In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maritime Museum of BC has temporarily closed its doors and created new virtual programs and activities for people to continue to engage in maritime heritage and culture. Like many other charitable organizations the Museum is trying to find new ways to offer members and the public-at-large meaningful opportunities to stay connected.
“We understand and appreciate that this is a very difficult and challenging time for many individuals. We have a variety of virtual activities for people to take part in, most of which are free of charge. It is our hope that by creating these new virtual programs and activities, we are helping people find additional ways to continue to connect with one another, said David Leverton, Executive Director of the Maritime Museum of BC.”
The Maritime Museum of BC is now offering the following programs::
Educational Youth Programs
Our popular school programs are now available on rotation Tuesdays and Thursdays, twice each day. These programs are curriculum based and are designed to be incorporated into teaching schedules. Parents who are now homeschooling their children will find these programs particularly helpful.
Programs cost $5 per participant, with 20% off for members. Special group bookings can be made outside of the scheduled times at $75 per group.
These programs can be made available free of charge to any family or individual who is experiencing a financial strain due to the crisis.
For a full schedule of the educational programs available, please visit: https://mmbc.bc.ca/programs-2/virtual-programs/
Tea and Talks
Our bi-weekly afternoon talks featuring different speakers on a wide variety of maritime subjects are continuing! The next talk will be on April 23rd at 2:30 P.M.
Registration cost is $5 per registrant, with 20% off for members.
These talks can be made available free of charge to anyone who is experiencing a financial strain due to the crisis.
Trivia Night
The Maritime Museum of BC is starting a brand-new Trivia Night to be held once a month! Advance registration is required. Each Trivia Night will be centered around one maritime subject. The first Trivia Night will be held on April 24th at 7:00 P.M.
Participation is free-of-charge or by donation.
For more information on our Tea and Talks and Trivia Nights, please visit: https://mmbc.bc.ca/programs-2/adult-virtual-programs/
There are several ways people can enjoy seeing Maritime Museum of BC’s exhibits. These include:
Virtual Tours
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, in rotation with our educational youth programs, the Museum is offering free virtual tours of the exhibits currently in our public space. These virtual tours are a chance to see the exhibits as they are presented in person. Participants can also ask Museum staff questions live during these tours.
The Virtual Tours will to be offered free-of-charge or by donation until further notice.
The virtual tours are available through our Facebook page:
Online Exhibits
The Maritime Museum of BC has a new website for virtual exhibits. These are available to all by donation. Over time, more exhibits will be added, so we encourage people to check in regularly to see new content.
The Virtual Online Exhibits are going to be offered free-of-charge or by donation until further notice.
These virtual exhibits can be found at: http://virtual.mmbc.bc.ca/
Online Contribution Site
The social implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic is history in the making. We’re asking the public to help us capture it. A new site has been set up for people to load their stories of how COVID-19 is affecting them in text, image, audio, and/or video format to the website for others to see. The Museum will hold these files as a digital repository to be shared now and studied in the future.
People can contribute stories and view those from others here: http://virtual.mmbc.bc.ca/collections/show/1
The Maritime Museum of BC is thrilled to announce the launch of a new online gift shop. People can buy from our store from the comfort of their own home. They can either have the items shipped directly to them, or they can contact the Museum to arrange curb-side pick-up.
The online Gift Shop can be access here: https://store.mmbc.bc.ca/