New director aims to unearth The Military Museums' hidden gem status

Ryan Goldsworthy, at 37 the youngest and first civilian director of The Military Museums, is tasking himself with removing the "hidden" from "hidden gem."

Goldsworthy brings 15 years of museum experience from Toronto, where he served as director and curator at the Royal Canadian Military Institute and led the city's first Indigenous artifact repatriation project. But his appointment is a homecoming—he previously worked as an educator at The Military Museums and served as its de facto First World War historian during the conflict's centenary a decade ago.

The 36-year-old museum houses 80,000 artifacts across eight galleries, attracting 48,000 visitors annually (not counting school groups and Remembrance Day attendance). Goldsworthy's vision centers on what he calls "engaging displays"—he's particularly drawn to the museum's immersive trench exhibits, a PoW escape tunnel recreation, and its Enigma machine from the Second World War.

"We want to increase visitor awareness, be more engaging and more accessible to all demographics," he said. "It has an excellent reputation and has an excellent opportunity in fulfilling its potential in becoming a world-class museum."

He plans to deepen community connections with veterans, school groups, and international tourists, while pursuing what he calls "thoughtful reinterpretation" of the galleries. The museum will refurbish all eight galleries and expand the Air Force Museum of Alberta component by 60 percent.

The armoured vehicle collection includes a Soviet T-34/85 tank—potentially a veteran of the 1945 Battle of Berlin, rescued from a target range—and an East German T-72, both now central to Cold War storytelling.

"The biggest feedback we hear is it's a hidden gem and we want to remove that hidden part," Goldsworthy said. "We want visitors to leave this place with a much deeper connection to the people, events and stories that have shaped Canada's history."

The Military Museums is quietly one of Canada's most substantial military collections; Goldsworthy's task is making sure Calgary knows it.