Where Life on Earth Begins: ROM’s New Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life

Highly-anticipated new permanent gallery explores the 4-billion-year history of early life on Earth

TORONTO, ON, November 25, 2021 – On December 4, 2021, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) unveils the Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life, the Museum’s highly anticipated new gallery that explores early life on Earth and 4 billion years of evolution—life before the rise of dinosaurs. Grand in scope and thrilling in experience, this gallery delves into life’s journey, a palaeontological diary spanning wondrous beginnings through devastating extinctions.

“This is a landmark moment in the history of the Museum,” says Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “A first of its kind anywhere in the world, The Willner Madge Gallery delves into the fundamental mystery of life, where we came from, and how ecosystems as we know them began. Dawn of Life brings together ROM’s vast collection of fossils, decades of fieldwork, research, and groundbreaking scientific discoveries into a dedicated space to tell the epic story of life as it has never been told before. A story that begins in the very rocks of Canada. This remarkable new gallery has been funded entirely through visionary philanthropic support.”

With 10,000 square feet of custom-designed gallery space, Dawn of Life, located in the Peter F. Bronfman Hall, will feature almost 1,000 fossil specimens from 4 billion to 200 million years ago, drawn extensively from ROM’s world-class palaeontology collections – including specimens discovered by ROM that have fundamentally altered our scientific understanding of life during the Cambrian Explosion. This galley is designed to engage visitors of all ages through leading-edge presentation techniques and technology. Many of the fossils are brought “to life” through original ROM scientific artwork and animation, transforming ancient rock into brilliant living history for families and kids to experience and learn with one another.

 “Fossils are the ultimate messengers of the past,” says Dr. Jean-Bernard Caron, Dawn of Life’s lead curator and the Richard M. Ivey Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology. “Having survived the ravages of time, they tell wondrous stories about life’s journey and how the modern world, including us, eventually came to be. In this gallery, we are telling 4 billion years of this long journey.”

 The Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life is named in honour of Jeff Willner and Stacey Madge, who generously donated $5 million towards its creation. Jeff Willner is Board Chair of ROM Governors, which is responsible for all philanthropic activities in support of the Museum’s highest priorities.

 "Stacey and I are proud and delighted to play a role in helping bring this extraordinary gallery to life,” says Jeff Willner. “This stunning narrative about life’s very beginnings is both Canadian and universal, compelling and relevant. ROM's visionary team has created a special experience that is deeply meaningful. It’s much more interactive than typical museum displays, and I believe Museum visitors will be engaged and amazed by the story the gallery tells.”

 Canada's incredible fossil record and the gallery’s engaging digital technologies invite visitors to witness early life as it may have appeared in its original, ancient environment.

 Highlights of the gallery include: 

• some of the earliest complex multicellular organisms preserved on a monumental seven-metre-wide rock surface cast from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland
• an extensive display of Burgess Shale fossils that captured the flourishing of animal life during the Cambrian Explosion and an immersive 48-foot-wide curved video wall of the Burgess Shale marine environment
• a magnificent collection of trilobites from Canada and around the world
• a panorama display of fossils from Ontario, the largest collection of its kind ever presented to the public
• countless illustrations of ancient creatures, impressive touchable bronze models, including of a 2-metre-long giant sea scorpion, large hanging models, and dozens of 3D-printed models of organisms will show what these fossils were like when they were alive
• video introductions to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites are showcased in this gallery
• an audio guide will be available in the new year featuring highlights from the gallery and Indigenous perspectives

The gallery is divided into several thematic areas: A Very Long Beginning (Precambrian), The Origin of Animals (Cambrian Explosion), The Bustling Seas (Ordovician/Silurian/Devonian), The Green Earth (Devonian/Carboniferous), Before the Great Dying (Permian) and Dawn of a New Era (Triassic). The exceptional quality of this gallery is only possible because of the fossils of great scientific value found within Canada, so much so that four locations are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Each of these fossil sites provides astonishing evidence of major intervals in life history, from oldest to youngest, they are: Mistaken Point (Newfoundland and Labrador), the Burgess Shale from Yoho and Kootenay National Parks (British Columbia), Miguasha National Park (Québec) and Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Nova Scotia).

 An especially noteworthy section is the Burgess Shale display, which features nearly 200 fossil specimens, world-renowned for their exceptional preservation of soft-bodied animals from the 506-million-year-old marine Cambrian ecosystem. Through an ongoing ROM research program, the Museum holds the world’s largest and best collection of Burgess Shale fossils in trust for Parks Canada. With the opening of Dawn of Life, these scientifically important fossils will now have a prominent and lasting museum display. An additional section will present the latest in ongoing Burgess Shale research and feature newly discovered creatures. And to bring this dramatic ancient world to life, a 48-foot-wide wide curved video wall will display a spectacular animation of the Burgess Shale ecosystem.

 “The Burgess Shale fossils from Yoho and Kootenay National Parks are tremendously important to our understanding of ancient life and we are proud to protect and present these fossil sites,” says Ron Hallman, President & CEO, Parks Canada. “Parks Canada values its collaboration with the Royal Ontario Museum, from ongoing field research to the long-term care of the collections, and we are now especially thrilled to have the Burgess Shale showcased for Canadians, and the world, in such an iconic public museum.”

 Dawn of Life also highlights climatic and tectonic changes that altered the course of life. Within the gallery’s timeframe, four of the five largest mass extinctions occurred, including the largest extinction 252 million years ago at the end of the Permian Period, which destroyed 90% of life in the oceans.

ROM is grateful to all supporters of the Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life, which has garnered community funding from over 100 donors with gifts ranging from $10 dollars to $5 million. Contributions from across the community, in addition to Mr. Willner and Ms. Madge, made this gallery possible. Leadership donors include Richard M. Ivey & Family, The Salamander Foundation, Brookfield Partners Foundation, Rob Pitfield & Family, Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, TD Bank Financial Group, The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation, Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust, Jennifer Ivey Bannock, Albert and Barbara Milstein & The Polk Family Foundations, Anne Y. Lindsey, and Robert J. Dickinson Pyne.

 This project is also made possible with the donation of specimens from many individuals or institutions, and the work of countless volunteers, students, and amateur enthusiasts who have dedicated time and expertise to the palaeontology collections at ROM. We also thank the following institutions for arranging long-term loans of specimens: Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Museum of Nature, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and the Nova Scotia Museum.

Public Programs

ROM Family Day. Sunday, December 5. Programs run from 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Celebrate the opening of the gallery with lots of family fun where visitors can meet the people who put this gallery together, including palaeontologists, paleo-artists and model makers, and learn about the amazing fossils, fossil preparation, making of casts and a whole lot more.

ROM Speaks: Reimagining the First Animals. Tuesday, December 7, 7 P.M. to 10 P.M.
This program features a screening of the documentary First Animals, a conversation with the film's stars, and exclusive after-hours access to the new gallery. Join Dr. Jean-Bernard Caron, filmmaker Andrew Gregg, and others featured in the film, as they discuss the incredible story of the Burgess Shale. ROM Speaks is generously supported by The Schmidt Family.

Membership
Members will have the first opportunity to experience the new gallery at the Member Preview on Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4, 2021.

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Image Credit: Model of Dunkleosteus being installed, © Royal Ontario Museum

Visiting ROM: Visitors are encouraged to purchase timed tickets in advance. As of October 27, 2021, all visitors ages 12 and older must show proof of full vaccination when entering the Museum. See the online Visitor Guidelines for more information.  

ROM COMMUNICATIONS 
General: media@rom.on.ca 
David McKay, Senior Communications Specialist, davidm@rom.on.ca   
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ABOUT ROM 
Opened in 1914, the 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.