ROM’s Crystal Shines this Season
The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal Is Opening its Galleries to the Public
The new renovations to the Royal Ontario Museum are bringing to Toronto an array of interesting things to see and do in this Fall/Winter season.
Summer is now gone, school is in and vacations may be over, but Toronto is waking up to many new activities for the fall /winter season. Standing out among the high end shops and box shaped buildings of Victorian and Modern architecture of downtown Toronto’s Bloor St.W., is a massive triangular shaped glass sculpture with crystal peaks. It’s the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, named after its 30 million dollar benefactor, and the new addition to the Royal Ontario Museum. Construction started in 2003 and its architectural inauguration with creator Daniel Libeskind, was this summer June 2007.
A Season of Openings
New additions and renovations to the ROM have started a season of gallery openings and events that anyone in this diverse city, and visitors alike, can enjoy. ROM’s Crystal stands out -literally- as one of the must sees. Three galleries inside the Crystal are now open and the rest are filling up with installations from all over the world.
To mark the opening of the event Australia loaned the ROM , what is said to be the biggest precious stone of its kind ever seen, the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland. It will be showcased in one of the Crystal’s galleries until December 2. Other exhibits include the ROM’s collections of beautiful paperweights till November 25, and the evolution of the typewriter till January 2008, showcasing different styles of the computer’s early predecessor.
There are two new exciting exhibits on its way, opening this winter on December 15. The James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs will house over 350 specimens including dinosaur’s skeletons and fossils of early life forms. Some of these massive specimens of ancient life forms include giant fish and reptiles, the infamous T.Rex and others. Standing beside one of these huge skeletons will certainly put things in perspective, and maybe bring to life the pages of history, science books and movie adventures. Gallery of the Age of the Mammals will give home to hundreds of skeletons and fossils of unusual mammals from the Americas, including some that are now extinct. You can view their displays in progress online.
Remaining galleries will be housing thousands of objects of art: costumes, masks, sculptures, jewelry, statues and more. One of a kind luxuries created by artisans from times past, representing different cultures and historical periods from around the world. These exhibits will be in the Galleries of Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery, and Wirth Gallery of Middle East, opening winter 2007/2008. Also, the Galleries of Africa, Americas and Asia Pacific, and Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and costume, which are opening spring 2008. Artists, art connoisseurs, students, will undoubtedly be inspired by the workmanship and beauty of this art pieces.
More things to Do and See
Once famished, the Crystal houses two restaurants, one for fine dining and one for a casual meal. For an interesting shopping experience, there are 3 stores to choose from: one just for kids, there’s another for purchasing souvenirs, and the reproductions store which carries pieces with explanations of their historical significance.
If you still have time and energy, you can visit the rest of the ROM’s exhibits, find out about any events or speakers for the day of your visit. For more shopping or browsing you can wander just outside on Bloor and Yorkville Streets. There are tons of brand-name stores, smaller boutiques to explore, posh designers, many café’s to sit, relax, do some people watching, and a myriad of restaurants to please any palate.
For more information, you may want to contact the ROM at 416.586.8000 or visit their website regularly for updates on exhibits, tours, and specials.
