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Renaissance ROM Campaign Chair

(Toronto, Ontario, November 25, 2002) - The Royal Ontario Museum is delighted to announce that The Hon. Hilary M. Weston will serve as Chair of the Renaissance ROM Campaign.

Renaissance ROM will raise $200-million for the restoration and transformation of the Royal Ontario Museum - the largest cultural capital campaign in Canadian history. Mrs. Weston will chair a Campaign Cabinet drawn from diverse communities in Ontario committed to excellence in arts, architecture, science and education. The campaign is founded on commitments of $60-million in combined support from the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada, announced last spring.

"The ROM is an international museum of first rank, with unique properties and potential," said Mrs. Weston. "I am proud to lead this campaign to restore the best of the museum's heritage architecture, and create a brilliant new forum for the ROM's collections and public programs. With other cultural projects in the city, Renaissance ROM will be a catalyst for the invigoration of Toronto itself, setting new standards of design and execution in this new century."

Renaissance ROM is the most significant cultural project in Canada, and will see profound enhancements to the country's leading museum of arts and natural history, located at Queen's Park and Bloor Street in central Toronto. The museum's major heritage buildings will be restored, reviving the great exhibition halls in the 1914 and 1931 wings, and renewing the museum's classic façade and grounds along the length of Queen's Park.

The main entrance will be moved to Bloor Street within the spectacular new "Crystal" designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, a driving force in the new generation of world architects. The Crystal will create seven major galleries, ranging from costume and textiles, to dinosaurs, world aboriginal peoples, South Asian civilizations and contemporary culture. In all, fifteen new permanent galleries throughout the complex will re-house the museum's famous collections, many of which have not been seen in public for generations. A learning centre will expand the museum's educational programs, and new restaurants, shops and social facilities will broaden public use and access at this strategic location in Toronto.

The announcement of Mrs. Weston's role is made by Jim Temerty, Chair of the ROM Foundation, and Jack Cockwell, Chair of the ROM Board of Trustees. Mr. Temerty notes, "Mrs. Weston will bring great leadership and vitality to our fundraising Campaign, and a tremendous ability to engage all members of our public in the ROM's exciting future." Mr. Cockwell adds, "We are thrilled to receive this vote of confidence from Mrs. Weston, whose extraordinary experience will enhance so many aspects of our work."

The Hon. Hilary M. Weston served as Ontario's 26th Lieutenant Governor from January 1997 until March 2002. In this capacity, Mrs. Weston represented The Queen of Canada as Head of State in the province, and was responsible for the Crown's constitutional role in the provincial government. Throughout her term as Lieutenant Governor, Mrs. Weston devoted herself to celebrating the achievements of people across Ontario, particularly those of volunteers, women and young people.

Renaissance ROM, the new master plan for the Museum's growth and vitality, will transform the ROM through bold new architecture that adds 40,000 square feet of new galleries, renovates the historic buildings and improves public amenities to create a star cultural attraction for the city, the province and Canada. It will stimulate a leap forward in the ROM's financial self-sufficiency by dramatically increasing the Museum's audience reach, and anchor a new arts and cultural centre in Toronto. In February 2002, the ROM announced the selection of Daniel Libeskind as the lead architect for Renaissance ROM, from a field of 50 international firms. Libeskind's "Crystal" design provides practical and elegant solutions to many of the ROM's current challenges through 220,000 square feet of new and redeveloped space. The $200 million (CDN) project will be built in two phases: phase one ($150 million) will begin in May 2003, and will open to the public in December 2005; phase two ($50 million) will be completed by late 2006.

 

 

Issue date:
November 25, 2002

For more information:
Media Relations
Tel.: 416.586.5547
Fax: 416.586.8022
E-mail: media@rom.on.ca

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