Visitors who listen carefully upon entering the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal's newest gallery might hear the distant hum of ancestral spirits emanating from the intricately carved flutes greeting their entrance - or so Papua New Guinean folklore goes.Adorned with the face of tree spirits and made of a combination of bamboo, mud, feathers and shells, the two flutes, used in ritual acts of the Sepik people, are said to summon tribal voices when played. The pair constitute just two of more than 1,400 artifacts on display at the newly unveiled Shreyas and Mina Ajmera Gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, opening at the ROM this Saturday.
The 7,500 square foot, third-level gallery permanently houses (for the first time in 30 years) collections thick with ceremonial masks, colourful robes, ceramics and basketry from more than 175 cultures around the world, said ROM director and CEO William Thorsell.
It's a new edition to the museum, he said, that only goes to reinforce the ROM's commitment to both natural history and world culture.
"People talk a lot about the structure of the Lee-Chin [Cyrstal], but the real wonders of the ROM are in here," he said at a gallery media preview on Wednesday. "The wonder of the building is to bring forth the wonders inside, and we are pleased this gallery allows us to extend the mandate in reality."
Making the gallery a reality was a five-year process that enabled curators to bring old collections out of storage and present new acquisitions and research, said Trudy Nicks, senior curator of anthropology.
"This is something we've lived with, loved, and even sometimes got frustrated with," she said. "This gallery is built on the strength of the collections from the ROM; each section is built on stories."
From a Nelson Mandela doll circa 2003, to a four-foot, late 19th century Ligandaor Shako spearhead and twined reed snowshoes from Japan, the exhibit brings together the stories of Torontonians of all different origins.
"Toronto is a great city and we want to see it become even greater," said gallery namesake Shreyas Ajmera, who has been a member of the ROM Board of Governors since October 2004 and whose $5 million donation to the museum made him a ROM New Century Founder in March 2006.
"We believe the ROM has created an architectural landmark in the Michael Lee-Chin [Crystal] and our family is so pleased to be associated with this spectacular new gallery."