canada, museums & galleries, north america June 12, 2013

The ROM aka Royal Ontario Museum In Toronto

It may not be your thing but I love going to museums and galleries. When I go to a museum or gallery, I prefer to go by alone so that I can spend as long or as little time wandering. I love the mental escape of art. I feel like I am being transported to a different time or place. If I’m looking at modern art, I like to try to see it as the artist does or if I’m looking at photography, I try to see it through their viewfinder. I know it sounds hokey but it’s true. Whenever I travel, I try my best to see one museum or gallery, time permitting of course. So when I was in Toronto, I made sure to make time for the Royal Ontario Museum.

When I visited Toronto in 2013, I went to the ROM aka the Royal Ontario Museum for an afternoon with a specific interest in the First Nations Gallery, the Natural History gallery, and Sebastiao Salgado’s photography exhibit, Genesis. I have a big soft spot for indigenous art. Growing up on Canada’s West Coast, I fell in love with indigenous culture in history class. We studied local First Nations (the indigenous people of Canada) tribes like the Haida, Nootka, Salish, etc.

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Photography exhibits are also a favourite of mine. I love discovering new photographers that I had never heard of before. When I was on my round the world trip I learned about Brian Brake from New Zealand when I went to the Te Papa Museum in Wellington. He is quite amazing and did a lot of work with Life Magazine in the 1960s. I had never heard of Sebastiao Salgado before but his exhibit at the ROM was amazing. He calls this project his love letter to the planet. It was awe-inspiring and very moving.

Here are a few shots I took from my time at the ROM. It’s a great place to take kids as well, they would love the natural history section.