TAC and Royal Ontario Museum Partner to Expand Historic Sites Program

TORONTO, June 5, 2014 – The Toronto Arts Council (TAC) and the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) today announced a new partnership which will create opportunities for artists to use the ROM’s collections in their work as well as present their work in one of North America’s leading museums.

The partnership expands TAC’s Animating Historic Sites program, which is currently in its pilot year. The program, to be renamed Animating Historic Sites and Museums, was created in 2013 in collaboration with the City of Toronto’s Museum and Heritage Services. The pilot year will see programming and exploration in five of Toronto’s historic sites – Gibson House, Montgomery’s Inn, Scarborough Museum, Todmorden Mills, and Zion Schoolhouse – taking place throughout the year.

“The ROM is a wonderful and significant addition to this program, which has had a huge response from artists and the community in its pilot year,” says Claire Hopkinson, Director and CEO of Toronto Arts Council. “TAC is excited to work with the ROM as they continue to create new points of access for artists and audiences through their programming.”

“We are delighted to partner with TAC to offer more ways for artists to showcase their work. Through Programming and Exploration Grants artists will now be able to engage with the ROM’s world-class collections, archives, and experts to research new projects and share fresh perspectives on our objects and artefacts,” says Xerxes Mazda, Deputy Director of Engagement at the ROM.

The Animating Historic Sites and Museums program is part of TAC’s larger strategy to create partnerships with Toronto’s civic institutions as a means of opening new opportunities both for artists and audiences. Access to arts space has emerged as a key priority for artists and communities in Toronto, as revealed in a number of community consultations, the City’s 2011 Creative Capital Gains Report, and the Toronto Arts Foundation’s 2013 research paper Transforming Communities through the Arts. TAC is responding to this need by creating partnerships that will allow us to maximize our arts investment and open new avenues for the creation and sharing of art.

The deadline for the Animating Historic Sites and Museums program is July 22, 2014.

For the Historic Sites program guidelines and application form click here. ADD LINK WHEN AVAILABLE

Contacts:
Kerry Swanson, Toronto Arts Council, Outreach Officer: kerry@torontoartscouncil.org
Peter Kingstone, Toronto Arts Council, Program Grants Officer: peter@torontoartscouncil.org 
Marnie Peters, marniep@rom.on.ca, 416 586.5858