Glenbow Museum to close at the end of August for major renovations

The Glenbow Museum in downtown Calgary will close its doors for three years starting at the end of August, as major renovations start on the building.          

"It's a big concrete box, essentially," said Melanie Kjorlien, the museum's chief operating officer and VP of engagement. 

"And so part of what we're envisioning for this renovation is to really open up that box, if you will, and just make it more accessible to the public."    

The Glenbow, which opened 50 years ago, shares an entrance with the Telus Convention Centre, but soon it will have its own front door, and more opportunities to see inside.

Work on the $120 million project is already underway.

The first two floors are still open, but they'll close on August 29.

The Glenbow welcomed public feedback on the major project with two virtual open houses earlier this month. Now it's hearing from Indigenous communities in Treaty 7 territory and across the country.

"We certainly want to make sure that the communities whose culture is represented in Glenbow's collections are actively involved, telling stories about that, those collections, the way that they want to tell it." said Kjorlien.

Until the museum reopens in 2024, some of its 250,000 articles will be on exhibit at a satellite site starting next year.