Works in the Mclean Centre are organized around larger thematic issues relating to Canadian history, as opposed to chronologically. As a result, works from indigenous and Canadian artists are presented together to showcase the reciprocal influences and conflict between the two. An example of such thematic presentation is evident in how the museum exhibits Tom Thomson's "The West Wind". When the painting was exhibited at the Mclean Centre, it was presented with Anishinaabe pouches adjacent to it, showcasing how two peoples viewed northern Ontario at that time. Text that accompanies works in the centre are presented in three languages, English, French, and either Anishinaabemowin or Inuktitut. The walls along the primary entry point into the McLean Centre is marked by small projectile points from arrows, spears, and knives from 9,000 BCE to 1,000 CE. The projectiles are a part of an art installation, as opposed to an ethnographic or archeological display.