ROM Ideas: Global Stories of Ontario

Explore the recently identified archive of photographer Mazher Master (1920-1977) with Deepali Dewan. This unique archival resource traces his previously unrecognized photographic practice from the 1940s to the 1970s and from Palanpur, Gujarat, India to Karachi, Pakistan to Ottawa, Canada. How did the archive of this South Asian photographer make its way to Ontario, what does it tell us about the history of photography in South Asia, and why is it important to local communities?  

Over the last three decades, ROM's retired Assistant Curator of Fishes Erling Holm has written the guide to identifying the diverse freshwater fishes of Ontario and led an annual series of ROM workshops that use this book to train enthusiasts, resource managers, and scientists from throughout the province. Join Erling and ROM Associate Curator Nathan Lujan as they explore the challenges of differentiating Ontario's 129 native fish species, the joys of teaching these skills to over 160 passionate students per year, and the critical importance to all Ontarians of ensuring that this specialized knowledge continues to be passed on. 

George Leslie Mackay (1844–1901) born in Oxford, Ontario, left his hometown in 1871 to become the first foreign missionary in Taiwan, where he helped establish schools, hospitals, and chapels across the country. Wen-chien Cheng and Gwendolyn Adams explore McKay’s life through the lens the   extensive collections at ROM of his work, still considered one of the most important assets in understanding Taiwanese history by communities in both Taiwan and Canada.  

Museums have long acted as places that bring the past to life through exhibitions and collections. However, the storage of fragile materials requiring specific temperature and humidity controls within large heritage buildings can pose major challenges that result in vast energy demands. Today, ROM is playing a global role in leading a new vision of institutional sustainability, including reducing the energy consumption of its building- critically important as we mitigate the impacts and adapt to a changing climate. Explore the innovations driving these changes with Soren Brothers and Heidi Sobol, whose work strives to care for some of Ontario’s most treasured collections and its environment.  

African fashion and cloth are now in the global spotlight, the subject of major exhibitions, publications and catwalk successes. But fashion has a long history on the continent. Join ROM curator Dr Sarah Fee as she shares insights into the art and fashion of historic African textiles, and unveils an acquisition of 170 pieces to ROM. Dr Fee will be joined by ROM’s newly appointed Curator of Global Africa, Tandazani Dhlakama, and Cali Greenidge, President of TMU’s Black Students Fashion Association to discuss contemporary art and fashion practices inspired by African textiles. 

The Vaughan Lecture Fund was established with a generous gift from the estate of Nora E. Vaughan in 1994 to support the ROM’s Annual Vaughan Lecture. Mrs. Vaughan established this endowment to continue the ROM’s tradition of selecting a staff member each year to share their latest research with the public.