Torontonians like to think our city is home to world-class galleries and museums. We have dinosaur fossils, works by Pablo Picasso and chestnut-crushing clogs. But when the Art Newspaper recently released its annual report on international museum attendance, not one local museum drew more than a million visitors, paling in comparison to the real heavyweights around the world, such as the Louvre (8.8 million). The ROM, the highest ranking museum from Toronto, drew approximately 980,000. We checked in with the brains behind Toronto’s top three draws to see what all the hubbub is about.
The ROM: More than bat caves and dinosaurs?
The ROM first opened its doors in 1912 and has since grown to be one of North America’s largest museums. With the 2007 crystal addition, it gained an extra 80,000 square feet, increasing capacity to 1.6 million visitors per year. The museum hosts nearly six million items and is known for its collections and exhibitions of world culture and natural history. The museum drew 987,534 visitors in 2011. Its funding breakdown is 50 per cent government grants, 40 per cent earned revenue and 13 per cent grants and philanthropy.
Why are numbers down?
Visitors are mainly local, whereas many of the international museums, those with higher numbers, draw their visitors from tourism. The uncertain economy likely contributed to decreased attendance.
So how does it plan to rebound in 2012?
Reduced admission prices. In October 2011, the ROM lowered its prices by up to one-third. In March 2012, nearly 30 per cent of ROM visitors said the lower pricing was an important factor in deciding to visit. A new Friday-night program for adults, Friday Night Live @ROM, runs for 10 weeks until June 22. Each edition offers a unique lineup catering to adults. Spring Family Fun Days on weekends feature themed programming such as interactive exhibits like Walking on the Moon. The family-friendly exhibition “Ultimate Dinos: Giants from Gondwana,” a feature exhibit, opens June 23.
Why should you go?
• The ROM’s internationally renowned collections
• The quality of exhibitions
• The opportunity to interact with experts by visiting exhibitions, attending lectures or participating in an array of diverse programs
Target for 2012: One million visitors.
The AGO: Will Pablo light a fire under art lovers?
Founded in 1900 and expanded in 2008, the AGO boasts nearly 600,000 square feet and more than 80,000 items. The collection focuses on European and Canadian art with works by heavy hitters such as the Group of Seven, Vincent van Gogh and Edgar Degas. Complementing contemporary art, the museum also holds historical works dating back to AD 100. Fun fact: the AGO is home to the world’s largest public collection of works by world-famous sculptor Henry Moore. The AGO drew 601,693 visitors in 2011. It gets its funding through a combination of government support and grants, admissions and program revenue, donations and corporate support and revenue from business streams.
How are the numbers?
The AGO’s visitor numbers are around 20 per cent higher than its average before the Transformation AGO project.
How are they going to put bums in the seats, so to speak?
Special exhibitions. The AGO is the only Canadian venue on the international tour of “Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris,” which opened May 1. A new exhibition opens this fall, “Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting.” During the Picasso exhibition, the unique Frank Restaurant will offer Spanish-inspired dishes, such as Tuesday Paella Night.
Why should you go?
• A permanent collection of 80,000 works
• The Weston Family Learning Centre is the city’s newest spot dedicated to hands-on and online exploration of the creative process
• The museum store, shopAGO, offers a unique shopping experience
Target for 2012: The AGO is mum on numbers, but says it hopes “to connect as many people as possible to great art.”
Gardiner Museum: I thought this was a Pottery Barn!
The Gardiner Museum may be young in comparison to the ROM and AGO, but the 28-year-old institution is certainly one of a kind. It’s the only Canadian museum to focus exclusively on ceramics. The intimate collection boasts nearly 30,000 pieces of ceramics from the ancient Americas through to contemporary exhibitions. With 14,000 square feet added to the museum in the mid-2000s, the museum now includes new galleries, studios and more.
The museum gets its revenue as follows: 30 per cent endowment, 30 per cent fundraising, 25 to 30 per cent earned revenues and 10 to 15 per cent government funding.
Works from the Gardiner Museum collection
Were the numbers low?
2011 was a great year for the Gardiner, with numbers up by 10 per cent.
What’s the 2012 game plan?
The exhibition “Rule Britannia” will mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee at the end of May, showcasing historic photographs of Queen Elizabeth in Toronto and celebrating British pottery. From September through November, Toronto-based painter Joanne Tod will hold an artist’s intervention at the museum, interspersing her work throughout the permanent collection. The museum will partner with other cultural organizations to bring new audiences to the Gardiner, such as the lunch and learn series with the Literary Review of Canada.
Why should you go?
• Gardiner Shop voted best museum shop by Vogue USA and features unique artist-made and artist-designed merchandise
• Jamie Kennedy Culinary Series: specific spring and summer evenings featuring locally sourced meals by Canada’s famed chef
• Professional artists teaching hands-on clay programs
Target for 2012: 70,000 visitors or more.
