George F. MacDonald
Encyclopedia
George F. MacDonald is a Canadian anthropologist and museum director who pioneered archaeological and ethnohistorical research on the Tsimshian
and Gitksan and was the director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
from 1983 to 1998.
MacDonald was born in Cambridge
, Ontario
. A graduate of the University of Toronto
(1961: B.A. (Honours) in Anthropology) and of Yale University
(Ph.D. in Anthropology), he is the author of several scholarly publications. He joined what was then called the Canadian Museum of Man
in 1960 as Atlantic Provinces Archaeologist.
MacDonald oversaw the transition of the museum to its new facility in Gatineau
, Quebec
, and its reorientation to a more modern, populist form of exhibit. Inspired as much by the ideas of Marshall Mcluhan
and Disney's Epcot Center as by other museums like the Smithsonian Institution
, MacDonald's version of the museum included interactive displays, replicas, and an IMAX
theatre.
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
and Gitksan and was the director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
from 1983 to 1998.
MacDonald was born in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. A graduate of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
(1961: B.A. (Honours) in Anthropology) and of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(Ph.D. in Anthropology), he is the author of several scholarly publications. He joined what was then called the Canadian Museum of Man
Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....
in 1960 as Atlantic Provinces Archaeologist.
MacDonald oversaw the transition of the museum to its new facility in Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and its reorientation to a more modern, populist form of exhibit. Inspired as much by the ideas of Marshall Mcluhan
Marshall McLuhan
Herbert Marshall McLuhan, CC was a Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar—a professor of English literature, a literary critic, a rhetorician, and a communication theorist...
and Disney's Epcot Center as by other museums like the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, MacDonald's version of the museum included interactive displays, replicas, and an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theatre.
Works
- MacDonald, George F., and John J. Cove (eds.) (1987) Tsimshian Narratives. 2 vols. Ottawa: Directorate, Canadian Museum of Civilization.