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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b style="font-size:12pt"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">NEWS RELEASE</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">May 15, 2018<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">Connect with BC
museums in person and online during BC Museums Week, May 13-20, 2018</span></b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white"><span> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">British
Columbians are invited to celebrate their local museums and cultural heritage
institutions this week as communities across the province celebrate BC Museums
Week.<span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">BC
Museums Week is an annual celebration of museums, art galleries, historic
sites, cultural centres, and other memory institutions in B.C. The week
is held annually in May, providing an opportunity for British Columbians to
celebrate the vital role museums play in their communities, economy and
education.<span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 7.5pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Each
year, the BC Museums Association creates a series of BC Museums Week activities
and resources aimed at promoting and highlighting B.C. museums. Cultural
institutions in B.C. are encouraged to join the celebrations by engaging on
social media or hosting their own special events.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">In 2018, BC Museums Week will focus on themes of
“connectedness” to showcase the impact of museums in B.C. communities – for
example, collaboration between museums and First Nations to showcase Indigenous
languages and cultural heritage and advance reconciliation, museums as sites of
learning and connection, diversity and inclusion as new drivers, and innovative
uses of technology to connect people with collections. This theme is chosen to
reflect the 2018 theme for International Museum Day: “Hyperconnected museums:
new publics, new approaches.”</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">“<span style="background:white">British Columbians already visit the province’s
museums, galleries, cultural centres, science centres and related institutions
in droves - both in person and online. BC Museums Week is an opportunity for
everyone to celebrate the vital role these institutions play in sharing BC’s
rich cultural heritage, enriching our communities and supporting local
economies through jobs and tourism,” says Erica Mattson, Executive Director for
the BC Museums Association.<span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">“B.C. is home to some of the world’s finest museums, art
galleries and heritage sites,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and
Culture. “I want to thank the BC Museums Association for its dedication to
preserving the cultural legacies of our province, and for providing jobs for
thousands of British Columbians. I encourage people to celebrate BC Museums
Week by visiting their local museum and learning more about B.C.’s fascinating
history and diverse culture.” <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">How to join BC
Museums Week:<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Visit your local museum in person and explore
the digital collections and exhibitions of B.C. museums online. Haida Gwaii
Museum, the Kelowna Art Gallery and the Royal BC Museum are just a few examples
of museums with excellent online collections that can be viewed from anywhere
in the world.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Join the conversation on social media by using
#bcmuseums and following @BCMuseumsAssn on Twitter or Facebook.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Museums and communities can download posters
and resources at the BC Museums Association website to help promote the week
and plan events for their communities: <a href="http://museumsassn.bc.ca">http://museumsassn.bc.ca</a>.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Quick facts about BC museums<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">The BC Museums
Association has over 400 members located in regions across B.C.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Total revenues
for B.C.’s museums sector are estimated at over $225 million annually. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">An estimated 4,400
people are employed by B.C.’s museums sector.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Over 19,500
volunteers provide over 1 million hours of volunteer work each year.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">B.C. museums
attracted over 11 million visitors in 2015, with an additional 33 million
online visits to museums’ digital collections and programming.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">19,823 school groups
visited B.C. museums in 2015.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">The collections
of B.C. museums include over 4 million artifacts and objects, 663,896 linear
meters of textual records, close to 12 million graphic materials, over 53,000
natural history/scientific specimens, 36,307 hours of film, video and sound
recordings and 2,093 permanent exhibitions.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Source: Government of Canada Survey of Heritage Institutions: 2017
and 2015 <span></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">The benefit of museums in B.C.<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Museums and
related institutions are vital to B.C.’s creative economy, contributing to
jobs, tourism and economic activity in urban and rural communities across the
province.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Museums, art
galleries, historic sites, cultural centres and other memory institutions are
keepers of legacy, places of learning, and drivers for the economic and social
well-being of our communities. They connect people to collections, to
information, to ideas and to each other.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="background:white;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">B.C. museums are
contributing to repatriation and reconciliation by working with Aboriginal
communities to recognize the unique histories and experiences of Indigenous
peoples and by participating in the respectful return of ancestral remains and
cultural belongings.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">Media contact<span></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">Erica Mattson, Executive Director<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt;background:white">BC Museums Association</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt">778.679.4568<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><a href="mailto:emattson@museumsassn.bc.ca">emattson@museumsassn.bc.ca</a><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size:11pt"><span> </span></span></p>
<br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:12.8px"><font size="2"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Erica Mattson</span></b><br></font></div><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:12.8px"><font size="2">Executive Director<br></font></div><font size="2" style="font-size:small;color:rgb(136,136,136)"></font><div style="color:rgb(136,136,136);font-size:12.8px"><p style="margin:0in 0in 1pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><font size="2"><span style="color:rgb(237,125,49);font-family:Arial,sans-serif">BC Museums Association <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">|| <a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=675+Belleville+Street%C2%A0+%7C%7C%C2%A0Victoria,+BC+%7C%7C%C2%A0V8W+9W2&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">675 Belleville Street || Victoria, BC || V8W 9W2</a></span></span></font></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 1pt"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><font size="2"><span style="color:rgb(237,125,49)">Direct: </span><span style="color:rgb(237,125,49)"><a href="tel:(250)%20356-5694" value="+12503565694" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">250-356-5694</a> || </span><span style="color:rgb(237,125,49)">Office: <a href="tel:(250)%20356-5700" value="+12503565700" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">250-356-5700</a></span><span style="color:rgb(237,125,49)"> || <a href="http://www.museumsassn.bc.ca/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">www.museumsassn.bc.ca</a></span></font></span></p></div></div></div>
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