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—has an extensive CV: It was the lead designer of the new Canadian History Hall at the Canadian Museum of History (the largest exhibition about Canadian history ever developed) and has also recently completed The Alaska Gallery at the Anchorage Museum, Human at the Montreal Science Centre, and much more.
GSM Project will work with the Canoe Musuem 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.
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:
1. Exhibition Galleries -> Approximately 21,000 square feet of Class A (curatorial standard) exhibit space expected to feature 10 to 12 galleries. 2. 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.
For the first time, the museum's entire collection will be on site and totally accessible as part of the visitor experience.