The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) just announced a summer of free programming for museum-goers. From June 9 until September 25, the entire main floor of the ROM, so nearly 80,000 square feet of galleries, exhibits, and public spaces, will be free to access. Guests will get a chance to see Kore 670, a sculpture from antiquity on loan from Greece, as well as partake in multiple pandemic-inspired exhibits.
The ROM also released a new film and platform, ROM Immortal, which coincides with its vision to help “disrupt perceptions about museums,” according to a press release. The film was created by Toronto-based filmmaker Mark Zibert, in collaboration with Broken Heart Love Affair’s Carlos Moreno and Denise Rosetto, and Mohawk filmmaker Shaunoh Wilson.
“As we introduce our new brand platform, we also wanted to provide our communities with another reason to come and visit the museum this summer,” says Josh Basseches, ROM director and CEO. “The rare opportunity for the public to see Kore 670 provided the right moment for this summer celebration. Over lunch or an afternoon, visitors can drop by ROM to sip coffee, hear music and marvel at great works of art. By making our main floor free, we want to encourage as many people as possible to re-connect with culture again this summer.”
What’s free?
Asian galleries
MyPandemic Story
Unmasking the Pandemic: From Personal Protection to Personal Expression
The Daphne Cockwell Gallery
“As a Museum, we understand the power of art to provoke, inspire, and reframe understanding. This film captures the scope and scale of stories that are unlocked by ROM and its collection,” says Lori Davison, ROM chief marketing and communications officer. “At its core is the message that we live on in what we leave behind, quite literally through the objects found in the Museum, but also through the legacy of what we all leave behind as citizens of the world and stewards of this planet. This is a chronicle of who we are, and the marks we leave on ourselves, each other and the world.”
Every third Tuesday of every month will be free night access as well, continuing the past tradition which was on pause for two years.
The ROM will be entirely free to the public on Canada Day, July 1, 2022.