Author Archive: ROM

Monthly Archive: December ROM

#ThrowbackThursday: Overshot Coverlets

Posted: November 10, 2016 - 10:00 , by ROM

In September, 1971, the ROM opened the landmark exhibition Keep Me Warm One Night, a kaleidoscopic display of over 500 pieces of Canadian handweaving. It was the culmination of decades of pioneering research and collecting by the ROM curatorial powerhouse duo ‘Burnham and Burnham’, aka Dorothy K. Burnham and Harold B. Burnham.

Farms, Cities, Animals, and the Museum

Posted: November 8, 2016 - 15:05 , by ROM
A goat is milked in front of the ROM for "The Goat, the Honey, and the Museum" project by Bill Burns. Photo by Teghan Dodds

Guest blog by Environmental Visual Communication student Teghan Dodds

Goats are not something you’d expect to see within the confines of the city, and especially not on Toronto’s Bloor Street with its upscale shops and prestigious historical buildings. Read this blog written by 2016 Environmental Visual Communication student Teghan Dodds to find out why we had goats out in front of the ROM, and what that has to do with nature, art, and the ROM.

ROMwpy winner Steven Rose - Arctic Photography

Posted: November 8, 2016 - 11:34 , by ROM
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A late summer vista in the Canadian Arctic showing ocean, snow peaked mountains

Photographer Steven Rose shares his photos from an Arctic trip

Recap: ROM Take Our Kids to Work Day

Posted: November 7, 2016 - 08:15 , by ROM
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Students preview a variety of bug specimens held in the ROM's research collections.

Last week, the ROM hosted a fun-filled Take Our Kids to Work Day for thirteen Grade 9’s on November 2nd. Welcomed by Dan Sibley,Chief Human Resources Officer, and Nick Bobrow, CFO & Deputy Director, Operations, the kids started the day with a couple of fun ice breaker activities to get to know each another. Next, the students engaged in an interesting and important Health & Safety presentation lead by Ellen Shaeen-Hanright (ROM OH&S).

Not just for show: how and why museum specimens are collected

Posted: October 31, 2016 - 13:42 , by ROM
ROM technician Brad Millen processes a bird specimen that will be added to the ROM's collections. Photo by Samantha Stephens

Guest blog by Environmental Visual Communication student Samantha Stephens

The sign on the door seemed quite appropriate. “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” I imagine that, as this quote from Dante’s Inferno indicates, this might be what hell feels like. As this last barrier swings open and the dim room is revealed, the swarm of hundreds of tiny creatures moving across the concrete floor completes that vision. However, for some of the ROM’s tireless workers, this environment is heaven. Here resides the dermestid beetle colony. These ravenous beetles are eagerly seeking their next meal. Manoeuvring themselves into the crevices of skeletons, they strip the flesh from delicate specimens with more precision and speed than the nimblest of human fingers.

#ThrowbackThursday: A Very Hot Evening

Posted: October 27, 2016 - 10:00 , by ROM

In September, 1971, the ROM opened the landmark exhibition Keep Me Warm One Night, a kaleidoscopic display of over 500 pieces of Canadian handweaving. It was the culmination of decades of pioneering research and collecting by the ROM curatorial powerhouse duo ‘Burnham and Burnham’, aka Dorothy K. Burnham and Harold B. Burnham.

Sebastian Kvist: Leech Hunter

Posted: October 25, 2016 - 13:34 , by ROM
A portrait photo of Sebastian Kvist out in front of a swamp in the field in Minnesota, U.S.A. Photo by Vincent Luk

Guest blog by Environmental Visual Communication student Sally McIntyre

When most people think about the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), they think of dinosaurs or mummies. However, it is the invertebrates that live on the ocean floor and crawl through the soil that make up the most diverse collection at the ROM. So who holds the daunting position of keeper of this vast museum collection? Meet Dr. Sebastian Kvist: Leech Hunter. 

An Interview with Jameel Jaffer

Posted: October 17, 2016 - 09:59 , by ROM
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Jameel Jaffer

With his talk at the upcoming 11th annual Eva Holtby Lecture on Contemporary Culture, part of the ROM Speaks series, constitutional lawyer and civil liberties advocate Jameel Jaffer will focus on the phenomenon of official secrecy. Zeroing in on the legal, political, and social repercussions of allowing democratic governments to withhold information about national security policy from the public. The ROM's Ann Webb recently talked with Jaffer about the interssection of art and secrecy. 

#ThrowbackThursday: Working Like Mad

Posted: October 13, 2016 - 10:00 , by ROM
Photograph of textiles behind a spinning wheel

In September, 1971, the ROM opened the landmark exhibition Keep Me Warm One Night, a kaleidoscopic display of over 500 pieces of Canadian handweaving. It was the culmination of decades of pioneering research and collecting by the ROM curatorial powerhouse duo ‘Burnham and Burnham’, aka Dorothy K. Burnham and Harold B. Burnham.

Going Dark

Posted: October 11, 2016 - 10:00 , by ROM
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Jameel Jaffer

Blog by Doug Wallace

The culture of government secrecy and society's indifference to it are quickly becoming a troubling trend.