Local history

Monthly Archive: December Loca

CANADA 150 - New Brunswick - Deichmann Pottery

Posted: April 4, 2017 - 11:40 , by ROM
detail of a ceramic cup

It can be pretty common in rural parts of Canada to find a pottery studio. Lots of Ontario cottagers have favorite potters that they visit in their cottage community. Many of the Gulf Islands in BC have at least one resident potter. Quebec has a hugely successful pottery show that draws in artists from across the province, 1001 Pots, which highlights the rural potter’s lifestyle. It is so common that it’s hard to believe that there were, at one time, pioneers of that way of life.

CANADA 150 - Newfoundland and Labrador - Michael Massie Teapot

Posted: March 22, 2017 - 12:58 , by ROM
detail of silver teapot

My second object from Newfoundland and Labrador is a contemporary piece by silversmith Michael Massie.  It is a teapot, mimicking the shape of an ulu knife, with etched designs on the silver body of the pot.  The handle is made of bloodwood. Massie is a contemporary Canadian artist who was born in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, in 1962. He currently lives on the island portion of the province with his family.

CANADA 150 – Newfoundland and Labrador – Sarah Savarey Hat Box

Posted: March 8, 2017 - 11:28 , by ROM
fishing boat in a harbour at sunset

I’m starting my Canada 150 blogging project in Newfoundland and Labrador. Why? To start, it is the province that lies geographically furthest east, and moving east to west is an easy organizational structure. More deeply, Newfoundland and Labrador was one of the last provinces to join Confederation with Canada in 1949. The vote was contentious and the margin of victory was slim. It’s less likely now, but it once would have been possible to find older residents of the island who considered themselves Newfoundlanders first, Canadians second (if Canadian at all).

CANADA 150 – What We Make and What We’re Made Of

Posted: February 27, 2017 - 14:24 , by ROM
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Hi! I'm Heather Read, the Rebanks Postdoctoral Fellow in Canadian Decorative Arts. In honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, I’ll be writing a blog series this year highlighting interesting objects from the Canadian Decorative Arts Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum. With this series, I’ll be talking about some of the furniture, pottery, and glass that are currently on exhibition at the ROM, but I’ll also give you a peek behind the scenes into the parts of this collection that aren’t currently on display.

Trees for Toronto - Our Urban Forest

Posted: September 22, 2016 - 12:05 , by ROM
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evening sunlight streams through the leaves and branches of the trees in Queen's Park, casting shadows on the green grass. Photo by Rhi More

Guest blog by Environmental Visual Communication student Rhi More

Bringing more attention to trees is what the Royal Ontario Museum had in mind when its botanists and Creative Department partnered with the City of Toronto Urban Forester’s Office to create Trees for Toronto in 2004. EVC Student Rhi More decided to check out this ‘urban arboretum’ for herself, and share the findings with our readers.

Toronto at the Turn of the (Last) Century

Posted: February 19, 2015 - 15:04 , by ROM
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The City of Toronto was officially incorporated in 1834 and the second half of the 19th century was a period of great growth in the city. The population grew through railway and steamer links, which facilitated the arrival of immigrants at the port or the new Union Station building. The harbour was a key asset for trade and expansion, and  was steadily under development.