Royal Alberta Museum prepares for the move downtown

Behind the closed doors of the old Royal Alberta Museum, staff is culling exhibits from the 2.1 million artifacts in the museum's storage rooms that will be displayed at the new location downtown.

Each of the approximately 6,400 artifacts selected for display — 3,200 coming from each the Natural History and Human History galleries, respectively — will be catalogued, assessed, reconditioned if needed and then boxed-up for the move.

"We're getting up close and personal with our stories and with our objects," says Chris Robinson, executive director.

Many of the artifacts showcasing Alberta's history will be displayed for the first time, thanks to the much larger size of the new building.

Staff will begin installing the new galleries as soon as they receive possession of the new building in the late summer or fall of 2016.

It will take another year or so to complete the galleries before they open to the public in late 2017.

Video producer Sam Martin reveals the progress being made inside the new museum and how preparing for the move is more than just boxing up artifacts.