Saving the Maritime Museum: It Needs More Than Money — It Needs Magic

 

Saving 🛟the Maritime ⛵️Museum: 

It Needs More Than Money 💰— It Needs Magic ✨️🐬🐳🎨🤗

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the future of the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the St. Roch revitalization project. There are fundraising campaigns, raffles, and proposals for new revenue ideas. But I keep coming back to a bigger question:

What will make people want to come?

I have lived in Kitsilano since 1997. I have watched this neighbourhood transform. I have watched thousands of people leave events at Bard on the Beach, fireworks, Museum of Vancouver programs, and Planetarium events. I have seen how much people love this waterfront.

The connection is already there.

The problem is that the Maritime Museum does not feel like it is capturing the excitement of the ocean that surrounds it.

(I grew up around water, I am not a sailor or surfer, but I briefly worked cruiseships, I am an artist, mrualist, so many great things could happen here...)

A Museum Should Make People Curious

A maritime museum should feel like adventure.

It should make a child walking by stop and say:

“Wow. What is that?”

The ocean is full of incredible stories: whales, orcas, canoes, storms, explorers, fishermen, shipbuilders, Arctic journeys, Indigenous knowledge, and the people whose lives have always been connected to the water.

The St. Roch is an important part of Canadian history. Including Inuit voices and perspectives in telling that story is essential. The Arctic is not just a place explorers travelled through — it is a homeland with thousands of years of knowledge, culture, and connection.

But one exhibit alone will not solve the bigger challenge.

The Outside Matters Too

First impressions matter.

The Maritime Museum sits in one of the most beautiful locations in Vancouver, yet the outside does not immediately tell people: “Come explore the ocean.”

Imagine if the building became a celebration of the sea.

Imagine:

• giant whale and orca murals🐳🐬🫍
• colourful ocean artwork🎨
• Indigenous artists sharing coastal stories🦅
• interactive displays for children
• signs that tell a story before you even enter
• a space where families want to stop and take photos

The submarine is already a natural attraction. A child sees a submarine and wants to know more. That curiosity is where learning begins.

Museums cannot just preserve history — they have to invite people into it.

Who Is the Museum For?

This is where we need to have an honest conversation.

Admission prices, transportation, parking, and the cost of a family day out all add up. Schools are also under pressure, and field trips are not as common as they once were.

If fewer children experience the museum, how will the next generation care about preserving it?

A museum should not only be for tourists or people with extra money. It should belong to the community.

More Than a Fundraising Problem

The Maritime Museum does need money. Preserving historic ships, buildings, and collections is expensive.

But money follows connection.

People support places they love.

Before asking people to buy raffle tickets or support new revenue ideas, perhaps the biggest investment should be making the museum a place people are excited to visit.

Make it colourful. Make it welcoming. Make it interactive. Make it feel alive.

The ocean is one of Vancouver’s greatest treasures. The stories are already here.

Now the challenge is making people feel that those stories belong to them.

 Reflective questions 

1. If a museum says it needs community support, how important is it for the museum to also listen to ideas coming from the community?

2. What happens when local artists, families, and neighbours offer ideas to help bring a public space alive but feel ignored or unheard?

3. Should museums only preserve history, or should they also create exciting experiences that inspire the next generation?

4. How can a museum make sure that history is accessible to families who may not be able to afford regular admission?

5. If children are not visiting museums through school trips anymore, how will future generations build a connection with our history?

6. What would make you stop while walking by the Maritime Museum and say, “I want to go inside”?

7. Can a building about the ocean feel alive without using art, colour, storytelling, and community involvement?

8. When public spaces need funding, should the focus be only on raising money, or also on creating a place people genuinely love?

9. How do we balance preserving important historical objects like the St. Roch with making sure living communities today feel represented and included?

10. What role should artists, Indigenous storytellers, scientists, families, and local residents play in reimagining the future of a museum?

#VancouverMaritimeMuseum, #StRoch, #VancouverHistory, #Kitsilano, #OceanStories, #MuseumFuture, #PublicArt, #CommunityVoices, #ProtectOurHeritage, #VancouverWaterfront