Intimate discussion with director of NFB documentary The Museum and author of Bold Visions are focal point of FREE ROM event on Friday, May 22
As part of the Doors Open Toronto kick-off event, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) invites the public to an insider look of the ROM’s dramatic transformation. The Bold Museum, a FREE event, including the viewing of clips from the highly-praised National Film Board (NFB) documentary The Museum (2008) takes place on Friday, May 22 at 7:00 pm in the ROM’s RBC Glass Room. The evening includes exclusive insider commentary followed by a Q&A period with The Museum director Kenton Vaughan and Kelvin Browne, author of the acclaimed Bold Visions: The Architecture of the Royal Ontario Museum (2007). The two men share their unique experiences documenting the ROM’s Daniel Libeskind-designed spectacular architectural transformation. The event is illustrated with dramatic clips from Vaughan's documentary and evocative images from Browne's book. Also included is a book and DVD-signing. In celebration of Doors Open, ROM admission is free from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm that evening.
From the NFB website: The Museum tells the story of “the grand scheme to renovate Toronto's ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum. Enter Daniel Libeskind, the celebrity architect. Smartly tuned to contemporary debates on public architecture, The Museum is an entertaining tale of ego, art and steel beams.” The Museum originally aired on CBC Television in two one-hour segments in September 2008 and was produced by 90th Parallel Productions in co-production with the National Film Board and CBC-TV. The Museum DVD is available from Friday May 22 at the ROM Museum Store and online at the NFB iStore (www.nfb.ca/themuseum)
Bold Visions is a visually stunning 200-page book presenting the evolution of the ROM’s architecture from the beginning of the 20th century to the June 2007 opening of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. The textual study is accompanied by more than 250 historical photos of the Museum and never-before-seen images of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal in construction by photographer Stephen Evans. Bold Visions is available in the ROM Museum Store and bookstores across the country.
Filmmaker Kenton Vaughan
Over the past decade, Toronto-based filmmaker Kenton Vaughan has directed numerous award-winning and acclaimed documentaries, including The Ghosts of Lomako, which appeared on CBC’s The Nature of Things with David Suzuki. His feature, Todd McFarlane: The Devil You Know (2002) was broadcast on CBC, The Documentary Channel, Bravo, Space and TVOntario.
Author Kelvin Browne
Kelvin Browne holds a Master of Architecture Degree from the University of Toronto and began his career working in architecture. He joined the ROM in 1998 as a volunteer. In 2004, he joined the ROM on staff as Managing Director of the Institute for Contemporary Culture and is currently the Museum’s Vice President, Marketing & Sales. Browne writes frequently about architecture, design and gardening for a variety of publications.
National Film Board of Canada
Canada's public film producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada produces and distributes social issue documentaries, auteur animation, alternative drama and innovative digital content that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. Since its 1939 founding, the NFB has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. For more information about the NFB, go to www.nfb.ca or call 1.800.267.7710.