Toronto Royal Ontario Museum | ?m | ?s | Daniel Libeskind

I don't think you can judge anything by people's behaviour at the opening of the Crystal. The entire crowd was different - a lot of them just curious about the unusual architecture.

I actually saw the behaviour in a different light: lots of excitement and celebration and just general high spirits. I saw people climbing walls and running around too, but we all seemed to recognize that this was a once in a lifetime kind of thing. It was also unusual because it was the middle of the night. I don't think any of these people would expect to behave the same way during a regular visit to the museum to see the exhibits.
 
So what's the deal with 2 spotlights standing outside the entrance of the ROM???

And who wants to bet it will take another 6-9 months before they finishing up the surrounding? Let's see...4 more months until winter, can't do work in winter...until April...yup, 9 more months...
 
MetroMan said:
If right now, you see people sleeping on the couches, imagine what you'd see if any punk could go in there with their friends... not to mention homeless people in the Bloor + Queens Park area taking advantage of the A/C and comfy couches...
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In this light, what's security like at the London galleries? Free or not, I can imagine a screening of visitors, at the very least...
 
I don't think there is any screening of who's allowed inside and who's not. Washington museums are open to anybody.

I do have to admit I don't see any homeless people in there but then again, the Washington museums are located away from the segregated "poor zones" of DC.

On the other hand, these museums are always full of screeching kids so it's difficult to appreciate anything with any quiet.
 
Regardless of our discussion here, it's unrealistic to assume that the ROM will become free any time soon.

There isn't enough funding and thus the Crystal was built: to attract more and more paying customers to be able to fund this institution.
 
A higher entrance fee will discourage school trips, parents bringing kids over the holidays, etc. Then the kids won't return when they're older, or bring their kids in the future...as urban shocker suggests, you can't be exposed to culture without being physically exposed to culture. I'd like to see an estimate of ROM attendance figures in terms of school trips vs tourists vs regular Torontonians, if such numbers can even be determined. In the long term, I don't think the Crystal will do anything to boost attendance from people living in the GTA.

MetroMan said:
Yesterday, I was kind of relieved that the museum isn't free. As a member, I go there very often to appreciate history but also to sit in a chair and work on my laptop with the richness of history surrounding me and inspiring me.
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I'd go nuts if I was trying to quietly enjoy the ROM but people were hogging seats and typing away on laptops.
 
The homeless and punks have the same right to enjoy our great cultural institutions, and sit on couches, as everyone else - and long may they continue to enjoy those rights.

The ROM has been redesigned to welcome the non-traditional museum visitor, not to exclude them. And the emphasis has been placed on access to the objects themselves, not ersatz, Disneyfied interpretations of them. I agree that part of this new audience doesn't appear to understand what they're seeing at times - or how to behave "appropriately" when faced with a freestanding sculpture or piece of ceramic that is hundreds of years old - but the fact is they're getting the opportunity to broaden their horizons and get a better understanding of the world that went before. Museum etiquette - respect for rare and beautiful objects by keeping a safe distance from them - can be learned.
 
The small exhibition of typewriters - from the 1880's to the early 1900's - was interesting. I was surprised at the variety of different designs, all contending for market share, as the new technology developed. I suppose they were the iPhones and iPods and Blackberries of their day.
 
In this light, what's security like at the London galleries? Free or not, I can imagine a screening of visitors, at the very least...
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Screening is non-existent and security is also surprisingly lax. You can walk right into the British Museum without even having your bag checked or scanned. Having said that, I do believe there are random checks, but it's a very come as you are sort of experience.
 
A few pics from C5 this afternoon (July 21st)...

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too much white going on ugh it's dated looking imho! and too crowded and fussy--what look were they going for--was designer confused? Now not having been there myself (and frankly not really my scene) I wonder how long this place will last? The place needs colour! It looks like a victorian house filled with modern furnishings but not done in a style that actually would look cool: old-fashioned victorian furnishings how cool would that be?

Another idea I just thought up staring at your nice photos: the ROM condo tower should have been where the crystal is and the crystal where the planetarium is!!! Duh makes perfect sense--you have retail space on the ground floor, you have 5 floors full of research staff and some museum space, then the condo on top. Oh well not surprising they messed up:(

But, if I'm in the mood for a pretentious date perhaps I'll get my critical butt up there and maybe change my mind....
 
Looks good, what are the price ranges on the menu?
It would be too bad if the nicest view from the ROM was inaccessible to most people because of high prices.
 
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