How do Toronto's flagship cultural institutions (AGO, COC, TSO etc.) stack up to other major cities?

[King of Kensington]

While a rather subjective question, how "good" is our art museum, symphony orchestra, opera company etc. in the opinion of "those in the know" and general perception?

 

[Johnny Au]

While a rather subjective question, how "good" is our art museum, symphony orchestra, opera company etc. in the opinion of "those in the know" and general perception?

The Royal Ontario Museum could lower its price to free (such as the British Museum or the Smithsonian Institution) or "pay-as-much-as-you-can" such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Admission for the Royal Ontario Museum can be on the pricy side, especially for locals, though it does have discounted evenings.

However, the ROM's acquisitions can be rather expensive, as it just purchased a blue whale specimen (even the American Museum of Natural History resorted to using a replica blue whale for display).

There is absolutely no point comparing the Roy Thomson Hall with the Sydney Opera House, especially given that the latter is synonymous with Sydney (and even the whole of Australia to an extent).

 

[wild goose chase]

The Royal Ontario Museum could lower its price to free (such as the British Museum or the Smithsonian Institution) or "pay-as-much-as-you-can" such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Admission for the Royal Ontario Museum can be on the pricy side, especially for locals, though it does have discounted evenings.

It does seem that some of Toronto's institutions/museums are somewhat pricier relative to cities of comparable or even larger size, like New York. I wonder if there is just much more government funding for those museums that you mention with free or donation-based admission than there is for Toronto, or if those other cities' attractions are a greater tourist draw?

 

[ShonTron]

It does seem that some of Toronto's institutions/museums are somewhat pricier relative to cities of comparable or even larger size, like New York. I wonder if there is just much more government funding for those museums that you mention with free or donation-based admission than there is for Toronto, or if those other cities' attractions are a greater tourist draw?

And many more years of corporate and personal largesse to the large institutions that made low-cost or no-cost admission part of those museums' charters. The AGO does not have a great collection of European masterpieces like galleries in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, even Pittsburgh because there wasn't nearly as much money here. And many of our wealthy were notoriously cheap as well. Toronto never had an Andrew Carnegie, for example, it had (generalizing here) stingy Scots and Protestant Irish. But we ended up with a great collection of Canadian art, and the modern/contemporary art is impressive. The AGO makes up for this by landing many blockbuster special exhibitions.

The same goes for many other cultural institutions. Toronto has done great catching up in since the 1960s (for example, the TSO is one of the best in the Americas), but being a provincial backwater for so many years, with a notoriously cheap wealthy elite (that too has changed), it took a lot more work to get what we have now.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

My understanding is that TSO isn't all that great relative to even MSO, much less the giants down the states. As to the ROM - it has strength and weaknesses (strong in East Asia, Fossils, Minerals, weak in Near East/Greco-Roman/Egyptian antiquities). Ditto AGO. Won't mention strength in Canadian art - if they can't be strong at that, it's pack up and go home time.

COC seem to have lost some lustre/exposure post-Bradshaw (one can only think what'd happen if he is still around).

Our elites (beyond historically cheap, as mentioned) seem to have unconventional tastes as well - for good or ill.

As to ROM and the blue whale - I think they basically got it when two beached in Nfld - they took possession of one and "skeletonized" it for eventual display.

https://www.rom.on.ca/articles/blue-whale-recovery.pdf

https://www.rom.on.ca/en/blog/blue-whale-update-from-trenton-with-love

AoD

 

[Northern Light]

I'm not sure what we would be comparing?

There are many different things one could compare, their home/chief building; their attendance level, their critical acclaim, their public acclaim, public recognition, hours (for galleries/museums), season size for opera/ballet/symphony etc. as well as prices.

Ranks in one or more of these areas will almost certainly not correlate w/all the others.

If were looking at the 'critical' or qualitative issue, it is, of course, subjective. What value do you place on European Masters vs Asian Antiquities?

That said, my sense is that COC would place favourably in North American opera circles, with really only The Met and maybe SanFran in the same breath.

Needless to say a bit lower on global basis, but well respected for its size/age.

The National Ballet is well regarded, but not 'top six' globally.

The TSO is among the top orchestras in North America, but not yet at the highest rung.

***

Profile and attendance are always part of the brand/image of an institution.

As such the host City is often a critical part of the package, as Toronto grows in both population and wealth, one would imagine our
institutions will grow too.

That doesn't necessarily mean they will be 'better' in an absolute sense, though they may be seen that way.

***

For our museums and galleries, I'd like to see investments in growth, that may require more gov't $ or more private $.

I don't mean another wing or such, at this time. Rather, I mean promoting greater public engagement, which in turn can lead to other great things down the line.

Price is one area of investment.

While its not a serious obstacle in my case, it can be for many; and it still impacts my attendance in that I'm not prone to spontaneously dropping $50 (myself and partner) on much of anything.

As such visits are more 'planned' than they might otherwise be.

A related area is hours.

This is a broad phenomenon throughout much of the world, where galleries and museums tend to operate during 'working hours', other than weekend daytime, or perhaps one early evening a week.

While I don't think ROM need be 24-hours or the like.

I do think if you want to engage shift workers, people whose kids are in school during the day, or have a long drive/trip to get to your institution, hours need to be longer.

I personally like the idea of 9am-9pm, 7 days a week.

Easy to remember, nothing to look up, just drop in when you feel like it.

***

For institutions like COC, NBC and TSO I think there has been a greater recognition of the need for free events or to expose more people to the product.

Of those, COC rates mostly highly w/easily accessible, near weekly free programs of one kind or another.

I think other institutions would do well to recognize this.

Also, as with Stratford and The Met, there is need to get more performances recorded for wide distribution though Cinemas, and/or the net.

Building an audience and a reputation well beyond your own catchment area will be critical in the future.

 

[Northern Light]

I'll add that to attract new resources, be those annual subsidies or one-time endowments there is a need for boldness.

Not in terms of one production or acquisition but in terms of relevance well beyond the time of the funding announcement.

What impact will this have 10, even 20 years down the road.

 

[christiesplits]

And many more years of corporate and personal largesse to the large institutions that made low-cost or no-cost admission part of those museums' charters. The AGO does not have a great collection of European masterpieces like galleries in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, even Pittsburgh because there wasn't nearly as much money here.

This is something I was quick to realize in touring galleries across North America. AGO's European collection - Renaissance onward - is paltry.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Won't add much to what's been said here, as it's generally spot-on from my experience (NYC, Chicago, Cologne, Amsterdam, DC, etc.) but a little-known fact is that the collective accumulation of works in the Seven Sister law firms on Bay Street, on its own, could create a gallery that would most likely surpass the AGO. Blakes, for example, has a Colville in the men's room on 40, and McCarthy's has at least one Mondrian. BLG has several original Stieglitz prints I believe, and possibly some Bressons. There are internal catalogues floating around I've never been able to find. And that's only the publicly displaced pieces (it's the Partnership that owns, curates, and rotates the collection). And from what I hear of the banks' collections...

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Won't add much to what's been said here, as it's generally spot-on from my experience (NYC, Chicago, Cologne, Amsterdam, DC, etc.) but a little-known fact is that the collective accumulation of works in the Seven Sister law firms on Bay Street, on its own, could create a gallery that would most likely surpass the AGO. Blakes, for example, has a Colville in the men's room on 40, and McCarthy's has at least one Mondrian. BLG has several original Stieglitz prints I believe, and possibly some Bressons. There are internal catalogues floating around I've never been able to find. And that's only the publicly displaced pieces (it's the Partnership that owns, curates, and rotates the collection). And from what I hear of the banks' collections...

Work for the next permanent head of the AGO - convincing (err, cultivate) them to part with their collection

AoD

 

[Johnny Au]

The ROM could benefit greatly with extended hours (not just for one day). The Metropolitan Museum of Art has much longer opening hours than the ROM (and even the American Museum of Natural History has longer opening hours than the ROM by one or two hours (and the AMNH is free on the final hour of operation each day)).

Don't expect the ROM to purchase an Egyptian temple and place it within the ROM's walls though (the Met did exactly that, but it has more funding anyways).

 

[King of Kensington]

And many more years of corporate and personal largesse to the large institutions that made low-cost or no-cost admission part of those museums' charters. The AGO does not have a great collection of European masterpieces like galleries in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, even Pittsburgh because there wasn't nearly as much money here. And many of our wealthy were notoriously cheap as well. Toronto never had an Andrew Carnegie, for example, it had (generalizing here) stingy Scots and Protestant Irish.

Pittsburgh's elite was mostly Scottish/Scots Irish Presbyterian and that didn't stop Carnegie, Mellon etc.

 

[King of Kensington]

I wonder if Gary Hanson, who served as chief executive of the renowned Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, can help turn things around at the TSO.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...n-gary-hanson-as-interim-ceo/article31462179/

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Don't expect the ROM to purchase an Egyptian temple and place it within the ROM's walls though (the Met did exactly that, but it has more funding anyways).

The Temple of Dendur wasn't purchased - it was a gift from the Egyptian government to the US for helping to save the monuments that would otherwise be flooded by Lake Aswan.

AoD