ROM to Open Spectacular Blue Whale Exhibition in March 2017
Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story opens March 11, 2017
Features one of the largest and most complete blue whale skeletons in the world
Exhibition is cornerstone of ROM’s Canada 150 Celebrations
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will open a new exhibition, Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. The exhibition explores the story of the nine blue whales from the endangered North Atlantic population that became stranded in thick ice and died. Two of these specimens came ashore in Trout River and Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland in May 2014. In cooperation with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the ROM and Research Casting International travelled to the site and recovered the skeletons, their DNA and other important biological information. This Canadian recovery story was followed closely by millions of people around the world.
The exhibition is a collaborative project led by the ROM’s Dr. Mark Engstrom, Senior Curator and Deputy Director of Collections and Research, with colleagues Burton Lim, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy; Jacqueline Miller, Mammalogy Technician; Oliver Haddrath, Ornithology Technician; and Dave Ireland, Managing Director of ROM Biodiversity. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a fully articulated Blue Whale skeleton, one of the largest and most complete Blue Whale skeletons on display in the world. The exhibition will lead the Museum’s Canada 150 programming with its March launch.
“Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story will be an extraordinary exhibition. It shares the story of one of the most awe-inspiring animals that has ever lived and highlights the important research and conservation work that the ROM leads around the world. We’re delighted to share this very Canadian story with visitors during Canada’s Sesquicentennial year,” said Josh Basseches, ROM Director and CEO.
“Blue whales have captured our imagination through their sheer size and extreme adaptation to aquatic life. The chance to share the recovery story with our visitors is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Mark Engstrom. “We are grateful to our colleagues, here and in Newfoundland for their invaluable support on this exhibition and its link to the incredible research uncovered.”
The ROM invites everyone to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition through the Make a Splash Campaign, supported by EQ Bank. Visit rom.on.ca/en/makeasplash to be part of ROM history.
More information on Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story is available at rom.on.ca.
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ABOUT THE ROM
Opened in 1914, the ROM is Canada’s largest museum of natural history and world cultures and has six million objects in its collections and galleries showcasing art, world cultures and natural history. The ROM is the largest field research institution in the country, and a world leader in research areas from biodiversity, palaeontology, and earth sciences to archaeology, ethnology and visual culture - originating new information towards a global understanding of historical and modern change in culture and environment. For tickets, memberships and 24-hour information in English and French, visit www.rom.on.ca or call 416.586.8000.