Wrap-Up ROM For The Holidays 2006

Wrap-up ROM for the Holidays and give the gift of discovery, while supporting one of Toronto's cultural gems. The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) offers diverse gift-giving ideas for family and friends from Canada's largest museum of world cultures and natural history.

The ROM Museum Store offers a wide variety of unique merchandise, from collectibles to books, and is sure to become a favourite holiday shopping destination for all ages. People looking to share a cultural experience with someone else may also consider purchasing a new ROM Gift Card or ROM Gift Membership.

Inspired by the current major exhibition, Italian Arts & Design: The 20th Century, presented by Sentry Select Capital Corp., the recently launched ROM Museum Store will satisfy visitors with colourful and unique Italian merchandise from designers such as Michele De Lucchi, Alessi and Tizio. This holiday season, give a gift with a touch of contemporary Italian design from the ROM Museum Store's exclusive mix of lighting, home décor, collectibles, jewellery and books. The ROM Museum Store also carries exclusive ROM-branded souvenirs, from mugs to magnets, and clothing featuring the museum's colourful logo.

The new ROM Gift Cards are another way to give that special someone a world of experiences. ROM Gift Cards can be used to create a personal ROM experience. Use your ROM Gift card to dine at the Rotunda Café, shop at the ROM Museum Store, enjoy a visit to the galleries, or become a ROM Member.

Available in $25 or $50 denominations, ROM Gift Cards may be purchased onsite at the ROM Museum Store or at participating Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Ontario. Corporate gift cards are also available at the ROM and offer a unique way to reward and motivate employees.

ROM Gift Memberships are a great choice for art connoisseurs, family and friends. Presented in attractive gift packages, ROM Gift Memberships are the perfect way for people to share their ROM experiences and participate in special events, while supporting the ROM.

For a special gift that will go down in history, a gift of $1000 or more to Renaissance ROM will provide your loved one with permanent recognition inside the new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, now under construction. An elegant interactive Obelisk, prominently located in the Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court, will forever be etched with the names of all donors at this level. All the funds raised by Renaissance ROM will go towards the transformation of the ROM and its research and educational activities.

The ROM is also the perfect destination for families during the festive season. Special ROM for the Holidays programs are offered from Monday December, 27, 2006 until January 7, 2007, free with admission, between 11 am and 4 pm each day. Enhance the ROM holiday experience with a visit to the contemporary Cuban exhibition, Carlos Garaicoa, on display until Sunday, December 31, 2006, on the main floor of the Weston Family Wing, presented by Sentry Select Capital Corp. The exhibition explores themes of architecture, urbanism, politics, history and human culture through architectural models, drawings, renderings, photography and video.

Also visit the special exhibition Italian Arts & Design: The 20th Century, on display until Sunday, January 7, 2007, in the Museum's beautifully renovated third floor Centre Block, presented by Sentry Select Capital Corp. Italian Arts & Design showcases nearly 300 highly representative works of 20th-century Italian art and design, including a full range of objects from furniture and glass to textiles and ceramics, as well as paintings, sculpture, photography, and architectural drawings.

The Royal Ontario Museum is closed December 25 and January 1.

By www.rom.on.ca