The Walrus magazine to partner with Royal Ontario Museum on centennial book

[This post has been updated] The Walrus Foundation, publishers of The Walrus magazine, is collaborating with the Royal Ontario Museum on a lavish coffee table book marking the ROM's centenary. It will be published in March 2014 as the 100th anniversary year begins. The ROM, which is and agency of the Ontario government, is Canada's largest museum of natural history and world cultures, with six million objects in its collections and galleries. 

"The full-colour, approximately 120-page book will focus on ROM’s encyclopedic, internationally recognized collections and their continuing relevance to contemporary audiences," according to a release. "While it will include a history of the ROM’s collections, the core of the publication is a dialogue about specific artifacts and specimens in the collection by ROM curators and writers from across Canada, selected by The Walrus and the ROM."

The book project will be led by The Walrus editor and co-publisher John Macfarlane and Kelvin Browne, ROM vice-president, communications. In addition to the bound paper version, an e-book is also to be produced.

"The ROM is excited to collaborate with The Walrus on our Centennial book," said Janet Carding, ROM Director and CEO. "The collections are at the heart of the ROM, and together tell a great story of this extraordinary, encyclopedic museum over its first 100 years. It's a great subject for this landmark publication. The Walrus and the ROM share the attributes of being community builders, alive and surprising. Together we’ll demonstrate the continuing power of our collections to engage, and produce a remarkable book, in print and online.”

“The Walrus Foundation is committed to conversations about matters vital to Canadians,” said Walrus Foundation executive director Shelley Ambrose. “The Walrus is a forum for conversations about Canada and its place in the world on many platforms: in print, digitally, through events, and now with this historic project, in a book. This exciting collaboration is a way for us to connect people to the incredible collections at the ROM, their world, and, ultimately, to each other.”

[Update: The ROM is celebrating its 99th birthday with the unveiling of a new logo (see above) and branding system, done by the New York-based marketing/design firm LaPlaca Cohen. You can read about the ideas behind the design and the way it is being applied in a post on the Design Edge Canada website.]