About the Museum

Enjoy the heritage of northern Alberta Woodland Cree and Metis peoples at the Native Cultural Arts Museum!

The Native Cultural Arts Museum is a part of Northern Lakes College and is located at its Grouard Campus in the Moosehorn Lodge. When the museum was established in 1976, it was affiliated with the Native Cultural Arts Program that was running at the vocational school that later became Northern Lakes College.

The first curators were Jack Craig and Mary Periard, who were also both instructors in the NCA Program. The museum has in its collection many pieces produced by talented students as well as NCA Program instructors such as Mary Periard, Daphne Odjig and Margaret Cardinal. The collection contains both traditional and contemporary works.

Current Museum exhibits are focused on the Woodland Cree and Metis People of northern Alberta, but also tell the tales of the fur traders, missionaries and settlers who lived a among them and influenced their lives in the process. In addition to our indoor exhibits, the Museum has developed extensive living history exhibits within the Grouard Historical Village, in which costumed interpreters use interactive displays to portray local Aboriginal history, circa 1880.

Museum tours and programs typically include tours of St. Bernard’s Church and cemetery, both a part of the mission founded by Bishop Emile Grouard. The church is a designated Alberta Historic Site.

Since 2003, the Museum has emphasized educational programs for school children and other groups. We now have available a wide variety of field trip programs and outreach programs about the history and culture of Aboriginal people of this region available to choose from.

Information about our programs has been published in the Fall 2006 Alberta Museum Review and the summer 2007 MUSE Magazine article about Canada’s Outdoor Museums.

In February, 2007, the Native Cultural Arts Museum was awarded Recognized Museum designation by the Alberta Museums Association. This status is awarded to museums that demonstrate they are meeting internationally recognized definitions of a museum. The Museum earned this designation after participating in the Museum Affirmation Program.

MUSEUM OPERATING HOURS:
Summer Hours: June, July & August
Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (Closed for lunch)

Winter Hours: September through May
Tuesday through Thursday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. (Closed for lunch)

Closed during the month of January.

During the off-season please call ahead to ensure opening hours.