The inaugural position is made possible through a matched gift from the
TORONTO, March 22, 2022 – ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) today announced the establishment of the Nick Mirkopoulos Curatorship of Ancient Greece and Rome. Overseeing the most comprehensive Greek and Roman collection in the country, the new curatorship will play a vital role deepening public engagement in this collections area through enhanced research, programming, exhibitions, and learning initiatives. A search to fill this inaugural position will commence this year.
“The accomplishments of the ancient Greeks and Romans have touched almost every aspect of our lives: from mathematics and sports to architecture and the arts,” says Josh Basseches, ROM’s Director & CEO. “The establishment of the Mirkopoulos Curatorship gives us an opportunity to bring a greater focus to this important collections area and celebrate the rich art and cultural legacy of ancient Greece and Rome in new and meaningful ways. We are grateful to the Lazaros (Larry) and Stilianos (Steve) Mirkopoulos families and the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust for making this position possible with their generous gift.”
ROM’s collection of more than 7,000 objects from Greece represents one of the largest collections of its kind in Canada and among the top five in North America. The collection explores the story of the development of the Greek world from the Bronze Age Aegean to the Archaic, the Classical and Hellenistic periods, a civilization that spanned from Italy to Afghanistan and from Egypt to the Balkans. ROM’s Roman collection of 12,500 objects covers more than 1,000 years of history through Republican and Imperial Rome and encompasses Rome’s vast geographic influence throughout that period.
The curatorship is named in honour of Nick Mirkopoulos, who left Greece for Toronto in 1968, and encouraged his brothers to join him in Canada. While supporting members of his family, he built several companies and created a successful cinematic studio business, employing thousands of people in Canada and the United States. This gift will honour his legacy in perpetuity.
“Our family is very proud to support ROM’s important work in stewarding remarkable objects from ancient Greece and Rome, and interpreting the stories they tell,” says D. Jim Mirkopoulos, who is a Director of the Board of ROM Governors. “The Museum has always represented an important part of our family’s cultural experience in Toronto, and we are delighted to pay homage to my late uncle and our extraordinary family patriarch, Nick Mirkopoulos, in this meaningful way.”
ROM and ROM Governors thank Gary Weddel and Lisa Saunders, Trustees of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust, for their ongoing support of the Museum. ROM is also deeply grateful to D. Jim Mirkopoulos for his leadership on the Board of ROM Governors.
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ABOUT ROM
Opened in 1914, Royal Ontario Museum showcases art, culture and nature from around the world and across the ages. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum is home to a world-class collection of 13 million art objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. As the country’s preeminent field research institute and an international leader in new and original findings, ROM plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the artistic, cultural and natural world. Combining its original heritage architecture with the contemporary Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, ROM serves as a national landmark, and a dynamic cultural destination in the heart of Toronto for all to enjoy.
CURATORIAL ENDOWMENTS AT ROM
The endowment program at ROM presents donors with an outstanding opportunity to permanently enable thought-provoking exhibitions, revolutionary research, and engaging public programs by supporting the Museum’s curatorial expertise. To learn more about the opportunities and impacts in this program, kindly contact giving@rom.on.ca.