This exhibit draws on MOA’s collection of Cantonese opera costumes and accessories, photographs, news clippings, and other materials that document how Cantonese Opera has remained a vibrant art form in Canada from the 1880’s onward.

Subseries consists of records relating to the 1993 exhibit, "A Rare Flower: A Century of Cantonese Opera in Canada." The exhibit began with an acquisition of historic Chinese Opera costumes from the Jin Wah Sin Music Society. The exhibit was first installed at MOA from May 16 to Nov. 7 1992, in Gallery 5. Elizabeth Johnson was both curator and coordinator. It was also a travelling exhibit with five other venues in Canada. It reopened in MOA in 1995, and later travelled to the McCord Museum. Aspects of the exhibit have been on display at numerous venues, including Hong Kong and Ghuangzhou in a panel exhibit. Subseries contains agendas, articles, artifact lists, books, business cards, agreements, correspondence, drawings, evaluations, exhibit labels, expenses, internal forms (exhibit proposal forms), financial records, guidelines, grant applications, memoranda, minutes of meetings, museum exhibit diagrams, permission forms, photographs, notes, plans, policies, press releases, proposals, publications (books and magazines), publicity records, receipts, reports, reproductions of newspaper ads and articles, research notes, schedules, slides, speaking notes, surveys, transcripts of research interviews, handbills, drafts, visitor surveys and videos.

File contains 18 comment books from the exhibit A Rare Flower: A Century of Cantonese Opera in Canada, from May 16 - November 7, 1993

Translations from A Rare Flower Comment books [1991?]
A Rare Flower 1993
A Rare Flower May 16 – July 8/93
A Rare Flower July 8 - Sept.3/93
A Rare Flower Sept.3 - Nov.6/93
A Rare Flower (Kelowna) Jan.18 - Mar.15/94
A Rare Flower May 10 – June 13/94
A Rare Flower (Edmonton) June 15 - July2/94
A Rare Flower (Edmonton) July 7 - 17/94
A Rare Flower (Manitoba) Sep.1 - Nov.12/94
A Rare Flower (Glenbow) Dec.28/94 - Feb.25/95
A Rare Flower (AGGU) Apr. 9 – May 11/95
A Rare Flower (Vancouver) June 7 - 17/95
A Rare Flower July 17 - Aug.8/95
A Rare Flower Aug.8 - 24/95
A Rare Flower Aug.24 - Oct.15/95
A Rare Flower (McCord) Dec. 7, 1995 – Feb. 4, 1996

Series contains photographs taken by Cunningham of the inside and outside of the building, exhibit cases, exhibit spaces, and other institutions.

The report outlines the museum's administrative activities and finances for the previous fiscal year as well as listing staff, attendance figures, acquisitions, exhibitions, educational activities, public programming, events, loans, research projects, publications of the museum and its staff, and media coverage of the museum. It includes descriptions of a visit from Presidents Clinton and Yeltsin and MOA's consultation on Coast Salish art in the Vancouver International Airport, among other initiatives.