Exhibitions

Featured Exhibits

A SEAT AT THE TABLE: CHINESE IMMIGRATION AND BRITISH COLUMBIA

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

A Seat at the Table is an opportunity to consider the contributions that Chinese migrants and their descendants have made to British Columbia, a province built from the interaction of successive and concurrent waves of migration and uninterrupted occupation by Indigenous peoples.

Using food as an entry point, this award-winning exhibition highlights stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experiences and of the communities immigrants develop. One of the largest museum projects on Chinese Canadian history and culture in Canada to date, it addresses themes of belonging, racism, agency, resilience and reparation as important facets of the complex picture of Chinese migrants and their descendants in the province.

Cumberland was once a major hub of Chinese Canadian immigration in BC, and to this day former Cumberland Chinatown residents and their descendants reunite annually to celebrate their community. A Seat at the Table tells diverse stories of Chinese Canadians in BC, while highlighting Cumberland’s rich Chinese Canadian heritage.

The exhibition is presented in English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.

Permanent Exhibits

In these galleries you will find stories of grit, resistance, resilience, conflict, and community. Then and now, we are all connected by this place.

Coal Town

Step back in time to the thriving coal town of Cumberland in the early 1900s. Explore the hotels and bars where miners and loggers grabbed a beer and a bath after a hard day’s work digging for coal or felling timbers. Experience a day in the life of a

Resistance and Resilience

“The people on this land fight for their beliefs and are bound by their collective strength”, learn more about the Resilience and Resistance of our communities.
Community Exhibit

Community Hall

People connect in many ways—through food and drink, arts and culture, events and celebrations, hobbies and recreation. Explore objects that highlight Cumberland’s diverse communities and cultures, then and now.

People on the Land

Since time immemorial, Ancestors of the people called K’ómoks today have been the caretakers of this land, which they called the “Land of Plenty.” Follow the path of water from the mountains to the wetlands in this experiential journey that highlights the overlapping values we place on this land.

Digital Museum

Explore Community History Cumberland Museum & Archives’ Digital Museum Museums are about curiosity, asking questions and finding a connection to people, places and shared experiences. Cumberland’s Digital Museum provides a virtual catalogue of stories, explorations and collections through which to discover the communities’ interwoven histories. Our purpose in creating
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