Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection

On view from June 20, 2025

Featuring 150 chairs from the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) collection, Deep-Seated Histories: Chairs from the Collection provides a glimpse into Vancouver’s cultural, social and industrial evolution. You’d be surprised to learn how this lowly piece of furniture can tell stories about notable Vancouverites and the City’s shifting thoughts on work, leisure, design, and neighbourhoods over time.

Expect to see Seraphim “Joe” Fortes’ Morris Chair, which sat in his English Bay home, offering a spot to rest after teaching Vancouver’s children how to swim. Speculate what taking a break on a Fritz Hansen chair during a hectic “Dollar Forty-Nine Day” in the Woodward’s employee dining room was like. Imagine sitting in the director style chairs at Theatre Under the Stars when Pearl Hendrix appeared in the 1951 version of Hit the Deck. Consider the decade-long fight with the Canada Border Services Agency witnessed by the custom-made bar stool for Little Sister’s Book & Art Emporium. Explore these histories and more as part of this exhibition.

Plus, in keeping with our love of neon, the 1965 Brooks Corning Office Furniture Store neon sign will also be part of Deep-Seated Histories, along with a selection of mid-century modern chairs made by Vancouver designers.

Exhibition Team

MOV Exhibition Team:

MOV Curatorial Lead: Denise Fong

Design and Fabrication Manager: Nicolas Cyr-Morton

Graphic Design: Mia Hansen

Research Advisors & Contributors:

John Atkin

Allan Collier

Dr. Tamara Myers

With thanks to students and faculty from SFU's School of Interactive Arts & Technology, UBC's Department of History, and community contributors for their films and research support.

Institutional Partners