Finally, we made our long-overdue visit to the Royal Ontario Museum happen. We were advised that we would need a day to see everything in this museum. Unfortunately, we don't have that much time especially on a Sunday. After our brunch at 12:00nn, we headed to the nearest subway station at the King Street. We decided not to take the car so we could avoid the parking hassle. It was Herbert's first time to take the subway.
Being a Sunday the streets and the station weren't so crowded. We opted to drop $2.75 for each one of us instead of buying tickets or tokens. When we got off the train, we headed straight to the concourse (underground shopping mall) in Bloor. I was showing Herbert shortly the major shopping malls in the area. Along the Bloor street is a line of high-end 'posh' stores i.e. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Club Monaco and a lot more. I wasn't new to this place as I had been here once in one of my trips to explore the city.
I have read some facts about the museum from its website. The Museum was established by an Act of the Ontario Legislature in April 1912. The façade of the museum shows two different era. The original building along Philosophers' Walk (now the west wing of the ROM), with the main entrance on Bloor Street W., opened to the public on March 19, 1914. The ROM’s new addition, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, and the renovations to the historic buildings, are designed by Daniel Libeskind in a joint venture with Toronto's Bregman + Hamann Architects.
Annually, the Museum welcomes between 750,000 to over a million visitors. After all the stages of the Renaissance ROM project are completed (in 2008), the Museum will have the ability to accommodate up to 1.6 million visitors a year, including 215,000 students.
As we reached the entrance of the museum, we had to queue to get into the building. Then we headed to the general admission counter to get our tickets which cost $20 per person. I know that we could get it cheaper if we will buy a City Pass which will give us free access to 6 important sites in Toronto for only $59. However, the ticket is only valid for 9 consecutive days which is difficult for us. Maybe we could get it on the spring time.
At the lobby there were Chinese live performances and ceremonies in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Level 1 showcases the galleries of Canada: First People and Early Canadians, China, Korea and Japan, We headed straight to the “First Peoples” gallery. The gallery shows the cultural context of Canada's earliest societies and reveals the economic and social forces that influenced Native art. There is also a theater which shows films about the first people.
Then we headed up to the level 2 where galleries of the “Earth and Early Life” and the ‘Mining and Gems’. We went straight to the Dinosaurs as most of the people and families do. This is by far the most crowded area in the museum that day. It is really amazing to see and read information about these remains of the different species of dinosaurs some 200 million years ago.
Then we were at ‘The Age of Mammals’ area. This is really educational. Then we went to the Minerals and Gems gallery, unfortunately it was closed.
Then we proceed to the Birds then to Reptiles gallery. It was so much fun for the children in this area. There were corners where children can have some activities such as drawing, playing and even reading books. It’s a very good concept for the families to spend time together.
Level 3 showcases the cultural aspects: history and style of Europe and other countries. The `Africa:Egypt` and “Asia and America” galleries were close. The European gallery displays the ‘The Evolution of Style’ in different era.
Medieval Era: Symbolism and Devotion (AD 500-1520)
Renaissance: Naturalism and Classicism (1400-1620)
Baroque: Grandeur and Extravagance (1600-1750)
Rococo: Lightness and Sensuality (1730-1770)
Neo-Classical: Simplicity and Idealism (1760-1840)
Victorian: Historicism and Eclecticism (1830-1900)
After 1890: Diversity
Also in Level 3 is a gallery of ‘Special Collections, Topics and Themes’. Display of armours in different era, paper eights from different countries, ornaments and a lot more.
In
a corner, is a room displaying the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland. This is one of the largest gem quality sapphires in the world. This brilliant six-point black star sapphire is on display for the first time since 1969.
This incredible gem was found in the 1930s in the town of Anakie in Queensland, Australia. It weighed an amazing 1156 carats. It was purchased uncut by the Kazanjian Brothers in 1947 and later cut and polished to its present-day 733 carats. It is now surrounded by 35 sparkling diamonds in a white gold setting.
The Black Star Sapphire of Queensland explores the beauty and science surrounding sapphires — how they are formed in nature, where and how they are mined, and their significance in various cultures. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch this shining star before it’s gone.
Source: http://www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/special/blackstar.php
At level 4 which is a gallery of Textile and Costume is fairly empty. There was nothing much on display. So we decided to go down to Level 1. Since we still had time, we decided to visit the galleries of China, Korea and Japan. By then, the live performance was still on at the lobby but we opted not to watch it, instead we headed back home.
I think the 3 hours we spent in the museum was fairly enough. We covered everything except for those ones which are close of course. Overall, it was a very good and educational trip. It is highly recommended to pay ROM a visit.
I have read some facts about the museum from its website. The Museum was established by an Act of the Ontario Legislature in April 1912. The façade of the museum shows two different era. The original building along Philosophers' Walk (now the west wing of the ROM), with the main entrance on Bloor Street W., opened to the public on March 19, 1914. The ROM’s new addition, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, and the renovations to the historic buildings, are designed by Daniel Libeskind in a joint venture with Toronto's Bregman + Hamann Architects.
Annually, the Museum welcomes between 750,000 to over a million visitors. After all the stages of the Renaissance ROM project are completed (in 2008), the Museum will have the ability to accommodate up to 1.6 million visitors a year, including 215,000 students.
As we reached the entrance of the museum, we had to queue to get into the building. Then we headed to the general admission counter to get our tickets which cost $20 per person. I know that we could get it cheaper if we will buy a City Pass which will give us free access to 6 important sites in Toronto for only $59. However, the ticket is only valid for 9 consecutive days which is difficult for us. Maybe we could get it on the spring time.
At the lobby there were Chinese live performances and ceremonies in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Level 1 showcases the galleries of Canada: First People and Early Canadians, China, Korea and Japan, We headed straight to the “First Peoples” gallery. The gallery shows the cultural context of Canada's earliest societies and reveals the economic and social forces that influenced Native art. There is also a theater which shows films about the first people.
Then we headed up to the level 2 where galleries of the “Earth and Early Life” and the ‘Mining and Gems’. We went straight to the Dinosaurs as most of the people and families do. This is by far the most crowded area in the museum that day. It is really amazing to see and read information about these remains of the different species of dinosaurs some 200 million years ago.
Then we were at ‘The Age of Mammals’ area. This is really educational. Then we went to the Minerals and Gems gallery, unfortunately it was closed.
Then we proceed to the Birds then to Reptiles gallery. It was so much fun for the children in this area. There were corners where children can have some activities such as drawing, playing and even reading books. It’s a very good concept for the families to spend time together.
Level 3 showcases the cultural aspects: history and style of Europe and other countries. The `Africa:Egypt` and “Asia and America” galleries were close. The European gallery displays the ‘The Evolution of Style’ in different era.
Medieval Era: Symbolism and Devotion (AD 500-1520)
Renaissance: Naturalism and Classicism (1400-1620)
Baroque: Grandeur and Extravagance (1600-1750)
Rococo: Lightness and Sensuality (1730-1770)
Neo-Classical: Simplicity and Idealism (1760-1840)
Victorian: Historicism and Eclecticism (1830-1900)
After 1890: Diversity
Also in Level 3 is a gallery of ‘Special Collections, Topics and Themes’. Display of armours in different era, paper eights from different countries, ornaments and a lot more.
In
a corner, is a room displaying the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland. This is one of the largest gem quality sapphires in the world. This brilliant six-point black star sapphire is on display for the first time since 1969.
This incredible gem was found in the 1930s in the town of Anakie in Queensland, Australia. It weighed an amazing 1156 carats. It was purchased uncut by the Kazanjian Brothers in 1947 and later cut and polished to its present-day 733 carats. It is now surrounded by 35 sparkling diamonds in a white gold setting.
The Black Star Sapphire of Queensland explores the beauty and science surrounding sapphires — how they are formed in nature, where and how they are mined, and their significance in various cultures. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch this shining star before it’s gone.
Source: http://www.rom.on.ca/exhibitions/special/blackstar.php
At level 4 which is a gallery of Textile and Costume is fairly empty. There was nothing much on display. So we decided to go down to Level 1. Since we still had time, we decided to visit the galleries of China, Korea and Japan. By then, the live performance was still on at the lobby but we opted not to watch it, instead we headed back home.
I think the 3 hours we spent in the museum was fairly enough. We covered everything except for those ones which are close of course. Overall, it was a very good and educational trip. It is highly recommended to pay ROM a visit.
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