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The Nickle Arts Museum

The Nickle Arts Museum (The Nickle) is an outstanding centre for object based learning, academic research and aesthetics. Located on the west campus next to MacEwan Hall, the Nickle offers a full program of exhibitions and events addressing compelling social, historical and contemporary cultural topics. Arguably one of the finest and largest exhibition spaces of any Canadian university museum, the Nickle was built from a bequest to the University of Calgary by the late Calgary oilman Samuel C. Nickle. The later donation by his son, Dr. Carl Nickle, created the base of the museum's exceptional numismatic collection.

The museum promotes critical thinking, visual literacy, and experiential learning through provocative exhibitions, tours, lecture series and symposia. The Nickle's programming is centred on contemporary Canadian art, numismatics, carpets and textiles and extends to historic and international art, indigenous heritage, archaeology, anthropology, history, and popular culture.

The Nickle Arts Museum is home to outstanding public collections of art, numismatics and textiles. The permanent collection of art concentrates on Western Canadian art of the twentieth century and extends to artists of national importance. The numismatic collection now comprises approximately 16,000 items, the majority of which are from the ancient Mediterranean region, but also include ethnographic numismatic items from around the world. The carpet and textile collection is the largest in any Canadian museum, consisting mainly of the tribal or cottage woven carpets of Central and West Asia. These collections and exhibitions support teaching and research from across the University of Calgary, and are available to visiting scholars and classes from all disciplines. The Nickle is central to the minor degree in Museum and Heritage Studies offered through the Faculty of Communication and Culture.

The Museum Shop offers a wide selection of unique giftware, stationery and jewellery, plus an excellent selection of art publications. Located on the main floor of the museum, admission to the shop is free. Admission to The Nickle is free at all times for University of Calgary students, staff and faculty, $2 for children and seniors, $5 for adults, and free to all every Tuesday, and every Thursday evening during the academic year.