ROM Presents Program for Fall/Winter Events and Lectures
Programs from September 2016 to February 2017
ROMSpeaks returns this fall with a captivating line-up of lectures and programs. These specially ticketed events take place in the evenings at the ROM. For information and tickets, visit rom.on.ca/whats-on.
The following programs take place between September 2016 and February 2017:
Mission to Bennu: Meet the Canadian behind NASA’s OSIRIS-REx
September 13, 7:00 pm
Join the Canadian Space Agency and the Royal Ontario Museum for an evening with the scientists and engineers behind OSIRIS-REx as they return to Canada just days after the mission’s launch. Learn more about their quest to study the asteroid Bennu, and how Canada is involved.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
Program Partner: Canadian Space Agency.
Asafo Flags of Ghana
September 20, 7:00 pm
Since their origins as the flags and ensigns of militia groups on Africa’s Gold Coast in the 18th century, Asafo flags have now become sought after cultural objects. In this richly illustrated talk, the University of Toronto's Ato Quayson will trace the history of Asafo groups and their flags, from their earliest beginnings nearly three hundred years ago to their significance today in Ghanaian and wider African cultures.
ASL Interpretation will be provided. Free with RSVP.
Annual Edward S Rogers Anthropology Lecture: Death on a Distant Shore: Archaeological Investigations of the 1845 Franklin Expedition at Erebus Bay, King William Island
September 27, 7:00 pm
Archaeological investigations and new analyses continue to tell the story of the Franklin Expedition. Join leading Canadian archaeologist Dr. Douglas Stenton as he discusses the latest updates and fascinating results from Nunavut's Franklin research program.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
The Franklin Network Outreach project is generously supported by Lead Exhibition Patron The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, and Exhibit Patrons the Government of Canada, Arctic Research Foundation, Isles Foundation Incorporated, Andrew and Valerie Pringle, and The WB Family Foundation.
Annual Greek Lecture: Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World
October 4, 7:00 pm
Discover how the enduring legacy of Hellenistic artists profoundly influenced Roman art with Dr. Carlos Picόn of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as he presents a selection of masterpieces recently on diplay as part of the MET’s exhibition of the same name, that highlight the innovations and technical mastery achieved during the era.
Program Partner: The Hellenic Republic
International Archaeology Day Lecture: Climate Change and Its Effect on Migration in Early Egypt
October 18, 7:00 pm
Join world renowned archaeologist, Professor Fekri Hassan in his pursuit of deciphering the mystery of the emergence of Egyptian Civilization, tracing the impact of climate change on desert communities and the struggle in the Nile Valley to overcome the chaos caused by climatic fluctuations by establishing an orderly state society.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
Program Partner: The Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, Toronto Chapter.
Dawn of Life Series: Mass Extinctions, Missing Links and Extra-Terrestrials
October 25, 7:00 pm
How does the treasure trove that is the fossil record help us to understand the history of life on Earth? How could the study of evolution help humanity unravel our place in the cosmos? Delve into the universe’s big questions with palaeontologist Simon Conway Morris of Cambridge University and Fellow of the Royal Society.
Archaeology Underwater: The Search for HMS Erebus
November 2, 7:00 pm
Delve once more into the most recent developments in the search for the ill-fated Franklin expedition. Explore the challenges underwater archaeologists will face when they start the in depth-study of HMS Erebus shipwreck with Marc-André Bernier, Manager of Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team.
ASL Interpretation will be provided. Free with RSVP.
Program Partner: Parks Canada
The Franklin Network Outreach project is generously supported by Lead Exhibition Patron The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, and Exhibit Patrons the Government of Canada, Arctic Research Foundation, Isles Foundation Incorporated, Andrew and Valerie Pringle, and The WB Family Foundation.
Chihuly: Art & Impact: Sources of Inspiration in Contemporary Art in Glass
November 8, 7:00 pm
Explore the life, work, and global impact of Dale Chihuly. Join American decorative arts scholar and author Tina Oldknow as she discusses the monumental rise of 20th Century glass art and artists. This beautifully illustrated lecture will put the work of Dale Chihuly in the context of international contemporary sculptures and installations in glass.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
11th Annual Eva Holtby Lecture on Contemporary Culture: Going Dark
November 18, 7:00 pm
At the 11th Annual Eva Holtby Lecture on Contemporary Culture, constitutional lawyer and civil liberties advocate Jameel Jaffer will explore the phenomenon of official secrecy and the legal, political, and social repercussions of allowing democratic governments to withhold information about national security policy from the public.
Should we accept government secrecy as a necessary response to new security threats—or has government secrecy itself become a threat? With new wars abroad, and new surveillance programs at home, the question is more pressing than ever.
Discover what the shift towards official secrecy means for us as a society, as individuals, and what’s at stake.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
The Eva Holtby lecture is generously supported by the Holtby and Schury Families.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Keynote: An Evening with a Master: Paul Nicklen
November 22, 7:00 pm
Paul Nicklen, a globally acclaimed, Canadian-born photographer and marine biologist, has been documenting both the beauty and the plight of our planet’s polar regions and oceans for over twenty years. Arguably the best wildlife photographer on the planet, this evening with Paul will leave you speechless.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
Program Partner: World Wildlife Fund Canada
Dawn of Life Series: The Ediacara Biota and the First Mass Extinction of Complex Life
December 13, 7:00 pm
Join Marc Laflamme of the University of Toronto as he explores the dawn of life on Earth through a Canadian lens in this richly illustrated talk. Using fossils discovered from Newfoundland to Australia, Laflamme explores the first wave of diverse complex multicellular organisms, and the dramatic rise of life as we know it.
Studies in Silver: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Silver: The Aldobrandini Tazza
January 17, 7:00 pm
Join Dr. Julia Siemon, of Columbia University, as she discusses a remarkable work of Renaissance art from the ROM's collections - a gilded silver tazza. One of twelve, this piece has been described as "the most impressive single monument of Italian and perhaps European goldsmith's work of the 16th century."
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
Dawn of Life Series: Reimagining the Past: The Burgess Shale and the Creation of ROM’s Dawn of Life Gallery
January 31, 7:00 pm
Science meets art in this unique pairing of renowned ROM palaeontologist Dr. Jean-Bernard Caron, and digital animator Lars Fields, as these two experts take us through the process of recreating lost worlds through stunning computer renderings based entirely on the fossil record. Together, they provide a sneak peek into the design of this future gallery, while giving us a taste of the complex and difficult task of envisioning the distant past.
Annual Darwin Day Lecture: Sex and the Sea
February 14, 7:00 pm
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in an unexpected way as researcher Marah J. Hardt takes you through the fascinating, erotic and elaborate mating rituals of sea creatures. From lobsters to whales to deep-sea squid, discover the creative procreation that drives the wild abundance of life in the ocean, and the challenges facing these processes today.
Annual Vaughan Lecture
February 28, 7:00 pm
Explore cutting edge research at the annual Vaughan Lecture - given by one of ROM’s most dynamic curators!
The Vaughan Lecture Fund was established with a generous gift from the estate of Nora E. Vaughan in 1994 to support the ROM's Annual Vaughan Lecture.
ASL Interpretation will be provided.
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ABOUT THE ROM
Opened in 1914, the ROM is Canada’s largest museum of natural history and world cultures and has six million objects in its collections and galleries showcasing art, world cultures and natural history. The ROM is the largest field research institution in the country, and a world leader in research areas from biodiversity, palaeontology, and earth sciences to archaeology, ethnology and visual culture - originating new information towards a global understanding of historical and modern change in culture and environment. For tickets, memberships and 24-hour information in English and French, visit www.rom.on.ca or call 416.586.8000.