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China’s Terracotta Army Exhibition Tour of Western Canada Cancelled
Glenbow Announces International Premiere of Animation Exhibition
Calgary, AB (September 30, 2010) – The final two scheduled stops of the Canadian tour of The Warrior
Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army exhibition have been cancelled at Glenbow Museum and the
Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria.
Glenbow Museum was informed by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto - organizers of the
Canadian tour - that the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, People’s Republic of China, has
decided not to extend their out of country artifact loan for the second year as previously announced as
part of the originally scheduled two-year, four venue national tour.
The Warrior Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army, which opened at the ROM in June 2010, was
scheduled for a four-month run at Glenbow Museum from July 30, 2011 to November 20, 2011. The
presentation at the Royal BC Museum was slated for December 23, 2011 to April 22, 2012. The
exhibition will now return to China following its run at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which opens
in February 2011.
The Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre has informed Glenbow Museum and the Royal BC
Museum that the reason for the cancellation is the strict new enforcement of a regulation limiting to
one year the length of time Terracotta Army artifacts can remain outside China. The Canadian tour
partners have appealed this decision through the highest political and diplomatic channels, but the
decision by the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre is irrevocable.
Since the national announcement, Glenbow Museum has connected with tourism partners as well as
with corporate partners and individual donors for their support of Glenbow’s scheduled presentation of
The Warrior’s Emperor and China’s Terracotta Army in Calgary. The Government of Alberta also
supported this important exhibition demonstrating their ongoing commitment to recognize diverse
cultures and learning opportunities for Albertans.
“We are extremely disappointed that Glenbow will not have the opportunity as planned to give
Albertans the rare opportunity to learn about China’s rich cultural legacy,” said Kirstin Evenden,
Glenbow Museum’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “While we accept the decision, it is a missed
opportunity to share this remarkable archaeological discovery with our visitors in Western Canada.”
Due to this cancellation, Glenbow has made changes to the 2010-11 schedule and is announcing another
major international exhibition, Watch Me Move: The Story of Animation, (working title), from the
Barbican Art Gallery in London, England, known as one of the world’s leaders of groundbreaking
exhibitions and research on visual culture. Opening in fall 2011, Glenbow will be the first stop on the
international tour and Glenbow has Canadian venue exclusivity for five years.
-more-
“Glenbow Museum continues to seek out opportunities to bring the world’s cultures and major
international exhibitions to Calgarians and while we are disappointed about the Terracotta Warriors
exhibition, we are very excited to have secured another major international exhibition to collaborate
with our partners in the tourism and business communities as well as with educational and cultural
partners. We cannot underestimate the economic impact of such projects,” added Kirstin Evenden.
The new exhibition, Watch Me Move: The Story of Animation, explores the significance of animation as
an art form and cultural phenomenon. With a selection of films, objects, sets, drawings and cels, the
exhibition reflects the global impact of early day animation beginning in the early 1900s, through to
popular Disney characters and classic fables to more recent animated works such as The Simpsons and
right up to and including the 2009 blockbuster, Avatar. The broad cultural range of animation from
around the world presenting historical works to the most recent animated productions will appeal to a
broad range of museum visitors.
Watch Me Move: The Story of Animation opens at Glenbow in October 2011. Glenbow is currently
working to secure other exhibition options for July and August 2011.
Glenbow Museum’s 2011 exhibition line up continues to reflect a dynamic and international calibre of
exhibitions including the renowned musician, producer and visual artist, Brian Eno exhibition, 77 Million
Paintings in January 2011, and a stunning portrait exhibition of Yousuf Karsh’s work from the collection
of the Art Institute of Chicago in April 2011 and more.
ABOUT GLENBOW MUSEUM Glenbow is a museum, art gallery, library and archives all under one roof.
One of Canada’s largest museums, Glenbow boasts more than 1 million artifacts, over 31 thousand
works of art, approximately 100 thousand books and 2 million photographs in its vast collections.
Created in 1966 through the generosity of founder Eric L. Harvie, Glenbow Museum is where intriguing
stories from western Canada connect with extraordinary art and artifacts from around the world.
For more information about Glenbow Museum, visit www.glenbow.org.
-30Media contacts:
Glenbow Museum
Tanis Shortt, Manager
Marketing & Communications
403-268-4217
[email protected]
Royal BC Museum
Royal BC Museum Media Enquiries
250.387.3207
[email protected]
Royal Ontario Museum
Shelagh O’Donnell
Head of Communications
416.586.5858
[email protected]