– January until June 2008 –

Opening December 15, 2007

Approximate number of objects: 350, including 50 dinosaur specimens, with 30 complete or nearly complete skeletons.

Opening December 15, 2007

The Gallery of the Age of Mammals occupies 465 m² (5,000 square feet), with ceilings 5.5 m (18 feet) high in order to accommodate the largest specimens. This gallery displays the life of the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present), and is designed to follow on from the Age of Dinosaurs gallery. The Cenozoic is commonly called the Age of Mammals because, following the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals rapidly diversified and became the largest animals on land, and eventually also in the sea (with the whales).

Approximate number of objects: 410 specimens, including 26 complete skeletons of extinct mammals, and 165 non-mammal specimens.

Opening February 16, 2008

Opening May 17, 2008

Approximate number of artifacts: 200

This comprehensive exhibition explores the extraordinary life of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) whose curiosity, observations and discoveries nearly 150 years ago forever changed the perception of the origin of species and launched modern biological science. In addition to his theory of evolution, Darwin is known for his work as a botanist, geologist, and naturalist. From specimens of Galápagos finches to original manuscripts and notebooks, the exhibition, on display in the spacious new Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall in the Lee-Chin Crystal, is the broadest collection ever assembled on the life and work of Darwin.
Beginning March 8, 2008 until August 4, 2008

Organized by the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM, Shanghai Kaleidoscope offers an unprecedented view of one of the world's most dynamic cities, highlighting an emerging generation of Chinese artists, architects, and fashion designers. Examining Shanghai as a laboratory for 21st-century urban creation, the exhibition brings together an adventurous mix of architectural models and digital simulations; designer fashion apparel, drawings and runway videos; as well as paintings, photo-works and video installations by 35 of the city's leading contemporary artists, architects and fashion designers. Generously supported by Manulife Financial, the exhibition will be presented in the Roloff Beny Gallery in the ROM’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.
Beginning May 3, 2008 until November 2, 2008.

Fashion design by Wang Yiyang, one of Shanghai's most innovative young designers. Photo courtesy Wang Yiyang.

Discover the science surrounding the stunning Black Star of Queensland, one of the largest-known cut and polished star sapphires in the world. This is the first time this unique and extravagant gem is displayed in Canada and the first time anywhere in the world since 1969. The highlight of the exhibition will be the 733 carat "Black Star" surrounded by 35 brilliant cut diamonds. The exhibition will also look at the chemistry and structure of sapphires, how sapphires are formed in nature, where and how they are mined, and their significance in various cultures. Specific to the Black Star of Queensland, a section on asterism (an optical phenomenon in the shape of a star) will also be included. Until June 30, 2008

Supporting Sponsor: Castlepoint Realty Partners Limited

The first exhibition organized by the ROM’s Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC), Shapeshifters, Time Travellers and Storytellers brings together works by eight leading contemporary Aboriginal artists. The works in this exhibition explore the ways in which past and present continue to merge and shape one another through video, sound works, sculpture, drawings and paintings. Co-curated by Candice Hopkins and Kerry Swanson in partnership with the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.

Brian Jungen, Cetology, 2002, plastic and metal, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Purchased with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program and the Vancouver Art Gallery Acquisition Fund, VAG 2003.8 a-z,

Financially assisted by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage.

In the past, people in different parts of the world came into contact with Chinese products through commerce. This exhibit compiles a stimulating and comprehensive selection mainly from the ROM’s permanent collection. An array of paintings, wallpapers, ceramics, silverware, ivory carvings, and textiles will explore Chinese influence around the globe between the 8^th and 20^th centuries. The display will be featured in the Herman Herzog Levy Gallery, until April 2008.

The interior walls of the ROM’s Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court becomes the canvas for Canadian multimedia artist Charles Pachter’s imaginative and whimsical artwork. This digital exhibition features many of Pachter’s most famous paintings of Canadian icons and symbols, including the Queen, the Canadian flag and several moose, projected onto the walls of the Museum. Until January 6, 2008, Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court.

Canada Collects celebrates both the art of collecting in Canada as well as the inaugural year of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. Approximately 70 vital objects on loan from nearly 50 different Canadian institutional and private collections are featured in this eclectic exhibition, from contemporary paintings to original historical manuscripts, illustrating the depth and strength of collections across Canada. This original ROM display is in Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall, Level B2, until January 6, 2008.

Sponsored by: Nienkämper

Early Typewriters presents 21 antique typewriters from the 1880s and 1890s, and explores the remarkable designs and ingenuity of the world’s first typing machines. The typewriters showcased in this intimate exhibition are drawn from the renowned collection of Torontonian Martin Howard, the largest of its kind in Canada. On display in the Hilary and Galen Weston Wing, Level 2 until January 2008.

Ukrainian Heritage, Thursday Feb 7

The Truth about Transportation: Past, Present and Future, Thursday, Mar. 27