Royal Ontario Museum Blog
Monthly Archive: December
Empty Skies: Resurrecting the Passenger Pigeon Backdrop
A long time ago, in a ROM gallery quite different from today’s, there was a diorama that showcased a migrating flock of passenger pigeons....
The Monastery of St Moses, Syria: The Buildings
The monastery of Deir Mar Musa in its heyday included hermitages spread around the landscape, but as today, the focus of the complex would have been the buildings, especially the chapel, home to the important frescos. The archaeology of standing buildings requires looking at walls to see how they are made, and how they relate to each other. One structure may clearly be seen as one that came first, with later structures abutting on to it. Different phases may be made of different materials, or the same material worked in a different way.
To X-Ray an Egg: Behind the Scenes of Empty Skies
“That egg is approximately one hundred and forty-four years old,” says Brad Millen, a technician who works in the ROM’s Natural History collections. Suddenly the large speckled shell that sits in the palm of my hand feels just a little bit heavier. I feel the weight of its place in the world - it is the egg of a passenger pigeon, and its species has been extinct for a hundred years.
At the Heart of the Museum: Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery Floor Restoration
If floors could talk – from the thousands of visitors who walk through Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery each day, to the long list of programs, installations and events that have taken place in this space, it is truly one of the city’s greatest rooms and the heart of the Royal Ontario Museum.
Empty Skies: Behind-the-Scenes - Recreating Passenger Pigeon Habitat
Come behind-the-scenes with environmental visual communication students/guest bloggers Justine DiCesare and Vincent Luk to take a look using photos and video to see how the flowers and scenery were created for the new exhibit: Empty Skies: The Passenger Pigeon Legacy.
Empty Skies: Who Are the Species At Risk?
In the case across from the Passenger Pigeons in the new Empty Skies exhibit, eleven different Species At Risk birds are on display. But who are these species? What are their stories?
First Peek at Empty Skies: The Legacy of the Passenger Pigeon
The ROM's latest special exhibit, Empty Skies: The Legacy of the Passenger Pigeon swoops in this Saturday, August 23. Get an exclusive first glimpse at the behind-the-scenes of the exhibit being installed!
Game Jam 2014 - A Revolutionary Success
The 2014 ROM Game Jam, "The Evolution Revolution" took place over the weekend of August 8-10 and was a huge success! Check out some photos and a featured video about the event and some of the awesome game concepts that came out of this convergence of creative energy.
Up on the Rooftop - The ROM's Green Roof
Earlier this summer, a group of Torontonian researchers and PhD students were granted rare access to the ROM’s green roof, “Liza’s Garden” to survey the biodiversity, take soil samples, and to look for changes in the vegetation profile.
Our next Google+ Hangout on Air: De-Extinction
Join us for a Google+ Hangout on Air on September 24th at NOON. Topic: De-Extinction