The Royal BC MuseumB次元官网网址檚 much-anticipated feature exhibition, Orcas: Our Shared Future, opens April 16 and runs until January 9, 2022.

This visually stunning exhibition makes its global debut after a year-long postponement due to COVID-19, and offers a deep dive into the stories and science that surround the magnificent orcaB次元官网网址攕pirit of British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 wild coast and apex predator of all oceans.

Through dramatic displaysB次元官网网址攊ncluding three life-size orca replicas and the skeletons of Rhapsody (J32) and her unborn calfB次元官网网址攙isitors will explore currents of ecological activism, popular culture and Indigenous beliefs to gain a deeper understanding of how orcas and humans are inextricably connected.

B次元官网网址淭his is a timely and challenging storyB次元官网网址攁nd one that we are uniquely qualified to tell,B次元官网网址� says Dr. Daniel Muzyka, RBCM board chair and acting CEO. B次元官网网址淥ur unique collections, curatorial expertise and physical and emotional proximity to orcas and oceans combine in an edifying and ultimately hopeful experience that affirms we are all part of natureB次元官网网址攏ot apart from nature.B次元官网网址�

Among the 100-plus artifacts on display are rare cultural objects by Indigenous artists, including an articulated dance mask by Richard Hunt (Kwaguilth); an intricately carved Gold Killer Whale Box by Bill Reid (Haida); and a specially commissioned painting by Haida manga artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

The exhibition is complemented by a beautifully illustrated companion publication that brings together the work of marine biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, poets, artists and storytellers, the best-selling Spirits of the Coast: Orcas in Science, Art and History

Orcas: Our Shared Future is produced by the Royal BC Museum in partnership with MuseumsPartner, which collaborated on the recent Maya: The Great Jaguar Rises and Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs exhibitions, in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

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