Exhibitions and Galleries
Monthly Archive: December Exhi
The Ongoing Mystery of the Franklin Expedition
![Ice bergs would have been a frequent sight for the Franklin Expedition crew. Photo by Jeff Dickie A photo of massive ice bergs on the ocean in front of a stormy sky. Photo by Jeff Dickie](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/jeff_dickie_evc-1.jpg?itok=gjNbeZVs)
Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Jeff Dickie
With an excavation recently completed this summer, the mystery of the Franklin Expedition continues... still elusive in her watery grave, what secrets will HMS Erebus finally give up about her ill-fated mission?
Getting Lost with Galloway
![Matt Galloway is the host of Metro Morning on CBC Radio One, 99.1 FM, the top-rated morning radio program in Toronto. Galloway is a keen cyclist, burgeoning runner, voracious reader, proud Torontonian, and messy cook. He lives in the west end of Toronto with his wife and their two daughters. Portrait of Matt Galloway, CBC Metro Morning Host and Toronto resident.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/mattforrom_sm.jpg?itok=eiT8ENmF)
We sat down with CBC’s Matt Galloway to find out exactly what keeps bringing him back to the ROM
Q: Do you visit the museum often?
A: Yes, I have a couple of young kids. We come on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes if there’s a special event, but also sometimes we come just to wander around. It’s a great place to explore—one of the places we go to just spend time in the city. That’s a big thing for our family, to be out and about in Toronto as much as we can.
Empty Skies: Resurrecting the Passenger Pigeon Backdrop
![A passenger pigeon in front of the digitally-restored backdrop in the Empty Skies exhibit. Photo by Vincent Luk a passenger pigeon mounted specimen sits in the Empty skies exhibit in front of the digitally restored backdrop](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2014-08-20_passengerpigeon_11-2.jpg?itok=mCFYzMQu)
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....
Empty Skies: Behind-the-Scenes - Recreating Passenger Pigeon Habitat
![ROM Artist Georgia Guenther gives a passenger pigeon one last visual inspection in her workshop. Photo by Vincent Luk ROM Artist Georgia Guenther gives a passenger pigeon mount a final check before installing it into the exhibit](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2014-08-11_passengerpigeon_16_blog-16x9.jpg?itok=0HoaOxAG)
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?
![ROM Exhibit Preparator Bernard collects the Species At Risk that will be added to the Empty Skies exhibit. Photo by Vincent Luk A museum preparator collects the Species At Risk that will be added to the Empty Skies Passenger Pigeon exhibit](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2014-07-31_passengerpigeon_01-2.jpg?itok=sWSPWDnY)
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
![A pair of passenger pigeons sit ready to be added to the Empty Skies exhibit. Photo by Vincent Luk Stuffed passenger pigeons from the ROM collections sit on a table in the Gallery of Birds waiting to be installed in the new special exhibit](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2014-08-19_passengerpigeon_01-2.jpg?itok=RDnB94WF)
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!
Origins of a Collection: A look at R.S. Williams' Historic Musical Instruments
![European Music Book. 1835. Detail. 913.4.171 European Music Book. Detail. 1835.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/european-sheet-music.jpg?itok=7-52Wo8-)
Have you ever wondered how museums collect their treasured artefacts? You probably know that many objects are generously donated to such cultural centres. But do you know the story or the provenance (the record of origin and history of ownership) behind these objects? The ROM is full of interesting acquisition stories—many of which can be found in the Curatorial departments and the Library & Archives. This is just one…
Sloth Life
![Upside-down Two-toed sloth http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two_toed_sloth.JPG Upside-down Two-toed sloth](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/upside-down-two-toed-sloth.jpg?itok=k5FIXtI4)
What you may or may not know about this unusual mammal.
Happy International Museum Day!
!["Scared" visitors test out their acting skills in the Bat Cave, Level 2. Visitors take a selfie inside the bat cave.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/bat_cave.jpg?itok=__nJq-tQ)
Since 1977, Museums around the world have been celebrating International Museum Day on May 18. Each year, a new theme is selected and this year we're celebrating "Museum collections make connections".
Rare Chinese Chicken Cup Auctioned for $36 million
![This cup represents the most exquisite and rare of Ming porcelain wares. Made in the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen for the court of Emperor Chenghua (r.1465-1487), it depicts two scenes featuring a family of chickens. Today, only two original Chenghua chicken cups remain in the Palace Museum. Image of rooster depicted on the porcelain cup.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/chickencup1.jpg?itok=ARi38xdP)
An original and very rare Chicken Cup, that was created as part of a set, was recently sold at an auction hosted by Sotheby's. The ROM is currently displaying another cup from this set in The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors.