World-class exhibition design firm joins new museum project

The Canadian Canoe Museum will partner with world-class exhibition design firm GSM Project to create one-of-a-kind visitor experiences at its new building beside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

GSM Project, with offices in Montreal, Dubai and Singapore, will work with the organization to ensure that the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft is not only exhibited, but experienced, by all those who visit the new museum at the water’s edge.

Following a nationwide request for proposals and an in-depth selection process, GSM Project has been chosen to work alongside staff and the Exhibit Design Committee to create visitor experiences in two key areas of the new museum:
• Exhibition Galleries - Approximately 21,000 square feet of Class A (curatorial standard) exhibit space expected to feature 10 to 12 galleries.
• Collections Centre - Approximately 28,000 square feet of Class A (curatorial standard) open storage space, featuring more than 500 full-sized watercraft stored on individual mounts and arranged on racking systems, and artifacts.
For the first time, the museum’s entire collection will be on site and totally accessible as part of the visitor experience.

The Canadian Canoe Museum will join GSM Project’s repertoire of more than 1,000 exhibit design and production projects in more than 120 cities worldwide.

GSM Project was the lead designer of the new Canadian History Hall at the Canadian Museum of History – the largest exhibition about Canadian history ever developed. The 40,000 square-foot exhibition opened July 1, 2017. GSM has also recently completed The Alaska Gallery at the Anchorage Museum; Human at the Montreal Science Centre; three of the galleries at the new Canada Science and Technology Museum; and the Canada Goose Arctic Gallery at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

“We are proud to have been in a position to meet with some of the world’s leading exhibit design firms as part of this selection process,” says Jeremy Ward, the museum’s curator. “The GSM Project team members will bring their international experience, a deep affinity for Canadian heritage, and an appreciation of our unique collection and its incredible potential to the table. Together, we aspire to strengthen the museum’s connections with communities across the country and are confident that the result of our work will be something very special that will engage our visitors in new and surprising ways. We cannot wait to get started.”

“A great community deserves a great museum,” says Yves Mayrand, President and Chief Creative Officer of GSM Project. “The renewed Canoe Museum will serve as a nucleus not only for Peterborough but also for all those who are passionate about canoes, Canada’s waterways, and that love of the outdoors that unites us all. Like so many visitors before us, we have fairly fallen in love with the Canadian Canoe Museum, and we look forward to helping this institution’s talented and dedicated team realize the bold vision they have for this transformation.”

About the new museum
As part of The Canadian Canoe Museum’s responsibility for its collection, a cultural asset of national significance, the organization is building it a new home that aspires to be as innovative as the canoe itself. The new museum will care for the collection the way it deserves to be cared for – preserving, protecting, and showcasing for generations to come. In the future, visitors will explore the canoe’s leading role in Canada’s past, present and future alongside the world’s highest hydraulic lift lock on one of the country’s most celebrated waterways.
The new museum is designed by an award-winning team of heneghan peng architects (Dublin, Ireland) with Kearns Mancini Architects (Toronto, Canada).
The redevelopment project will be supported by a $65 million capital campaign. We are grateful to our early leadership donors, and acknowledge the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada for their support.

About GSM Project
GSM Project specializes in the creation and production of visitor experiences. Based in Montreal, Canada, since its founding in 1958, the company also has offices in Dubai and Singapore and collaborates with a wide range of clients all over the world to create immersive, educational, and memorable visitor experiences. GSM Project has designed exhibitions for major museums across the globe, such as the National Museum of Singapore, the Canadian Museum of History, the Anchorage Museum in Alaska, and the Museum of Civilization in Quebec City.