ROM opens Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume

06 Mar '08

3 min read

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is proud to announce the opening of the Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume, named in honour of Mrs. Patricia Harris, in appreciation of the ongoing generous support of Renaissance ROM and the Royal Ontario Museum from Mr. and Mrs. William and Patricia Harris.

The Gallery, located on Level 4 of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is scheduled to open April 5, 2008. With the opening of the Shreyas and Mina Ajmera Gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific on the same date, this marks the completion of the permanent collection galleries of the Lee-Chin Crystal.

The Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles & Costume presents highlights from the ROM's renowned collection of over 50,000 textile and costume artifacts, in a display of approximately 200 pieces dating from the 1st millennium BC to the 21st century AD.

Outstanding examples include Chinese imperial costume, late Antique and early Islamic textiles from Egypt, western fashion from the Baroque period to the present day and early Canadian coverlets. These illustrate the extensive transformations in textile design and technology throughout the past three millennia. Due to conservation considerations, the artifacts are to be changed on a regular basis.

William Thorsell, the ROM's Director and CEO, states, “Bill and Pat Harris have been among the ROM's most generous and dedicated supporters over many years. Given their commitment and knowing full well Pat's passion and commitment for all things textile-oriented, we are proud to name the Gallery in their honour.”

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