CMHR | Winnipeg - Page 55

rrskylar · #**1081** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 3:44 PM**

So the CMHR is back in the news on consecutive days and neither story is good news.

Visits down 10%, of course "free" visits count for at least 50% of all visits, even visits to the gift shop or restaurant are desperately counted as actual visits, no doubt visits to the web site are counted as actual visits as well.

The Freep has a story today about the seven year tax squabble between the city and CMHR over unpaid property taxes, guess who will indubitably be left footing the bill!

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...390647971.html

esquire · #**1082** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 3:50 PM**

I hate to admit it, but I'm getting a little down on CMHR. I spent the better part of a Sunday visiting it last fall and I found the content to be underwhelming. The facility and presentation are A+++ worldclass spectacular, but the actual content was marginal. A mile wide and an inch deep... I'm not sure that I walked away with a more profound understanding of the subject.

To be honest I think it might have worked out better had it been a holocaust museum with an in-depth treatment of that topic. I guess you have to go and see it once but I'm not really in a huge rush to go back.

robertocarlos · #**1083** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 5:31 PM**

It looks great from the Forks market. Maybe not $500 million great but still nice shiny blue glass.

rrskylar · #**1084** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 5:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by robertocarlos

It looks great from the Forks market. Maybe not $500 million great but still nice shiny blue glass.

Sure it looks great from the outside (I like, most don't) and inside but the trouble is the exhibits and presentations border on high school project calibre and are minimal in depth.

dennis · #**1085** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 6:35 PM**

As for the content, I wouldn't say it's bad. It's good to very good with a little too much crappy in it. How could Ottawa get their other national museums done well, but this one not?

dennis · #**1086** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 7:03 PM**

The way I see it is that it sucks that I have to pay so much of my tax dollars to fund national museums in Canada. The good points of the CMHR are that 1: its in Winnipeg, so at least I get to see it more and 2: rrskylar gets to use his gift of exercising his democratic right to voice his displeasure at the government. If the CMHR was in Ottawa, I wold think that he would show little interest. Rr, please write a scathing letter to Ottawa for spending all of our hard earned dollars on
The Canadian museums of nature, history, science and technology and immigration pier 21. The CMHR is just a drop in the bucket use your gift. I can't write for beans.

Urban recluse · #**1087** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 7:19 PM**

Imagine the housing that could have been built there instead? The spin off benefits would have been much better, and a much better return on the tax $$$ spent.

Tacheguy · #**1088** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 7:31 PM**

I maintain an annual membership and visit maybe three or four times a year. I always find something informative, and enjoy the temporary exhibits that roll through. haven't seen the 3d Guatamalan village yet but I hear it is really good.
I talk to many tourists around the Forks and I know that many of them are quite struck by the Museum.

nice to see some federal money get spent outside of the ncr. believe me if you saw the amount of direct expenditures the feds pour into Ontario and Quebec, disguised under the banner of national programs, this bread crumb in Winnipeg would not bother you in the slightest.

by the way the museum is a work in progress. members can have input into forward planning, so folks here might want to consider getting involved and supporting improvements.

esquire · #**1089** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 7:38 PM**

^ Yeah, believe me, I'm no anti CMHR zealot... I'm glad that Winnipeg received such an important cultural institution which could have just as easily ended up in Ottawa, Toronto or Calgary. I just find the exhibits somewhat diffuse and not especially compelling. Maybe that will improve in time.

Kudos to you for getting involved as a member, Tacheguy.

dennis · #**1090** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:20 PM**

Fwiw I too find out of city tourists giving generally good reviews of the CMHR. I find winnipeggers tend to give most of the bad reviews- with still the majority giving good reviews. Has the CMHR contributed to our economy by increasing tourism to Winnipeg? I don't think that can be answered adequately. We have seen tourist numbers increase, but I think it's due to our cheap dollar. The CMHR may have a part too, but is it worth the price tag? But then again if it had to be built, I am glad it's here and not in museum rich Ottawa or Toronto or wherever.

Riverman · #**1091** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:32 PM**

I was banned on here once by saying this thing would be a flop. Turns out I was right.

esquire · #**1092** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

I was banned on here once by saying this thing would be a flop. Turns out I was right.

I certainly wouldn't call it a flop. There's room to improve, though.

Riverman · #**1093** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:41 PM**

Sure didn't see any Bilbao effect or packed hotels as predicted on here by most. I'd call it an outright flop.

Urban recluse · #**1094** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:44 PM**

Did nothing for Provencher.

bomberjet · #**1095** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:45 PM**

How many tax dollars were spent on the museum? Wasn't it mostly private donations?

dennis · #**1096** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

Sure didn't see any Bilbao effect or packed hotels as predicted on here by most. I'd call it an outright flop.

I didn't expect that either. I did expect a moderate increase in tourists, and from what I read there was. I also expected that the CMHR would have accounted for a very small percentage of that increase, and I think it might have.

bomberjet · #**1097** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:46 PM**

It is a human rights museum after all. I was at the natural history museum when in NYC. They obviously have tons of real exhibits, with skeletons or artifacts, etc. How many artifacts could a human rights museum have?

esquire · #**1098** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverman

Sure didn't see any Bilbao effect or packed hotels as predicted on here by most.

Yeah, fair enough. The Guggenheim, it ain't. But it still has merit even if it doesn't draw hordes of tourists, although I think it's fair to say that there was an expectation it would have some effect in that regard.

TimeFadesAway · #**1099** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

Did nothing for Provencher.

The people of St. B are Provencher's worst enemy

dennis · #**1100** Posted **Aug 19, 2016, 8:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bomberjet

It is a human rights museum after all. I was at the natural history museum when in NYC. They obviously have tons of real exhibits, with skeletons or artifacts, etc. How many artifacts could a human rights museum have?

The museum is relatively new. It would take some time to acquire new artifacts through donations. There are artifacts linked to human rights issues.