Museum of Anthropology at UBC
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Located at the University of British Columbia, the Museum of Anthropology houses one of the world’s finest displays of Northwest Coast First Nations arts in a spectacular Arthur Erickson-designed building overlooking mountains and sea.
Planning your visit
MOA holds one of the finest collections of Northwest Coast First Nations art anywhere, and Arthur Erickson's 1976 building was designed around it — a concrete post-and-beam structure echoing the framing of Northwest Coast houses, with a great glass hall in which monumental totem poles and house posts stand against a view of mountains and the Strait of Georgia.
Bill Reid's Raven and the First Men, a yellow cedar sculpture of the Haida creation story, is the single best-known work.
The museum's practice has changed substantially over recent decades. Its collections are increasingly managed in partnership with the originating communities, with repatriation, community access to holdings and Indigenous-led interpretation central rather than peripheral — a model widely studied elsewhere.
Note that the building underwent seismic upgrading with extended closures, so checking current status is worthwhile.
It sits at UBC on Point Grey. Allow two hours. Bookable options combine it with VanDusen Garden. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Museum of Anthropology at UBC?
Museum of Anthropology at UBC is in Vancouver, Canada. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Museum of Anthropology at UBC?
Allow two hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Museum of Anthropology at UBC in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
