9810 103a Ave NW Edmonton, AB T5J 0G2
Death is the greatest mystery of all, yet it is a subject we often push aside. Originally from the Field Museum in Chicago, this immersive exhibition invites you to explore how various cultures commemorate life and how nature turns death into a new beginning. Through over 100 artifacts, specimens, and interactive media, you will discover the amazing ways living beings experience, celebrate, and survive the inevitable conclusion of life.
Exhibition Highlights
Whale Fall Diorama: Witness how a single whale’s death creates a massive, decades-long ecosystem on the sea floor.
Ghanaian Fantasy Coffin: See a nine-foot, boat-shaped coffin handcrafted to honor a fisherman’s passage to the afterlife.
Norma Rios Sierra Ofrenda: Explore a highly ornamental altar created to honor ancestors, complete with iconic “calaca” figurines.
Microscopic Survivors: Meet the tardigrade, a tiny animal that has evolved incredible tricks to evade death in the harshest conditions.
Upcoming Gallery Events
March 19 | 5:30 PM: Drop-in Sketching: Bones
May 14 | 6:30 PM: Victorian Hairwork Lecture with Zen Hansen
May 16 | 10:00 AM: Historic Hairwork Workshop: Table Braiding
When: February 26 – September 7, 2026
Location: Royal Alberta Museum (9810 103a Ave NW)
Cost: Included with Museum Admission (Free for Mammoth Pass holders)