Winnipeg has a lot to do, but not *that* much and when you’ve lived here for 20+ years, you’ve usually done most of it. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights opened in fall 2014, and is quickly becoming known for worldwide. It examines many issues of human rights, including Indigenous rights, the Holocaust, and how changes are made. The CMHR is important to our family because my dad worked on the Museum while it was being tendered, and my brother actually helped build it (they are both in construction). However, I was waiting to visit the Museum until…
THE MAGNA CARTA WAS THERE. You read that right, I SAW THE MAGNA CARTA IN PERSON. It was one of the 1300 AD manuscripts, and fairly well preserved. Alas, I have no pictures from that exhibit as none as allowed. I have many thoughts about the exhibit. Firstly, there was three dummies dressed as a “commoner”, a “cleric”, and a “noble” with a phone that you can listen to the fake person talking about what that social group experienced in the time of the Magna Carta. (1215 for you who don’t spend hours looking up manuscripts online.) The only issue was that the recordings were quite long, so you either have to wait a few minutes (or more) or just scrap them. I listened to one and then moved on. The Magna Carta itself was in a small, dark, unmarked dry-wall type hut thing about a quarter of the way into the exhibit. I thought that the organisers of the exhibit put exactly NO effort into it. There are different kinds of lighting available that do not damage manuscripts, but they chose not to. It is also should have been the climax of the exhibit, not in the first quarter. Still, I loved seeing it and was able to teach the interpreter something about it! (History nerd high-five!) Next, we come to the Charter of the Forest. I had absolutely no idea that the Charter would be there, I fangirl-ed all over that Charter. It was actually lit, so I was really able to look at it. Absolutely fantastic! After that, it was the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and while I think it is important, I don’t find it particularly interesting. I bought a Magna Carta mug for my tea, and a Magna Carta totebag. Obviously I was buying souvenirs.
Now onto the rest of the Museum- we were allowed to take pictures, so this will mostly be pictures! We only did the second floor, and then hopped up to the fifth to see my dad and brother’s names in glass. It is a stunning building, there is no debating that. However, there is an incredible amount of walking- tough for us with my grandpa and my tiny nephew there. I even found it to be a lot of walking, and I run 12+ miles a week. I understand it allows for contemplation but a tad excessive. But onto the Museum!
The foyer is stunning, and this way has a projection with “Welcome” continually being written in numerous languages- very cool to see!
The Museum begins with this short but striking question:
This is the entry way to the floor on Rights in Canada, very open and welcoming:
Of course I found Thomas Aquinas in the timeline of human rights.
I think we take it for granted in Canada, but sadly this is not true across the globe.
Indigenous culture and tradition:
The building itself is just brilliant:
In the middle of the section of Canadian rights, you wandered around in a giant circle and a blob would form around your feet. No idea what the point was, but pretty fun!
And me!
If you are ever in Winnipeg, I would recommend visiting! I will be going back to see the rest of it, certainly. Do you enjoy museums? What kinds of museums do you prefer?
Until tomorrow,
The Historian!
I hope to see this museum in March!
We will *definitely* be going!!
I need to see pictures of the mug and the tote bag!!!!