<div dir="ltr"><b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">May 15, 2020
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<div class="gmail_quote"><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-CA"><div class="m_7594612630765487821WordSection1"><p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""> <u></u><u></u></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;background:white" align="center">
<b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Royal BC Museum orca exhibition <u></u>
<u></u></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;background:white" align="center">
<b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">postponed until May 21, 2021<u></u><u></u></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><u></u> <u></u></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">VICTORIA, BC</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">—The Royal BC Museum’s spectacular feature exhibition
about orcas, originally scheduled to open on May 15, 2020, will be pushed back until 2021.
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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The Royal BC Museum decided to postpone the launch of
<i>Orcas: Our Shared Future</i> until May 21, 2021 as a way to include more people in the experience, expecting that visitors, local museum-goers and museum staff alike will appreciate this time to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">“The
<i>Orcas</i> exhibition is directly relevant to contemporary challenges such as climate change and ocean biodiversity loss,” said Royal BC Museum CEO Prof. Jack Lohman. “Illustrated with significant cultural and scientific treasures, this deeper understanding
of the orca explores our associations with ancestral traditions, grief and loss, and, ultimately, hope for the future.”
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">As a major player in BC’s cultural sector and Victoria’s tourism industry (and a perennial star attraction on TripAdvisor) the Royal BC Museum has a role in supporting
BC’s economic recovery.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The museum is working in alignment with the Province and Destination BC’s phased approach to opening up the visitor economy and welcoming tourists back when the situation
is safest and most beneficial for all concerned.</span> <u></u><u></u></p>
<p style="background:white"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">Orcas: Our Shared Future</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""> is a deep dive into the stories and science that surround the magnificent
orca. Through the exhibition, visitors will follow the currents of ecological activism, popular culture and Indigenous beliefs to gain a new appreciation of these sophisticated animals</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">,
the emblematic mammal of BC’s wild coastline and apex predator of all oceans.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The postponement until 2021 will also allow the museum to fine-tune elements of the exhibition that were designed pre-pandemic, modifying engagement points and updating
how it controls the flow of crowds. <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">In the meantime, the orca-fascinated public can enjoy the Royal BC Museum’s most recent publication,
<i>Spirits of the Coast: Orcas in Science, Art and History</i>, which brings together the work of marine biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, artists and storytellers.
<i>Spirits of the Coast</i> is available through local bookshops, the Royal Museum Shop and online at <a href="https://publications.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/" target="_blank">rbcm.ca/books</a>.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><u></u> <u></u></span></i></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The book’s emphasis on three different, but interconnected ways of viewing the orca—through Indigenous cultural traditions, science and
popular culture—reflects the tripartite perspective of the 2021 exhibition. <u></u>
<u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55"">The Royal BC Museum will continue sharing news of orcas (and of the
<i>Orcas</i> exhibition) on its social platforms: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55""><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 45 Light","sans-serif"">About the Royal BC Museum:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 45 Light","sans-serif"" lang="EN-GB">The Royal BC Museum explores the province’s human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a dynamic forum for discussion
and a place for reflection. The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Located in Victoria on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations), we
are a hub of community connections in BC–onsite, offsite and online–taking pride in our collective histories.
</span><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 45 Light","sans-serif""><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="m_7594612630765487821xbodytext" style="margin-top:.1pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 45 Light","sans-serif"" lang="EN-GB"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><a href="mailto:news@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 45 Light","sans-serif"">news@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca</span></a><span class="m_7594612630765487821MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family:"Univers LT Pro 45 Light","sans-serif"">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">______________________________________________________________________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Erik Lambertson
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Corporate Communications Manager | Marketing, Sales and Business Development</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black">
<br>
<br>
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55";color:black">R</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55";color:black">OYAL</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Univers LT Pro 55";color:black">
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</span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Traditional Territory of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations)<br>
675 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC Canada V8W 9W2 </span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">
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