Exhibitions at Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21

Van Helvert Family Collection

Discover the Museum’s main exhibition dedicated to the years when Pier 21 was open as an immigration shed. Learn about the one million immigrants, refugees, war brides, evacuee children and displaced persons who came through this gateway between 1928 and 1971. You’ll also learn about Canada’s participation during the desperate days of WWII when 500,000 military personnel departed from Pier 21.

Go on an emotional journey through Pier 21’s historic past when you view the multimedia presentation Oceans of Hope, (shown at regular times throughout the day).

Museum Notice

The Wheel of Conscience monument is presently offsite. It has been shipped to its fabricators, Soheil Mosun Limited, in Toronto for repair. Please revisit our website for updates on the monument’s return. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Honourable Jason Kenny, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and Daniel Libeskind, architect, unveil the Wheel of Conscience on January 20, 2011. © SteveKaiserPhotography.ca

Commemorating the St. Louis Voyage

The Wheel of Conscience monument is on display in Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21’s Rudolph P. Bratty Exhibition Hall.

The Wheel of Conscience monument was developed through a partnership between the Canadian Jewish Congress and Citizenship and Immigration Canada to commemorate the story of the St. Louis. The monument was designed by world renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, who was born in Poland and is the son of Holocaust survivors.

In his artist statement, Libeskind describes the wheel as driven by gears which are symbolic of both the gears of a ship and the “gears” of government. The words hatred, racism and xenophobia are represented on three gears smallest to largest. These gears combined, move the largest and most prominent gear of antisemitism. The rotating gears fracture and reassemble the image of the ship at set intervals. The gears represent the vicious circle that brought tragedy to so many lives and dishonor to Canada.

Entrance to Rudolph P. Bratty Exhibition Hall is included in Museum admission.

Temporary Exhibitions

Sikh Motorcycle Club - Photo by Naomi Harris

Shaping Canada:Exploring Cultural Landscapes

June 8 to September 3

Are you a part of a cultural landscape? The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 invites you to find out! See how cultures overlap by visiting our latest temporary exhibition, Shaping Canada: Exploring Cultural Landscapes, to discover the ways groups and individuals maintain and produce their cultural identities in Canada.

The exhibition will be on display in the Ralph and Rose Chiodo Harbourside Gallery beginning June 8 to September 3. It will feature contemporary portrait photography by Naomi Harris, archival images, oral histories, artifacts and your participation.

When people immigrate, they bring along many aspects of culture. As they settle in their new homes, their cultures overlap with those of their neighbours. They are sharing a cultural landscape.

Cultural landscapes are all around us, and always changing. They are social spaces that people create and change over time. These spaces reflect the cultural practices, shared meanings and beliefs of the people who live there.

This exhibition highlights Canada’s cultural landscapes through seven case studies around key ideas like family, faith, food, recreation and neighbourhood. The result shows aspects of how people create, maintain and experience cultural landscapes across Canada.

Entrance to the Shaping Canada: Exploring Canada’s Cultural Landscapes is included in the price of general Museum admission. Also, visit the Museum’s main exhibition dedicated to the historic Pier 21 years.

Check our website often for updates on upcoming exhibition-related events and programs!

Past Temporary Exhibitions

Community Presents Program

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21’s Community Presents program encourages cultural groups to create their own exhibitions and tell their own stories, while celebrating themes related to immigration, cultural diversity, cultural heritage and identity.