ROM Governors
Since I joined the ROM Governors nearly a year ago, I have discovered that everyone—from wide-eyed three-year-olds to palaeontology PhD students—loves dinosaurs. What is it about these beautiful beasts that captures our imagination so powerfully? Perhaps it's simply their sheer size—mighty fossil structures that make you look way, way up and picture what the world might have been millions of years ago.
The ROM's upcoming exhibition in the Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall, Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana, is sure to delight visitors of all ages. Presented by investment dealer Raymond James Ltd., this cutting-edge exhibition is based on ground-breaking research that takes visitors on an interactive journey through the ancient land of Gondwana to meet the world's largest and strangest dinosaurs.
The long and rich history of world-class palaeontology at the ROM (did you know the Royal Ontario Museum of Palaeontology was one of five museums that made up the ROM when it first opened in 1914?) is mirrored by the remarkable record of philanthropic support for paleontological projects, galleries and educational initiatives.
The James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs at the ROM is home to 350 fossils, dinosaur specimens and fully mounted skeletons, including Canada's largest dinosaur on display—the only Barosaurus skeleton with real fossils displayed anywhere in the world. Visitors can also view a 6-metre-long ichthyosaur, Eurhinosaurus longirostris from the early Jurassic period, a specimen the Museum acquired through the generous support of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust. Special thanks to James and Louise Temerty for supporting Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana as Exhibit Patrons.
An intimate group of donors and sponsors of Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana recently enjoyed an exclusive media trip to Research Casting International (RCI) in Trenton, Ontario for a behind-the-scenes look at how these enormous animals are constructed. Dr. David Evans, ROM Associate Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology, accompanied the group to the 45,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility to offer his expertise on dinosaur restoration, casting and mounting for the exhibition.
Investment dealer Raymond James Ltd. is also playing host to the giant skull of an Afrovenator, a predatory dinosaur from the mid Jurassic Period of northern Africa. As one of many sponsorship perks, the skull was installed in the company's Toronto office a few weeks ago.
As excitement continues to build for the exhibition opening on June 23, the trip to RCI is a perfect example of how we strive to connect our supporters more deeply with the Museum and create truly memorable donor experiences around the ROM's exhibitions, events and programs. Royal Patrons' Circle (RPC) and Young Patrons' Circle (YPC) members will enjoy an exclusive preview of the highly anticipated exhibition on Tuesday, June 19, 2012.
Sincerely,
Dianne Lister
President & Executive Director
ROM Governors
Excellence in Fundraising
Since joining the ROM Governors as President & Executive Director in May 2011, Dianne Lister has been acknowledged as one of Canada's Top 25 Women of Influence and recognized as one of Canada's top 20 fundraising executives for her contribution to Excellence in Fundraising in Canada. These recent achievements provide a valuable opportunity to highlight the philanthropic leadership at the ROM and to profile the philanthropic work of the ROM Governors.
Excellence in Fundraising in Canada is the first comprehensive fundraising textbook written by Canadians for Canadians. Having served as a member of the international AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Ethics Committee for nine years, Dianne contributed a chapter on ethics and ethical standards in the non-profit industry. A collaborative effort by the "Who's Who" of fundraising, Excellence in Fundraising Canada is an essential resource for the next generation of fundraisers and a gift back to the philanthropic community as it continues to grow and change. For more information about the book, please visit: http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/how-to-raise-money
Dianne was also recently named one of Canada's Top 25 Women of Influence, among some of Canada's most accomplished women across the business, NGO, professional services, health and public sectors. To see the full list of the Top 25 Women of Influence, please visit:
http://members.womenofinfluenceinc.ca/top-25/
National Philanthropy Day
November 15, 2011
Today marks National Philanthropy Day, a special day to recognize and pay tribute to the many contributions that philanthropy—and the great leaders in our philanthropic community—have made in Canada and around the world.
As the first country to declare National Philanthropy Day in 2009, Canada enjoys a long and rich history of charitable work and corporate giving. Here at the ROM, we are fortunate to have a philanthropic history that dates back nearly a century, and an extensive community of engaged supporters.
A significant part of our work at the ROM Governors is to create memorable experiences and events for donors that deepen the meaning of their philanthropic support of the ROM. Whether it's a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour, special exhibition preview or fabulous fundraising gala, we continually celebrate the support of our donors, patrons and sponsors in ways both large and small.
One of the ROM's current exhibitions, the Art of Collecting, is a perfect example of how we celebrate the generosity of our donors and the tremendous impact their philanthropic contributions have made on the Museum. This exhibition highlights 100 artifacts selected from 7,000 that were donated to the Museum's European collections over the last 15 years—donations that have made the ROM's European Decorative Arts collections one of the most comprehensive in Canada.
The late Mrs. Mona Campbell, a donor and volunteer who had been involved with the ROM for close to 50 years, was passionate about the ROM's European Decorative Arts collections. She established the Museum's first endowed curator of decorative arts in 1997 and left a $6.4 million bequest to the ROM in 2009. Her incredible legacy and generous gift lives on through the work of our curators in the Department of World Cultures, and in the remarkable Art of Collecting exhibition.
Stories like Mona Campbell's and exhibitions like the Art of Collecting really remind us of how inspirational and important philanthropy is to the ROM. On National Philanthropy Day, and as always—we thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Dianne Lister
President and Executive Director
ROM Governors
The Art of Collecting
November 11, 2011
The ROM Governors hosted an intimate reception on November 10 to celebrate the new Art of Collecting exhibition at the ROM and the generous donors who have helped create Canada's most comprehensive European Decorative Art collection.
The exhibition features 100 artifacts selected from 7,000 that were donated to the Museum's European collections over the last 15 years, highlighting the remarkable impact philanthropic contributions and donations have had on the Museum.
Guests enjoyed light refreshments, a private viewing of the exhibition, and remarks by Mark Engstrom, Deputy Director, Collections & Research, Robert Little, Mona Campbell Chair of Decorative Arts, and Brian Musselwhite, Assistant Curator, European Decorative Arts.
A More Accessible Museum
On October 27, the ROM announced a significant reduction in admission prices which offers greater affordability and access for all visitors and an increase in targeted, free access for communities who require it the most.
This news is tremendously significant to the work of the ROM Governors, and continues our long and active history in supporting a wide range of accessibility initiatives. This initiative continues that good work and allows us to build on those wonderful programs that mean so much to the community.
Our thanks to Sun Life Financial for their continued support aligned to the Friday Night program at the ROM. Sun Life Financial is committed to helping offer reduced admission on Friday evenings, and with this new pricing initiative, that program will now be available at an even lower price. We are so pleased to have a partner who is strongly committed to arts and culture and we look forward in working with others in Corporate Canada who want to support our goal of a more accessible museum.
As we work towards the ROM centenary in 2014, the ROM Governors will be actively involved in bringing the centennial goals of the Museum to life and very soon we will be engaging our donors, patrons and sponsors on many other exciting initiatives tied to our 100th year celebrations.
Sincerely,
Dianne Lister
President and Executive Director
ROM Governors
The 4th Annual Culture Shock
The 4th annual Culture Shock event took place at the ROM on October 19, 2011 in celebration of the Institute for Contemporary Culture's cutting-edge exhibition David Hockney's Fresh Flowers. Guests enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime event, featuring an intimate discussion with Fresh Flowers guest curator Charlie Scheips and one of the world's greatest living artists, David Hockney, followed by an exquisite dinner in the ROM's c5 Restaurant Lounge, and a private exhibition viewing. The lecture event, David Hockney in Conversation with Charlie Scheips, was open to the public and attended by more than 500 ticket holders.
Special thanks to the Bay for sponsoring Culture Shock, and to all the ICC Board members and guests for their generous support of the ROM. This year's event, organized by the ROM Governors and ICC, raised more than $60,000 in support of the Institute of Contemporary Culture Endowment Fund.
The 15th Annual Fact? or Fiction?
Hundreds of guests enjoyed a fun-filled night of intrigue and mystery at the ROM on October 18, 2011 at the 15th annual Fact? or Fiction? fundraiser, hosted by Dan Riskin and Ziya Tong of the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the ROM's longest-running fundraiser, we introduced a few special event elements, including a student essay contest, a team challenge opportunity, and an exclusive VIP lounge.
We were thrilled to welcome the winners of the student essay contest, five GTA grade school students and their parents, to play the game alongside party guests. As the evening's education sponsor, The Schad Foundation presented each student with a complimentary class trip to the ROM and special goodies from Earth Rangers. This year, guests also had the opportunity to compete in teams of up to 10 people for the team challenge prize. Garda was the evening's team challenge winner and received a $2,500 certificate for catering services from Presidential Gourmet. The night's luckiest winner walked away with the grand prize - a luxury trip to Antarctica courtesy of One Ocean Expeditions worth $20,000!
Special thanks to our wonderful ROM curators for bringing this event to life with the sensational stories (some fact and some fiction) of 15 amazing ROM artifacts and objects, and sincere thanks and appreciation for the generous support of all our sponsors and guests. Over $70,000 was raised in support of the ROM Research Fund, enabling innovative curatorial research in more than 50 countries around the world.
Appointment of Dr. Wen-Chien Cheng
On October 3, 2011, Dr. Wen-Chien Cheng joined the ROM as the new Louise Hawley Stone Chair of East Asian Art. Dr. Cheng is responsible for developing a dynamic program of collection-based scholarship through acquisitions and exhibits. She will also participate in public programs and outreach, and undertake an active research program leading to publication and presentation of work in peer-reviewed scholarly outlets.
The Louise Hawley Stone Chair of East Asian Art was established in 1994 as the ROM's first fully endowed curatorial chair, made possible through a generous gift from Louise Hawley Stone. In 1998, the ROM became the beneficiary of a charitable trust of nearly $50 million--the largest legacy gift ever received by the Museum--by its long-time friend and supporter, the late Louise Hawley Stone (1904-1997).
ROM Gallery Openings
On June 29, 2011 the ROM and the ROM Governors welcomed the Hon. Lisa Raitt, Federal Minister of Labour, several foreign dignitaries and over 400 special guests to celebrate the opening of four new permanent galleries, including the Eaton Gallery of Rome, the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of Rome and the Near East, the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of Byzantium and the Galleries of Africa: Nubia.
It was a wonderful evening that paid tribute to the many supporters of these galleries, particularly the Government of Canada, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum, Thor and the Hon. Nicole Eaton, Rudy and Catherine Bratty and an anonymous donor.
In her opening words of welcome, Janet Carding, ROM Director and CEO, spoke eloquently on the profound significance of the new galleries, noting, “We are living in a world established by these ancient civilizations and we are surrounded by their influence.”
Minister Lisa Raitt brought greetings and congratulations from the Government of Canada, which supported the project in January 2010 with a $2.75 million gift from the Federal Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, and thanked the ROM for being an educational place of wonder, something especially meaningful to her as the mother of two young boys.
Joey Tanenbaum, the Hon. Nicole Eaton and Rudy Bratty spoke on behalf of their families and all remarked on their own personal and long-standing connections to the Museum.
Dianne Lister, President & Executive of the ROM Governors also commented on the strength of the ROM Community by noting “We truly are in the community of community leaders and it is this type of leadership that helps the ROM take its place on the world stage.”
The ROM and the ROM Governors would also like to thank the following donors who have made these galleries possible: Bram Appel and Bluma Appel, O.C., the DeGasperis Family, Margo and Ernest Howard, Assuntino and Angelina Ricciuto and Moira and Alfredo Romano.
To read more on the new galleries and donor biographies, please visit:
www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/wculture/index.php#new
To support the new galleries or to make a donation, please visit:
www.rom.on.ca/support/governors/donate.php
