Currelly Conversations: Conserving for the Future

When Maryann Weston first moved to Toronto from London, England, no one warned her about the extreme weather—the hot, humid summers and the icy, cold winters. Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete culture shock. As a Londoner, she was used to great museums and galleries like the British Museum and the Tate. So when she discovered the ROM, it immediately felt like home.

Over the years, Maryann has deepened her connection to the ROM through the Currelly Legacy Society (CLS). In addition to including a gift intention in her will, she recently joined the CLS executive committee. We recently asked her about her reasons for giving, favourite ROM experiences, and thoughts on being a CLS member.

Why do you give to the ROM?
The ROM is for me the #1 museum in Toronto.

Maintenance in the form of conservation and restoration is critical to ensure transformative experiences for future generations to see, learn and enjoy a wide variety of artifacts in the ROM collections, as well as gain insights into various cultures and traditions. That’s why my gift will support ongoing research and preservation efforts, including the training of laboratory staff.

Why is it important to support the ROM?
The ROM plays an important role in the city, providing a vibrant and accessible space with excellent forms of information with further cultural dissemination, from guided tours and lectures about the collection.

What’s your favourite ROM experience?
The ROM hosts some very excellent travelling exhibitions. Most recently, I enjoyed The Cloth That Changed the World. As a retired chemist, I was especially interested in learning how they make the dyes and what kind of plants they used in their process. Another favourite was Out of the Depths: A Blue Whale Story (2017). I went to all lectures and was so excited to see the skeleton—it was just incredible. I’m excited to see the next one.

What have you enjoyed most about being a Currelly member?
The special events! I’ve had opportunities to attend exclusive luncheons, presentations, and behind the scenes tours that are not part of the everyday museum experience. For someone like me who’s interested in learning about research and how things are stored, these events are priceless. They’re also great opportunity to meet other people who feel the same way about the ROM.

Like Maryann, you too can support art, culture and nature by naming the ROM in your estate plan. To learn more about leaving a legacy at the ROM, please contact Janice Correa at janicec@rom.on.ca.