deeply personal look into Hazel Wilson’s art and life. Tracy offers a particularly intimate and direct connection to the exhibition, having called Hazel her friend and mentor for many years.

Between 2005 and 2006, Jut-Ke-Nay—Hazel Wilson created a powerful, untitled series of 51 “history robes,” which recount specific episodes of Haida history in stunning detail – from a Haida perspective. I Use My Haida Eyes marks the first time that nearly the entire body of work, most of which have never been displayed publicly, is shown together.

These 45-minute Not Your Average Tours invite visitors to engage with I Use My Haida Eyes through the perspectives of artists, family members, and community voices, offering layered insights into the works, their meanings, and the knowledge they continue to carry forward.

Capacity of 25 people; first come, first served.

Bio
Sesemiya—Tracy Williams is a knowledge seeker, dreamer, water protector, land defender, lover, mother, auntie, weaver, and cultural practitioner. Her work has appeared in exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery (2020); Bill Reid Gallery (2017); The Polygon Gallery (2017). In 2021, her commissioned work was included in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s presentation of Yoko Ono’s Water Event. Sesemiya is a proud member of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation.

Look up! What do you see?

Sky, stars, stories, ancestors, constellations.

Across cultures and centuries, people have looked to the same sky and found different meanings within it. Under One Sky invites visitors of all ages to discover how different cultures understand the night sky and to explore those perspectives through astronomy.

Step inside a portable planetarium, create your own constellation artwork, learn about astronomy in the High Andes, and explore the impact of light pollution. Weather permitting, view the Sun through a solar-safe telescope.

If you’re fascinated by astronomy, curious about world cultures, or simply looking for an inspiring summer night out, join us to see the cosmos—and our place within it—from new perspectives.

Free with museum admission (50% off after 5 pm)

Program

Great Hall (Under the Dome)

Portable planetarium experience | 5–8:30 pm
Music from DJ Zech | 5–8:30 pm

Multiversity Galleries (Skies Across Cultures)

Explore stories and traditions of the night sky from Persian, South Asian, and other cultural perspectives | 5–8:30 pm

Learning Lab (Constellation Studio)

Create your own constellation artwork to take home | 5–8:30 pm

Bill Reid Rotunda (The Light We’re Losing)

Discover how light pollution is changing our view of the night sky | 5–8:30 pm

Presentation Circle (Astronomy in the High Andes)

Learn about the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and astronomy at one of the world’s highest observatories | Every 40 minutes | 5–8:20 pm

O’Brian Gallery (Andean Sky Tour)

Tour of feature exhibition Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision with curator Luis Manuel Gonzalez | 5:30–6:30 pm

Culture and Cosmos: An Anthropologist and Astronomer in Conversation with Luis Manuel Gonzalez La Rosa and Maude Larivière | 7–8 pm

MOA Grounds (Solar Telescope Viewing)

View the Sun through a solar-safe telescope (weather permitting) | 5–7 pm

MOA Café

Food, drinks, and a cash bar featuring Noosh Gin cocktails | 5–8:30 pm

Throughout the Museum

Stories in the Stars Activity Guide: Pick up an event guide at the Information Desk and explore at your own pace throughout the evening.

Presented by MOA in partnership with the UBC Department of Physics & Astronomy, the UBC Astronomy Club, and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre.

In this special tour, Robert Kardosh, owner of the Robert Kardosh Gallery and one of the principal contributors to the book Glory and Exile: Haida History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson, will discuss Jut-Ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson’s fascinating work.

Between 2005 and 2006, Jut-Ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson created a powerful, untitled series of 51 “history robes,” which recount specific episodes of Haida history in stunning detail—from a Haida perspective. I Use My Haida Eyes marks the first time that nearly the entire body of work, most of which have never been displayed publicly, is shown together.

These 45-minute Not Your Average Tours invite visitors to engage with I Use My Haida Eyes through the perspectives of artists, family members, and community voices, offering layered insights into the works, their meanings, and the knowledge they continue to carry forward.

Capacity of 25 people per tour; first come, first served.

Bio

Robert Kardosh is the owner of the Robert Kardosh Gallery (formerly Marion Scott Gallery). A specialist in the field of modern Inuit art, he has written extensively on the work of numerous artists from Nunavut and beyond. As Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson’s art dealer for more than three decades, he watched the artist create her monumental series of button robes in real time. He is one of the principal contributors to the book Glory and Exile: Haida History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay Hazel Wilson, published by Haida Gwaii Museum and Figure1.

Tahe Drollet is the 2025/2026 Geoffrey and Margaret Andrew Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts. Tahe is also the recipient of the Résidence Pacifique, funded by the Institut français du Canada as part of the Résidences Ouest-Ouest programme.

Tahe is a sculptor and, during his residency at MOA, will be based in the Judy Cranmer Ceramics Laboratory in the Multiversity Galleries. During his time here, Tahe will be developing new work, engaging with MOA’s collections from French Polynesia, and connecting with staff across the Museum.

Bio

Tahe is a Tahitian artist who was born and raised in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Deeply rooted in his Polynesian heritage, his work reflects an ongoing exploration of identity, tradition, and cultural evolution. He envisions how the legacy of his ancestors can be carried forward into the present, adapting and transforming within the context of today’s world.

Drawing inspiration from both the past and the present, Tahe focuses particularly on questions of identity. A recurring theme in his work is the influence of Western cultures on traditional Tahitian society.

Sculpture is Tahe’s primary medium, often created using resin, natural elements, and found materials. Through these tactile forms, he offers a deeply personal and thought-provoking reflection on the ways Tahitian culture continues to evolve within a globalized context.

His work invites viewers to engage with the complexities of cultural hybridity and to consider the enduring presence of indigenous voices in contemporary art. His art serves not only as a tribute to his roots but also as a platform for cultural dialogue and continuity.

Visit Tahe’s website for more information.

Follow Tahe on Instagram.

Explore French Polynesia’s culture, history, and storytelling through a hands-on printmaking experience inspired by the work of Tahitian artist Tahe Drollet, MOA’s 2026 Artist-in-Residence. Participants of all ages will create and take home postcard-sized prints from the artist’s original linocut designs while discovering the stories, landscapes, and cultural traditions that inspire his artistic practice.

Family friendly, all ages welcome.

Limited capacity, first come first served.

Bio

Tahe is a Tahitian artist who was born and raised in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Deeply rooted in his Polynesian heritage, his work reflects an ongoing exploration of identity, tradition, and cultural evolution. He envisions how the legacy of his ancestors can be carried forward into the present, adapting and transforming within the context of today’s world. Drawing inspiration from both the past and the present, Tahe focuses particularly on questions of identity. A recurring theme in his work is the influence of Western cultures on traditional Tahitian society.

Tahe Drollet is the 2025/2026 Geoffrey and Margaret Andrew Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts. Tahe is also the recipient of the Résidence Pacifique, funded by the Institut français du Canada as part of the Résidences Ouest-Ouest programme. Learn more about his residency at MOA.

Visit Tahe’s website for more information.

In June, Art Club at MOA will celebrate the work of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson and her series of 51 Haida “history robes,” featured in the exhibition I Use My Haida Eyes: The History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson. This month, participants will use fabric scraps to explore the appliqué techniques Wilson used to tell stories through her art.

Art Club at MOA is a new monthly evening series for adult visitors who are curious about using craft as a way to connect—both with the Museum’s collections and exhibitions, and with one another. Part creative workshop, part social gathering, Art Club offers a relaxed space to slow down, experiment, and make meaning through art. See the full schedule.

Art Club sessions are free and located in the Cedar Café at MOA (does not include admission into the museum).

Limited supplies; first come, first served.

In this special tour, Kūn Jáad Dana Simeon will share the process and stories behind Jut-Ke-Nay Hazel Wilson’s fascinating work.

Between 2005 and 2006, Jut-Ke-Nay Hazel Wilson created a powerful, untitled series of 51 “history robes,” which recount specific episodes of Haida history in stunning detail – from a Haida perspective. I Use My Haida Eyes marks the first time that nearly the entire body of work, most of which have never been displayed publicly, is shown together.

These 45-minute Not Your Average Tours invite visitors to engage with I Use My Haida Eyes through the perspectives of artists, family members, and community voices, offering layered insights into the works, their meanings, and the knowledge they continue to carry forward.

Capacity of 25 people per tour; first come, first served.

Bio

Kūn Jáad, whose given name is Dana Simeon, is the daughter of Jut-Ke-Nay (Hazel Wilson) and granddaughter of Grace Bell Wilson DeWitt. She is a descendant of the house of Duugwaa St’Langng7laanaas and the second youngest of her mother’s ten children.

Dana learned the art of creating button blankets from her mother, Jut-Ke-Nay. Through the robes and regalia in this exhibition, she continues to learn from her mother’s teachings—through the placement of buttons, beads, and design details embedded in each piece. Dana describes her mother as “a Knowledge Keeper still,” whose teachings continue to live on through her work.

Looking for fun, enriching experiences for the whole family? Join MOA on the last Sunday of each month for Culture Club! This series offers young visitors artful learning opportunities, allowing families to get creative and connect with MOA’s diverse collections and exhibitions.

Culture Club sessions are free with museum admission.

Schedule

Culture Club at MOA takes place on the last Sunday of the month from 11 am to 2 pm.

Upcoming

May 31: Puppet-Palooza

Past Events

September 28: Imprints for Truth and Reconciliation
October 26: Lighting Our Path Together
November 30: Harvest Centrepieces
January 25: Making Memories for the New Year
February 22: Familiar Ephemera
March 29: Sunshine Seekers
April 26: Street Smart Street Art

Culture Club at MOA is made possible by the generous support of UBC Campus + Community Planning

Limited supplies; first come, first served.

About Culture Club at MOA

Join MOA on the last Sunday of each month for Culture Club! Drop in and enjoy engaging art-making activities designed for families. This series offers young visitors artful learning opportunities, allowing families to get creative and connect with MOA’s diverse collections and exhibitions. See the full schedule.

Culture Club at MOA is made possible by the generous support of UBC Campus + Community Planning