April

September 16, 2024-June 27, 2025

Referencing works from the City's Permanent Art Collection, participants explore the progression of themes and techniques in contemporary Coast Salish art. Discussions on appropriation and use of copyrighted work will be discussed within this program. Students will finish the workshop by creating their own collagraph print.

Curriculum Tie-ins: Indigenous Art, Community, Art Education

Explore the life of early Surrey residents and compare it to our lives today. Students move through a virtual museum as they learn about pioneer homes like the Anderson Cabin, natural resources in the Surrey Stories gallery, and how raw wool becomes clothing in the Textile Studio. Students will discover how diverse the community of Surrey is.

Participate in a “Big 6 Historical Thinking” challenge in our c̓əsnaʔəm; the city before the city virtual exhibition. Learn about the impact of colonization on the Musqueam First Nation, how they resisted assimilative policies, and the Museum’s role in the reconciliation process.

Subtopic: Stories of Resilience (45-60 minutes, $145)

Learn about the impacts of colonization on the Musqueam community, how they resisted assimilative policies, and what the Museum’s role in the reconciliation process is by exploring the c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city exhibition virtually.

Subtopic: The Road to Reconciliation (45-60 minutes, $145)

Learn about our shared responsibility in the reconciliation process. Through Object-Based Learning, students use their critical thinking skills and gain a deeper understanding of traditional and contemporary First Nations culture.*

*An Education Kit is available for this subtopic ($55/week)

The City Analyst has gone missing! It’s up to your team of detectives to solve the case. Looking at all the collected material, including crime scene, impressions and DNA evidence, piece together the connections between the suspects and the sequence of events leading up to our Analyst’s kidnapping. Can you save our City Analyst and uncover the suspect’s motive?

This program is ideal for classes studying the Canadian justice system, policing, and forensic methods. 

Duration: 1 hour Capacity: 20 Cost: $8.00/student

Combine a Kidnapping program with a Museum Discovery Tour – only $12.00/student!

What's the story of the plants we eat? Students will explore the journey of a vegetable from seed to plate, studying the seeds of plants grown on the farm, learning about their unique differences. Through a guided tour, students will see plants in different stages of their reproduction and their life cycle, relating this knowledge to our choices about what we eat in which season, and why that may be. As always, there's a chance for hands to get dirty after touring our farm, where we experiment with seed saving and understanding local adaptations. Students will harvest or plant seeds either at the farm, or to take home and plant in their own gardens or patios.

On this guided tour students uncover the history of social development, crime and law enforcement in Vancouver and how it impacts modern living. Students are guided through a 45-minute tour followed by 15 minutes of self-guided exploration. Tour content and complexity can be tailored to group needs and interests.

Our museum tours delve into the origins of Vancouver's own Coroners Court, Autopsy Suite and Morgue. Our new exhibit, "Becoming Vance" explores fascinating elements of forensic science and Canada's very own Sherlock Holmes, John Vance. 

You’ll also discover our famous True Crimes exhibit, which highlights the city’s most notorious crimes and cold cases with authentic evidence and artifacts on display. And, of course, you’ll see the city’s first morgue and autopsy suite in addition to hundreds of rare artifacts, archives and photos from our own collection.

Our museum is brimming with exciting history, exhibits and artefacts that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. A designated heritage building, it was once the Coroner’s Court, Autopsy Facility and the City Analyst’s Laboratory, making it one of the most authentic museum experiences in the world.

How did newcomers get to Surrey? What challenges did they face? Did everyone have the same experience? Students use artifacts, maps, and documents to answer these questions and uncover information about the Chinese Head Tax and other immigration experiences. Immigrants in turn-of-the-century Canada certainly faced challenges. Students experience the cultural traditions of Scottish and Chinese newcomers on the farm, and learn how the Head Tax and other practices affected immigrants to Surrey in the early 20th century. Three-week rental.