Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Exploring food as culture, connection, and memory
A temporary and travelling exhibition highlighting the connection between immigration and food in Canadian culture.
Client
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
Project type
Temporary and travelling exhibition
Oulton + Devine; Atlantex
Collaborators
At the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Eat Make Share invites visitors into a multisensory experience that uses food as a lens to explore identity, cultural exchange, and the rituals that bring us together. In collaboration with Oulton + Devine, our team led the full exhibition design and project management for both the 3,800 sq. ft. temporary installation and its modular travelling counterpart — ensuring a seamless visitor experience grounded in warmth, storytelling, and human connection.
We played a central role in shaping the interpretive planning — structuring, drafting, and guiding the strategic approach in collaboration with the Pier 21 team. Visually and spatially, the exhibition is rooted in tactility, familiarity, and craft. We developed a custom modular system that evokes marketplaces, home kitchens, and community gardens — balancing handcrafted features with prefabricated flexibility to support efficient transport, easy installation, and long-term reusability.
As a team committed to inclusive and sustainable design, we ensured that the exhibition exceeded best practices for universal accessibility and environmental responsibility. Accessible features included high-contrast graphics, cane-detectable structures, and inclusive interactives, while locally sourced materials and finishes were selected for durability and reuse.
To visually anchor the space, we created a series of custom risograph illustrations and murals. These colourful elements add visual cohesion and moments of pause, play, and reflection—acting as both graphic storytelling and immersive photo opportunities.
On view at Pier 21 until January 2026, the exhibition will continue its journey across Canada on a fully booked tour until 2030. Eat Make Share celebrates food as memory, migration, and meaning — reminding us that every shared table holds the possibility of understanding, belonging, and connection.
All photos courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
