ROM’s new image, free programming invites people to ‘come back to culture’

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is looking to revamp its image, hoping to change the way people see and think about the more than 100-year-old institution.

On Thursday, the museum revealed new branding with an emphasis on connecting the past with the present and the future, in a bid to showcase its relevance in Toronto as well as the country’s cultural landscape.

“The focus of the brand is ‘ROM Immortal: We live on in what we leave behind,'” explains Josh Basseches, ROM Director and CEO. “The idea is that here at the ROM we have 13-million art objects, artifacts and specimens and each one unlocks a story that is relevant to our lives today.”

Lori Davison, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the ROM adds that the campaign also highlights how “the actions that we take today have consequences.”

“We need to think of ourselves as citizens of the world and stewards of the planet because what we do today will live on in what we leave behind,” she says, further clarifying the concept.

The ROM’s rebrand focuses on connecting the past with the present and the future. CITYNEWS/Dilshad Burman

Over the course of three pandemic closures, the ROM was shuttered for a total of 14 months and Basseches says the cultural sector in the city and countrywide needs to be reinvigorated.

“We need to jumpstart things,” he says. “This is a critical time — we’re coming out of two years of the pandemic when everybody has been cooped up at home, has been unmoored from connecting with others … we want to make a call to people — come back to culture … come back and experience your lives the way you were before the pandemic and do it in a way that understands what a museum can deliver for you.”

“After years of too much screen time and too little interaction and real-world experiences, we want people to come into the museum and recharge and feed their souls,” adds Davison.

“A place to hang out” for free

With a plethora of events and festivals set to return to the city this summer for the first time since the pandemic hit, the museum is hoping to get in on the action by positioning itself as “a place to hang out” regularly rather than the occasional visit.

To that end, starting Thursday, entry to the 80,000 square foot main floor of the museum will be free throughout the summer.

Included in that space are the various galleries on the main floor as well as new programming such as a pop-up cafe, live performances and a maker space.

Among the many special artifacts on the floor is one of particular significance, which Basseches calls “one of the greatest sculptures in antiquity” and he hopes will be a big draw.

“It is this remarkable sculpture from ancient Athens called the Kore 670,” he explains. “At a time when democracy is under fire, when we see war in Ukraine and elsewhere, it seemed all the more important to talk about what it is that we can do together and how we can shape a new future.”

Visitors view the Kore 670 at the ROM on June 9, 2022. CITYNEWS/Dilshad Burman.

Davison adds that they’re hoping free entry will create an atmosphere to foster such conversations freely and organically.

“[We want to] give everyone a great cultural experience that they can come by and enjoy just on a casual basis,” says Davison. “We want people to think of ROM as Toronto’s living room — a place where you come in, you have a coffee, you have a conversation, you take in the culture, you have an interaction with art and natural history.”

Museum visitors say opening up the space will go a long way in making the museum more welcoming for both locals and tourists alike.

“It’s going to be a lot more accessible and making it a more public space for people to just come and hang out and having it not be so — I don’t want to say elitist, but not so fancy and stuff — I think it will draw more people in,” says a young first-timer visitor from Prince Edward Island.

Others point out that affordability will be a big plus.

“Even with a small family, it’s still expensive sometimes to do things and if you can find something free to do it’s a great opportunity to check it out,” says another visitor from Wisconsin.

Basseches says the goal is to make it possible for everyone to visit, “whether it’s for 15 minutes or for five hours to see what we have to offer and hopefully come back and see the entire museum.”

Access to the main floor of the museum will be free until September 25.