The Wonder of the Wild: ROM presents the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

Curiosity and the Cat / © Hannes Lochner (South Africa)

I’ve been visiting the Royal Ontario Museum regularly, mainly through the Friday Night Live parties, and was fortunate to have a chance to wander through a couple of the special exhibitions the ROM is presenting right now.

Snow Moment / © Jasper Doest (The Netherlands)

Making its North American debut is the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition from the Natural History Museum in London, now in its 49th year. It is simply amazing: a collection of some of the best wildlife photography on the planet, with 100 winning and commended photos culled from 43,000 entries. There wasn’t a disappointing photo in the whole gallery, with the intimacy and utter wonder of the natural world captured so beautifully. So many of those photos required patience, skill, and sometimes just being lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time. In an age of camera phones and Instagram, it’s a treat to see exceptional, world class photography on this scale.

Curiosity and the Cat / © Hannes Lochner (South Africa)

Plus, I’ve now added “toadspawn” and “dugongs” to my vocabulary.

A few of the photos are also utterly heartbreaking, notably in the “World in Our Hands” category, for photos which capture the sometimes destructive relationships humans have with nature. A photo essay on the ivory trade, shots of the oil sands in Alberta, and a painful photo of a shark caught on a hook painfully frame the impact on the natural world.

Water Bear / © Paul Souders (USA)

The Museum hosts the exhibition from November 23, 2013 to March 23, 2014 in the ROM’s Level 3, Centre Block. Tickets are an extra $5 in addition to regular admission to the ROM, and are available for purchase at the door or online here.

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"See You by the Dinosaur Butt": FNLROMing at the Museum

Photo by ElectriCITY Events

Toronto loves to party in unconventional places: galleries, libraries, brickworks. One of the favourite parties still going strong is the Friday Night Live at the Royal Ontario Museum. Something about running about a museum after close gives you joy, like you're getting away with something. With my friends, it's a case of giggling as we're making "Civilization" game jokes, eating the best turkey sandwich of my life, and running into so many more friends until you've collected a full out posse.

I spent last Friday shepherding some first-time FNLers, so here are a few tips:

Tickets: Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students. A limited number of tickets are released in advance online, usually selling out by the Monday or Tuesday before, with the remainder held for sales at the door. If you're buying at the door, get there early - line-ups form at least 30 minutes ahead of the event. And remember to bring your ID, as it's a licensed event.

Dress: you'll see a mix of all styles and comfort levels with outfits. My suggestion is go for fun cocktail wear. The coat and bag check at the ROM moves quite quickly, so don't be afraid to layer up for the winter cold out there.

Wander: FNLROM keeps the galleries open until 9:30, with galleries where bars are located open until 11pm. So if you're goal is to see as much of the museum as possible, prioritize your visit. The Dinosaurs and Teck Gem Gallery are open late and make popular social spots (FNLROM makes a great date night)

Eat and Drink: Food and drinks are typically $6 (or 1 ROM Buck) and offer a great selection of pop-up cuisine, with favourites like Little Tomato and Hot Bunzz supplying great walk around street food. There's a variety of dishes for most dietary needs, food stands in the main floor Currelly Gallery and Bronfman Hall on the second floor. Bars are plentiful, pouring VQA wines and beer (Amsterdam Brewery was the brewery on-hand the night I was there).

Learn: each night delivers the opportunity to spend time among the artifacts, without the crush of weekend and school crowds. For an extra $8 each, we got to take in the new Mesopotamia exhibit, an astounding collection of artifacts from Sumer, Assyria, and Babylon. It's awe inducing, seeing these 3,000 year old pieces in such well preserved condition. It's also terribly sad to see the end of the exhibit, where attention is given to he irreparable damage done in the wake of the Iraq War.

Pick Your Party: looking to dance your butt off? Hit the main floor dance floor in Currelly Gallery with DJs pumping up the party. Want to linger with your date over drinks? Hit the Teck Gallery on the second floor where you'll find live jazz amongst the shining gems. Or maybe the RBC Glass Room where you can grab a table and listen to live music in a beautifully unique performance space.

The Fall season of FNLROM is winding down, so make your plans to spend a night in the museum soon. Here's the line-up for the remaining nights:

Friday November 22: Get Wild - Tickets ON SALE at the Door 

Sights:

Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Special Preview!)
Centre Block, Level 3, 7-9:30 PM
Special preview for FNLs! Experience the beauty and power of our natural world as the ROM presents the North American premiere of Wildlife Photographer of the Year from the Natural History Museum in London. 

National Geographic: Celebration of 125 Years Limited edition book
WPY Exhibit Store, 7-9:30 PM
In celebration of its 125th anniversary, National Geographic launches this highly anticipated book.

Explore the ROM: Galleries open 7-9:30 PM
Arrive early! Stay late! See the museum in a whole new light! 

JD Edwards Band www.jedwardsband.com
Currelly Gallery, 8:30-9 PM
See this six-piece Winnipeg based group perform electric folk rock with a groovy soul vibe. A laid back acoustic experience not to be missed. 

Wilderness of Manitoba www.thewildernessofmanitoba.com
GlassRoom Lounge, 9-11 PM
In its four year existence, the Wilderness of Manitoba has released three albums, two EPs and toured the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, Canada and the US. The highlights range from their UK live debut at the End of the Road Festival where they received a standing ovation to playing the Philadelphia Folk Festival and meeting Levon Helm; from opening for such acts as Wilco and Aimee Mann to performing the WOMAD Festival in the UK with artists like Robert Plant. This year, they were nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards; one for the Pushing the Boundaries Award and one for Vocal Group of the Year. 

UofT Music Jazz Program
Level 2, Teck Gallery, 9-11 PM
See them perform eclectic and unconventional jazz.

Friday November 29: Light It Up

Sights:  

Jackie Levitt www.jackielevitt.com
Currelly Gallery & Bronfman Hall
Jackie Levitt is a strategic, holistic, and challenging Artist who uses light and colour to express ideas and expand people's visual environments.   

Spoken word poets/musicians
Roaming   

Explore the ROM
Galleries open 7-9:30 PM
Arrive early to see the museum, stay late and join in the party!   

Sounds:
Tia Brazda www.tiabrazda.com
Glass Room Lounge
The Globe and Mail declares her music “a technicolour swing that’s just the thing” and Metro New’s says, "Tia Brazda’s music pays homage to the golden era while still remaining daringly modern".   

UofT Music Jazz Program
Level 2, Teck Gallery, 8-11:30 PM
Performing eclectic and unconventional jazz. 

Friday December 6: Season Finale

Sights:  

Classical Theatre Project www.classicaltheatreproject.ca
Bronfman Hall & roaming
See the Classical Theatre Project bring Shakespeare to life. "ShakesBeer" takes performance off the stage and into the crowd.   

Ian Keteku www.ianketeku.com
Glass Room Lounge
Spoken word poet/artist/journalist.   

Explore the ROM: Galleries open 7-9:30 PM
Arrive early! Stay late! See the museum in a whole new light!  

Sounds:
The Beauties www.thebeauties.ca
Currelly Gallery
The Beauties have been nominated for Best Band in Toronto by NOW Magazine. The band represents the darker and louder places where songs reside.   

UofT Jazz The Profs
Glass Room Lounge
Dave Young,Terry Promane, Mike Murley, David Braid are just a few of Canada’s illustrious jazz musicians who are professors at UofT Jazz Music Program.

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