Royal Ontario Museum

100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6

(416) 586-8000

http://www.rom.on.ca/

Over all: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto is an architectural masterpiece, a striking juxtaposition of the classic stone structure and the dramatic, futuristic Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. This showstopper design, described as a charming old academic wearing a titanium blazer, promises a world-class experience that is currently delivered through a highly worthwhile and necessary collection.

The ROM offers a concise, respectable collection perfectly suited for a 157-year-old country. 

Visitors can enjoy the required staples: dignified dinosaurs, sparkling precious gems, and wonderfully curated Indigenous and Canadian cultural exhibits. The collection reveals its true depth upon multiple visits, where one discovers more extensive artifacts ranging from the Roman Empire and Byzantine era to detailed Egyptian pieces. Complementing the collections are the genuinely fantastic, friendly, and enthusiastic staff and volunteers.

Potential for Immersion and Education:

While there is so much to see, the museum's vast physical capacity still leaves a feeling of being a bit bare, suggesting immense untapped potential. Even with the variety of artifacts, the museum could elevate the visitor experience by focusing more on immersive, hands-on experiences.

Specifically, there is a clear opportunity for a dedicated interactive kids' section where children and youth can have fun and engage in educational, tactile learning. This kind of experiential learning would make the ROM an example of what a modern museum should be—not just a repository of the past, but a launchpad for future curiosity. The upcoming new under-construction exhibit is highly anticipated and will hopefully be utilized and presented with this level of immersive engagement in mind.

Community & Culture: The Museum That Knows How to Party 🎉:

Beyond its educational role, the ROM is a dynamic cultural hub, throwing killer events and parties that successfully entice visitors and build community engagement. Its popular ROM After Dark (RAD) series transforms the museum into a sophisticated, 19+ nighttime celebration. Crucially, the museum ensures accessibility through its commitment to inclusion, notably with "Third Tuesday Nights Free," where most galleries are open free of charge on the third Tuesday evening of every month.

The Mystique of Untapped Space: A Call for a Stellar Exhibit 🔭:

The sentiment of untapped potential is most keenly felt in the presence of the permanently closed McLaughlin Planetarium. This former ROM asset, which now stands as a prominent symbol of unfulfilled capacity and budgetary reality, is the key to elevating the ROM's global status. To truly become a world-class destination, the museum must strategically reimagine this space, or an equivalent high-impact area, to house a permanent, comprehensive exhibition on space, astronomy, northern lights or even advanced science exhibit.

Investing in Identity 🇨🇦:

 A Government Imperative

This call for strategic investment is particularly timely, as institutions like the ROM and the Science Centre face challenges often compounded by governmental deferred maintenance and cost-cutting measures. Educational and cultural institutions—pillars of Canadian heritage and identity—should not be subject to budget cuts that result in the permanent closure of vital public spaces.

Instead of prioritizing short-term budgetary savings, the government must adopt a perspective of better spending management and cultural investment. Funding for essential maintenance and ambitious, new exhibitions is a strategic investment in National Identity, Education and Science Literacy, and Global Competitiveness.

The ROM is an excellent, engaging museum today, but by realizing its full potential through immersive exhibits and stable public funding, Canada can truly prove that it can be an example of what a modern museum should be.