AR 2001 Layout_Final - Royal Ontario Museum

Message from the Vice-President, Collections and Research
With the formal approval of Renaissance ROM by the Board of Trustees in June
2002, the Royal Ontario Museum has entered an exciting new period in its history.
In collaboration with exhibit designers Haley Sharpe Design, and our curatorial
staff, new gallery exhibits within The Crystal will take on a fresh look,
revealing the diversity of our collections and research activities. This endeavor
will be the focus for our division’s efforts during the next few years.
Our staff expertise continues to grow with two significant appointments to
the ROM curatorial team. We welcome our new Associate Curator for South
Asian Civilizations, Deepali Dewan, who has already taken significant steps to
invigorate the Museum’s efforts to collect and communicate the rich cultural
heritage of the peoples of South Asia. We also welcome the new Curator of
Mycology, Jean-Marc Moncalvo, who will be developing research and public
programming for our internationally outstanding collection of fungi, one of the
most important and perhaps least understood groups of organisms on Earth.
Our collections continue to maintain healthy expansions. This year’s most
notable acquisition is the Drake Collection of Paediatric History, a gift from the
University Health Network (comprised of Toronto General, Toronto Western
and Princess Margaret hospitals). This unique collection not only encompasses
thousands of objects related to the history of medicine and childcare, but also
assembles objects of diverse cultures and antiquities.
The ROM’s continued growth demonstrates the ever-increasing need for
space. Renaissance ROM’s expansion and restoration project will not only
address this issue, but will allow our growing collections to be fully evaluated
and successfully displayed for our growing visitor numbers.
Hans-Dieter Sues
Vice-President, Collections and Research
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