Build a Museum Exhibit and We’ll Tell You Which Canadian “Heritage Moment” You Are
By: Ashley Linkletter
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
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Image: TommL / E+ / Getty Images
About This Quiz
If you've watched any Canadian television over the last 30 years, there's an excellent chance you've seen your fair share of "Heritage Minutes." These 60-second spots tell the story of individual Canadians as well as influential groups of people, usually through dramatic re-enactments and voiceover narration, which is often performed by another famous Canadian. Past topics have run the gamut from Canadian midwives to the Battle of Vimy Ridge to Tommy Prince, Canada's most-decorated Indigenous soldier. Today there are 90 "Heritage Minutes" on rotation, with the earliest television spot appearing in 1991. Funded by Canada Post and the Government of Canada (amongst others), "Heritage Minutes" are created with the intention to surprise, provoke and reveal truths about Canada's political, cultural and military history.
Being the Canadian history buff that you are, we thought it would be fun to help you design a museum of your own (you could call it a "Heritage Minute" on display.) Although Canada is a relatively young country, its citizens have proven to be innovative thinkers, brave in the face of injustice and incredibly valuable in terms of their contribution to the arts and humanities. It's time to think about your exhibit from every perspective: content, appearance, ambiance and accessibility are just some of the things you'll have to think about as you answer these questions. Are you ready to take your museum exhibit to the next level? Let's find out which Canadian "Heritage Minute" you really are!
START QUIZ
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Wiki Commons by Natulive Canada
Which museum is showing your exhibit?
Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Green Gables Heritage Place
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FatCamera / E+ / Getty Images
The right name is sure to attract visitors! What is the name of your exhibit?
"Cancer Research Throughout the Last 50 Years"
"Mood and the Writer's Portfolio"
"The Civil Rights Movement in the Maritimes"
"Post-impressionism in the Pacific Northwest"
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Marius Gomes / Moment / Getty Images
Exhibits often travel to different museums. If you could take your exhibit anywhere in Canada, where would it go?
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Nikada / E+ / Getty Images
When visitors arrive in the lobby of your museum, what do they see?
A framed $10 bill from 2018
A painting of trees and the ocean
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Henrik Sorensen / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Does your exhibit have any interactive features?
Yes — you can dress up as your favourite literary heroine.
Yes — a short film about the civil rights movement in Nova Scotia
Yes — a VR running route across the east coast of Canada
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Vostok / Moment / Getty Images
Right next to the exhibit, the museum has a big cafeteria; what does it serve?
Salads made from seasonal ingredients
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Wiki Commons by Verne Equinox
You might need a corporate sponsor to help fund your exhibit. Who do you turn to?
Canadian Council for the Arts
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Wiki Commons by Xicotencatl
Which already-existing museum looks the most like the one housing your exhibit?
Museum of Modern Art in New York City
National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa
Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver
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Artur Debat / Moment / Getty Images
When you're building an exhibit, light is one of the most important factors to consider. How is your exhibit lit?
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Coto Elizondo / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How many stories is the museum where your exhibit is being held?
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Thomas Barwick / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You plan on having some museum prints for sale in the lobby. What do the prints have on them?
Running shoes and a running route
Views of Vancouver Island
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Jason Moskowitz Photography / Moment / Getty Images
Does your exhibit have any outdoor features?
Bronze statues of running figures
Abstract works of art made from red clay
A thick forest of evergreen trees
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Hill Street Studios / DigitalVision / Getty Images
You want to put a plaque on the entrance of your museum exhibit with a quote from your favourite Canadian. What does it say?
"I'm not doing anything wrong."
"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it."
"I think that one's art is a growth inside one. I do not think one can explain growth. It is silent and subtle."
"I know that you can do the impossible."
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Image Source / Getty Images
What other exhibits are showing at the museum?
A Bill Reid retrospective
Canadian women and the history of human rights
The world of emerging medical technology
The women who shaped Canada's literary voice
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Anna Fedoseeva / Moment / Getty Images
Does your museum exhibit involve historical re-enactments?
Yes — with lots of costumes from the early 1900s
No — but there are plenty of old news reports to watch.
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Digital Vision. / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Your patrons will spend most of the time walking around looking at your exhibit. What kind of flooring did you choose for your exhibit?
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TommL / E+ / Getty Images
If your museum exhibit is more than one story, how do people get from floor to floor?
My museum is on one floor.
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Elizabeth Livermore / Moment / Getty Images
When you buy a museum pass you receive a free gift. What do you give your patrons?
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Walt Disney Pictures / Walt Disney Animation Studios
On the first Monday of the month, your museum hosts free family movie nights that tie into the theme of your exhibit. Which of the following movies are next on the roster?
"The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking"
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Shana Novak / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Your museum has a smaller satellite building down the block which focuses on one exhibit only. What is the exhibit's most famous item?
Letters from school children
Indigenous art from Haida Gwaii
The world's biggest lobster
A Royal Canadian Mint retrospective
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Wiki Commons by Holger Motzkau
Which distinguished Canadian would be a keynote speaker at your exhibit's charity event?
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cesarr t. / Moment / Getty Images
There's nothing like a pop of colour to make museum artifacts pop. What colour are the walls painted in your exhibit?
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Jupiterimages / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Does your exhibit have any ambient noise for effect?
Yes — speeches are played every 30 minutes.
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Mark C Stevens / Moment / Getty Images
In the museum's calendar, a nature photo inspired by your exhibit is used for the month of August. What is in the photo?
An evergreen forest in British Columbia
A beach in P.E.I. with red sand
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Wiki Commons by Daderot
Your exhibit will be shown at a Canadian university or college; which school will it be?
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
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Zero Creatives / Cultura / Getty Images
What kind of small treats and trinkets are sold by the cash register in the gift shop?
Small folding map of Canada
Postcards from the Royal Canadian Mint
Prints of the Pacific Northwest
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SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
If your museum had a motto, what would it be?
"She acquires strength as she goes."
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StudioThreeDots / E+ / Getty Images
The gift shop sells copies of which complementary book to your museum exhibit?
"When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi
"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Underground to Canada" by Barbara Smucker
"A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf
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SolStock / E+ / Getty Images
How much is admission to your museum?
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Wiki Commons by Ian Dougherty
Please exit through the gift shop. What do your visitors see before they leave your museum?
A donation box for cancer research
A red-headed security guard
A survey asking you what you learned from the exhibit
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