The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is preparing to reopen later this month after the province enters step 3 of the reopening plan.
Premier Doug Ford’s government has not confirmed the exact date Ontario will enter step 3, but many businesses and cultural spaces allowed to resume or expand operations are starting to announce opening dates while waiting for official health and safety guidelines.
It’s widely expected the province will begin step 3 of the reopening plan on July 20 at the earliest.
“Based on the province’s plan and its current targets, we are projecting a public opening date of July 22, with ROM members offered the chance to enjoy advance access to the Museum on July 21,” the museum said in a statement.
The ROM’s big-ticket exhibition is Great Whales: Up Close And Personal, a follow-up to the popular 2017 whale-centric show Out Of The Depths: A Blue Whale Story. The exhibition, which will have a heavy focus on research and conservation, will be on display through March 20, 2022 in the museum’s largest space.
Other shows opening in July include the highly anticipated Elias Sime: Tightrope, which will showcase 28 of the Ethiopian artist’s layered woven piece and run to September 4; and the ongoing exhibition The Cloth That Changed The World: India’s Painted And Printed Cottons, which is on through January 2.
We’re getting the Museum ready to welcome you back later this month!
— Royal Ontario Museum (@ROMtoronto) July 7, 2021
We’re hard at work preparing the ROM to reopen in Step 3 of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen, and we currently anticipate an opening date of July 21 for ROM Members and July 22 for the general public.
The ROM will also unveil a newly commissioned portrait of novelist and activist Austin Clarke, who died in 2016. The installation will be on display through February 22, and features an original portrait by artist Neville Clarke.
Exhibitions opening later in the summer and fall months include Breaking The Frame: New Directions In Photo History (August 14 to January 16), a touring exhibition of unconventional photographs by artists including Diane Arbus, Ansel Adams, Malick Sidibe and more.
Unmasking The Pandemic: From Personal Protection To Personal Expression (September 18 to February 21) is a free exhibition featuring more than 60 original face masks that tell stories of communities and cultures globally; and #MyPandemicStory: Portraits of The Pandemic Through The Eyes of Youth (October 9 to February 21), another free COVID-inspired show. It will display crowd-sourced works capturing the pandemic experience through the eyes of kids and teens aged four-18.
The ROM has been closed since November 23. The museum is also launching a new audio tour platform and outdoor programming.
Earlier this week, the Art Gallery of Ontario also announced it would reopen on July 21.
