The facility's expansive Indigenous sports gallery can now be experienced at home through immersive online features and virtual reality.
As we move deeper into the digital age, many museums and galleries are embarking on digitization projects to make their works available for viewing anytime, anywhere.
Now, the BC Sports Hall of Fame has joined the game, giving you access to the world's largest known permanent gallery dedicated to Indigenous sports with the click of a button or swipe of your thumb.
The Indigenous Sports Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame is now available for anyone around the world to experience through virtual reality from the comfort of their own home.
“We wanted to find a way to get more British Columbians to learn about the history of Indigenous sports,” said project leader Shelby McCannell. “It was important to us to bridge that gap and bring learning to people who might not normally interact with us.”
The all-encompassing digital version of the exhibit includes a 360-degree virtual tour of the gallery and includes additional features for screens not found in brick-and-mortar buildings. These include video profiles of 14 featured athletes and honorary members, as well as 3D interactive artifacts.
Visually beautiful and easy to navigate, the site also includes an interactive timeline and map, and vibrant illustrations by səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) artist Olivia George.
McCannell said the online version was created to accommodate all types of virtual guests, regardless of age or level of technical knowledge.
“When we created the site, we took into account that different people have different comfort levels with technology and different ways of accessing technology,” she said. “For the virtual tour portion, we have a desktop version that visitors can navigate and learn from the comfort of their home, but then use a VR headset to access the same virtual guide for a more immersive experience. can do.”
For those who don't already have a futuristic VR device in their home, McCannell added that the desktop component is equally immersive and engaging.
The physical Indigenous Gallery is known as the world's largest permanent gallery dedicated to Indigenous sports and opened in 2018 as an extension of the former Aboriginal Sports Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The gallery is 1,500 square feet and features more than 40 past and current Indigenous athletes, including Terry Fox, Carey Price, Jack Poole, and the 1936 North Shore Indians lacrosse team.
In its relatively short tenure, it has already won several awards, including the 2019 Canadian Museum Association Award for Excellence in Exhibitions and the 2019 Best New Exhibition in the World award by International Sports Heritage. Association.
While the virtual addition is an incredible feat for the gallery, McCannell said there is still no greater experience than actually visiting an exhibition and seeing the works up close.
She added that gallery participants are honored to be able to share such important stories, regardless of the medium in which they are shared.
“It means a lot to us to be able to share these stories because Indigenous athletes and their families in the Indigenous sports community have shared this with us,” she said. “I’m really happy to be able to provide a place to showcase them.”
The Virtual Indigenous Sports Gallery can be accessed by: indigenoussportgallery.com.
Mina Carr-Lazenby is an Indigenous and civil affairs reporter for North Shore News. This coverage beat was made possible by Her Local Journalism Her initiative.
MKerrLazenby@nsnews.com
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