With sad news we inform that the brilliant visionary creator of the Museum's internationally famed and highly regarded Third Floor passed away just over a week prior to its closure.
Jean Jacques Andre's fascinating life has been described in a full article featuring his obituary in today's Times Colonist:
What a fascinating life and how much we owe to his vision, awe inspiring talent, hard work and creativity.
It makes sense that caves in France served as an inspiration for him, as caves feature importantly in the exhibits. I always thought the most impacting was the supernatural cave in the First Peoples Gallery.
Andre worked on award winning museums all over the world.
His passing, like the recent attack on his painstakingly designed exhibits, has shown again the strange ironies of the situation. Far from being a herald of British nationalism as the Becoming BC Galleries were recently erroneously framed by those who lack an ounce of his creative talents and regard for history, he was French, born in Algeria.
Far from being an anti-indigenous colonialist as his work at the Royal BC Museum has only recently been portrayed by revisionists ignorant of the near past, he also worked extensively with various indigenous peoples on numerous projects including the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and "the Makah Cultural and Research Centre in Neah Bay, Washington, which is recognized as one of the United States’ finest First Nations Museums."
In 1999 he was the recipient of the Order of British Columbia for his excellent work on museums in BC. The award was given to him, while the BC NDP was in power. How strange then that 20+ years later it is the BC NDP that has led the charge to purge those same galleries that he was previously awarded for. The image on the Order of BC website ironically has Premier John Horgan presiding above the following text:
"1999 Recipient: Jean Jacques André – Victoria
The work of Jean Jacques André of Victoria has helped make the Royal British Columbia Museum a world leader in exhibit design and one of Victoria’s major tourist attractions. He designed the Old Town exhibit, the First People’s Gallery and Living Land–Living Sea. His dioramas and open exhibits recreate a complete environment — often including sound, smell and light in fine detail — where even the smallest space can help create imagery in a person’s mind. Acclaimed around the world for the sense of wonder about British Columbia they transmit to visitors, more than 30 million people have visited these exhibits since they opened.
Jean Jacques André is a conceptual designer on the leading edge of museum design. His work is an inspiration to many others in his field and has established British Columbia as a leader in museum and multi-media design. His exhibits have increased public awareness and appreciation of nature and history — an awareness which is critical to their preservation for future generations. His unique vision is the basis for more than 70 museums and workshops and can be seen in museums throughout British Columbia and across Canada, as well as in 15 American states, Sweden and Hong Kong."
https://orderofbc.gov.bc.ca/members/obc-1999/1999-jean-jacques-andre/
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