[BCMA] For immediate release: Museum of Vancouver launches commemorative Komagata Maru exhibition (on now through August 18th)

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 22, 2014



Museum of Vancouver launches commemorative Komagata Maru exhibition



(VANCOUVER, BC) - This week, the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) marks the 100 year anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru - a Japanese ship that brought 376 South Asian passengers to Vancouver - with a new studio exhibition that details the confrontation over immigration. The passengers were challenging Canada's discriminatory Continuous Passage Regulation which stated that all immigrants to Canada must come via direct journey from their country of origin. Burrard Inlet became the flashpoint for a standoff that lasted two months and garnered international attention. Eventually, the Komagata Maru was escorted out of Canadian waters and returned to India, where many of the passengers were shot or imprisoned under charges of carrying out seditious activity.


"In 1914, Vancouver was a city that was trying to define what sort of idea it wanted to be. The Prime Minister, Premier and Mayor were all advocating for a 'White Man's Country.' But there was another idea at work," explains Guest Curator Naveen Girn.

"The story of South Asians, First Nations, Chinese, Japanese and Canadians of European descent working together, forming relationships, and building communities," is significant legacy of the Komagata Maru episode, Girn illuminates.  "These stories are important reminders of multiculturalism that stretch back over a century and point to the true heart of the city."


The Museum of Vancouver's exhibition is part of Komagata Maru 100: Generations, Geographies and Echoes, a series of eight commemorative exhibitions taking place in Metro Vancouver during 2014. Unmoored: Vancouver's Voyage of the Komagata Maru examines the enduring impact that this dramatic event had on Vancouver. Stories, rare artifacts, images and documents provide new insights into how national policies and racial bias shaped the lives of Komagata Maru passengers and South Asian immigrants. The exhibition highlights the area around Kitsilano as a vibrant, intercultural space, surrounded by homes, shops, business, and organizations who were directly involved in the story of the Komagata Maru. It also brings fresh perspectives and meanings to this significant moment of Vancouver's history and provides opportunities for intercultural dialogue and for re-imagining the future of the city.



The MOV exhibition is built around the only known physical artifact from the Komagata Maru episode, a brick that was thrown by one of the passengers at a police boat during a midnight raid. The exhibition also features a rare handwritten list of Komagata Maru passengers and a diary kept by a member of the Khalsa Diwan Society that details the events of the Komagata Maru, both provided by the SFU library collection.



Exhibition Dates: May 21 - August 18, 2014

Times: Open daily 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; 10:00am - 8:00pm on Thursdays.

Location:  Museum of Vancouver: 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC (in Vanier Park)

Admission: $8-14 (free to Museum of Vancouver members).

More info: Visit www.museumofvancouver.ca<http://www.museumofvancouver.ca> or call 604-736-4431



The Museum of Vancouver will also present three Komagata Maru related events during the run of the exhibition:



Cartographies of Empire: Canada and the Komagata Maru
6:30PM | MAY 22, 2014 @ MOV

Writer and documentary filmmaker Ali Kazimi from York University and scholar Dr. Renisa Mawani from the University of British Columbia host an evening of dialogue and conversation on the living legacies of the Komagata Maru Episode.



Passages: Cultural Legacies of the Komagata Maru
6:00PM | JULY 6, 2014 @ MOV
In collaboration with Indian Summer Festival, this evening of music, art, poetry, and conversation will engage with artists inspired by the Komagata Maru Episode and the narratives of the South Asian Canadian experience.


Markers of the Past and Present: A Historical Walking Tour
5:00PM | JULY 23, 2014 (OFFSITE)

Beginning at the Komagata Maru Memorial at Harbour Green Park, join historian Kalwant Singh Nadeem Parmar and Naveen Girn for a walking tour highlighting buildings, spaces, and landscapes that were historically important to the narrative of the Komagata Maru and continue to influence the city today.


For more information on the Museum of Vancouver's Exhibition and Events, visit: http://museumofvancouver.ca/unmoored

For more information on Komagata Maru 100: Generations, Geographies and Echoes, visit: http://komagatamaru100.com


-30-



Guest Curator Naveen Girn and Museum of Vancouver CEO Nancy Noble will be available for media interviews at 9:00am on Friday, May 23rd at a Komagata Maru commemorative event at SFU Harbour Centre. Additional interviews and exhibition tours can be scheduled with Myles Constable. See contact info below.



About the Museum of Vancouver

The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) creates Vancouver-focused exhibitions and programs that encourage dynamic conversations about what was, is and can be Vancouver. History galleries tell the city's stories from the early 1900s to the late 1970s and are complemented by contemporary feature exhibitions. MOV is an independent non-profit organization located 1100 Chestnut Street, in Vancouver (in Vanier Park).



High resolution photos can be downloaded from the links below:



[Naveen-Girn-MOV-Unmoored-web]


[Brick---MOV-catalogueH982]




Guest Curator Naveen Girn at Museum of Vancouver's studio exhibition Unmoored: Vancouver's Voyage of the Komagata Maru.



https://www.hightail.com/download/ZUczc0wvcGtWRCtVQU1UQw






The only known physical artifact from the Komagata Maru episode, a brick that was thrown by one of the passengers at a police boat during a midnight raid.



https://www.hightail.com/download/ZUczc0wvcGtUWUJMWE5Vag






--
Myles Constable
Marketing Officer & Media Relations | Museum of Vancouver
1100 Chestnut Street | Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9
Office 604-730-5309 | Cell 604-831-7980
www.museumofvancouver.ca<http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/>

[MOV120-colour]

Annual General Meeting & 120th Birthday Celebration  May 29th, 2014 @ 6:30pm

Unmoored: Vancouver's Voyage of the Komagata Maru (mini-exhibition)  opens May 21, 2014

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