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Photo of the west entrance to Royal Alberta Museum

About the Museum

About

Content

Sharing Alberta's remarkable stories

The Royal Alberta Museum (RAM), located in the downtown Edmonton's Arts District, is the largest museum in western Canada and one of the top museums in Canada. We collect, preserve, research, interpret, and exhibit objects and specimens related to the heritage of Alberta's people and natural environment. Our expansive permanent galleries feature engaging exhibits showcasing our diverse collections; these are complemented by internationally touring features.

Our museum is more than just a thoughtful, beautifully designed space; it's an authentic reflection of where Alberta is today and will be in the decades to come. It represents the diversity of our province and invites you to engage with 5.1 million uniquely Albertan stories.

RAM collections—over 5.1 million stories to share

Our wide-ranging collecting and research activities support exhibitions, outreach, and learning programs. Currently, we have the following curatorial programs: Daily Life and Leisure, Indigenous Engagement, Labour and Industry, Military and Government History, Archaeology, Ornithology, Non-Avian Vertebrates, Invertebrate Zoology, Botany, Geology, Quaternary Palaeontology, and Quaternary Environments. These are supported by conservation and collections management programs. View our collections programs.

We're making and re-making history of our own

We first opened to the public on December 6, 1967, and soon became an important destination for Albertans. In 2005, we were renamed the Royal Alberta Museum in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, who visited Alberta that spring. On October 3, 2018, we moved to our new 419,000 square foot facility in downtown Edmonton.

Our Mission

A community-centred approach to our work creates space for sharing and celebrating knowledge, nurturing belonging, and having the courage to make positive change in our community.

Our Vision

Royal Alberta Museum is the place where you are inspired to engage with stories, participate in experiences, and connect with communities.

Our Mandate

The Royal Alberta Museum is Alberta’s provincial museum. We sustain the Province’s collecting, research, and conservation activities and showcase and share a long and storied history of this land and the peoples who have made it their home. Our work is to collect, conserve, research, exhibit, and communicate.