Royal Ontario Museum and Bishop White Committee Establish Curatorship of Japanese Art & Culture
Long-time group of ROM volunteers endows prestigious position; new role first of its kind in Canada
TORONTO, July 6, 2017 - The Royal Ontario Museum is proud to announce the establishment of the Bishop White Committee Curatorship of Japanese Art & Culture—the first endowed position of its kind in Canada. This important new role has been made possible by the Bishop White Committee, a group of long-standing ROM volunteers, who have enabled the Museum to steward and display the largest collection of East Asian art in Canada.
“The creation of the Bishop White Curatorship of Japanese Art & Culture is one of the many ways the Committee has been a catalyst for important acquisitions, research and gallery development at the ROM,” says Liz Mitchell, Committee Chair and ROM Trustee. “We are proud to help inspire appreciation for Japanese art and culture in perpetuity.”
Since its inception in 1960, the Bishop White Committee has generously donated more than $2.5 million to the ROM for the promotion of East Asian art, history, and culture. It is named in honour of Bishop William Charles White (1873–1960), former keeper of the ROM’s Chinese collections.
“We are grateful to the Bishop White Committee for making it possible to raise the long-term profile and calibre of the ROM’s 10,000 Japanese artworks, a collection that is among the finest in North America,” says Josh Basseches, Director & CEO, ROM. “The endowed curator will enable the ROM to develop dynamic exhibitions and engaging programs for the public, conduct original research and build a network of those invested in Japanese art and culture.”
In addition to the creation of the curatorship and to further honour their long-standing support and deep commitment, The H.H. Mu Far Eastern Library will be renamed The Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia. The H.H. Mu Collection is Canada’s most important collection for research on East Asian art, architecture and archaeology.
An international search to secure the most qualified individual as the inaugural Bishop White Committee Curator of Japanese Art & Culture will begin in the near future. Details on the appointment will be announced once confirmed. In addition, the ROM will establish a Japanese Art & Culture Fund to support the essential work of the new curator.
The Bishop White Committee
The Bishop White Committee was founded in 1960 by a group of ROM volunteers led by Louise Hawley Stone (1904-1997) to promote the ROM's Far Eastern department. Named after Bishop William Charles White (1873-1960), former keeper of the ROM’s Chinese collections, the group promotes Asian art by organizing lectures and events, expanding the East Asian library, and raising funds for curators and new acquisitions. Since its inception, the Committee has generously donated more than $2.5 million to the ROM for the promotion of East Asian art, history, and culture.
Endowed Curatorships at the ROM
As a world-leading museum of art, culture and nature, the ROM is a vital destination for discovery and understanding. Behind every transformational Museum experience are ROM curators who uncover and share with the public the knowledge embedded in our collection of six million objects.
Nine of the ROM’s 32 curatorial positions are fully or partially endowed, affording donors an outstanding opportunity to permanently enable thought-provoking exhibitions, break-through research and engaging programs, which have the potential to transform disciplines and societies.
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ABOUT THE ROM
Opened in 1914, the ROM’s collections comprise over six million objects and specimens and its galleries showcase art, culture, and nature. Among the world’s most renowned museums, the ROM is