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B.C. Museum Robbed In May Builds Security Into Redesign

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Bianca
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« on: December 31, 2008, 10:39:56 am »











                                     B.C. museum robbed in May builds security into redesign






December 23, 2008
CBC News




Argillite pipe by Bill Reid (1963),
with red oval marking
the piece still missing.

(UBC Museum of Anthropology)


Seven months after the theft of a dozen works by Haida artist Bill Reid, the UBC Museum of Anthropology is undergoing a $55.5-million renovation and expansion.

Among the prime concerns in the project is the security of the museum's collection of artifacts by Northwest Coast artists.

The museum building, designed by Arthur Erickson, is to be increased in size by 50 per cent and its archeology and research labs are being redesigned.

But at the core of the project are renewed exhibit areas where artifacts from diverse First Nations cultures can be displayed.

In May, a dozen pieces of art by the late Haida artist Reid, along with three Mexican gold artifacts, were stolen from museum galleries.

"Our first reaction was shock and disbelief because it was something that we would never have expected to happen here, so it was devastating," Moya Waters, museum associate director, told CBC News.

The crime showed every evidence of having been carefully planned.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2008, 10:41:47 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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Bianca
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« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2008, 10:46:26 am »











Four hours before the theft occurred key surveillance cameras went off line. Campus security received an automatic alert about the cameras, but ignored it because someone claiming to be from the alarm company called to say they were doing tests of the system.




This gold box by Bill Reid with a sculptured
eagle on top was one of 15 art objects
stolen from the UBC museum in May.

(CBC)


When a guard went on a smoke break, a group of thieves moved in, wearing gas masks and discharging bear spray. They scooped up gold-plated jewelry from the drawers and hit a glass case with the Reid objects, then disappeared.

Police mounted a massive operation involving 50 municipal, federal and provincial officers.

All but two of the stolen Reid artifacts were recovered three weeks later.

The last pieces — an argillite pipe and a gold pin — were found in August, though the pipe had been broken.

Now the UBC Museum of Anthropology has hired Laboratorio Museotecnico Goppion, an internationally renowned Italian firm, to build new cases for its artifacts.

"Their references are quite substantial. They've done the Mona Lisa, so that's a single case installation — it's not the entire Louvre, of course. They've also done the crown jewels in the Tower of London," said design manager Skooker Broome.

It's a big order — the finished gallery is expected to have 14,000 square feet of cases. The entire gallery will expand by 48,800 square feet.

"That will include refurbishment of the Bill Reid…cases and we're looking forward to being able to put those pieces back on display," said Waters.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2008, 10:48:19 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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Bianca
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« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2008, 10:50:04 am »





     

     UBC Museum of Anthropology









Police initially questioned three suspects in the theft, but charges have not been laid.

The museum has been shut since September and expects to reopen March 3, 2009.

The new facilities are being designed by Erickson and Stantec Architecture Ltd. of Toronto.

The expansion project includes a web-based system for the exchange of collections information being developed with the Musqueam Indian Band, the Sto:lo Nation and the U'mista Cultural Society in Alert Bay, B.C.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2008, 10:57:46 am by Bianca » Report Spam   Logged

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