Permanent exhibitions
The museum's recently renovated permanent galleries offer a plural and inclusive narrative on the history of Panama and its canal. The tour begins with the emergence of the isthmus and Panama's role as a transit route, highlighting the diversity of communities that have inhabited and transformed the territory. The exhibits address the scientific explorations, the social and technical complexity of the construction of the canal, the daily life of the workers, as well as the dynamics of power, discrimination and segregation. The museum integrates previously excluded voices and memories, and contextualizes the struggle for Panamanian sovereignty within global processes of decolonization and social movements. The exhibition concludes with the transfer of the canal into Panamanian hands and the completion of the expansion project, inviting reflection on the impact of the canal on national and international identity, culture, and geopolitics.
PAST TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
The museum develops an active program of temporary exhibitions and curatorial projects in art, history and contemporary culture. It has presented exhibitions of international artists such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Fernando Botero, Salvador Dalí, Rembrandt van Rijn, Francisco de Goya and Paul Gauguin, as well as interdisciplinary exhibitions and institutional collaborations.
ARTISTIC RESIDENCIES
In recent years, the museum has promoted art commissions in public spaces (such as Vox Populi, by Jhafis Quintero), artistic residencies (Giana De Dier, Alfredo J. Martiz and Ana Elena Tejera), and participation in the 60th Venice Art Biennale with works by Giana De Dier, Isabel De Obaldía, Cisco Merel and Brooke Alfaro. It has also hosted cultural and artistic festivals, consolidating itself as a platform for experimentation and community participation.
our collection
The Canal Museum guards, conserves, studies and exhibits a collection of more than 30,000 objects that document the history, art and heritage of Panama and its Canal. The collection includes pieces of pre-Columbian origin, colonial artifacts, works of art, materials related to the construction of the canal, historical documents, objects of daily life, religious art and patriotic symbols, as well as records of oral memory, videos and testimonies, which provide lively and diverse perspectives on the historical and social processes of the country.
