37It’s Basseches’ job to re-establish the ROM as a leading cultural hub in Toronto. After accepting the top job at the end of 2015, he revived the Welcome Project, a radical makeover for the ROM, with a ground-floor café, repurposed lobby and re-opened east entrance. Basseches has suggested that he’ll de-emphasize traditional exhibitions and instead foster experiences that guests can curate themselves. The renovations will be pricy, but Basseches helped raise more than $600 million during a capital campaign at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, so he knows how to whip up support.
Up next:
He’s creating an outdoor performance space, commissioning public art installations and debuting two exhibits—Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion and Philip Beesley: Intimate Veils.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/culture/toronto-50-most-influential-2016-joshua-basseches/&title=Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #37, Joshua Basseches&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/joshua-basseches.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_405452" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Joshua Basseches [/caption]
Joshua Basseches
Director, ROM
37It’s Basseches’ job to re-establish the ROM as a leading cultural hub in Toronto. After accepting the top job at the end of 2015, he revived the Welcome Project, a radical makeover for the ROM, with a ground-floor café, repurposed lobby and re-opened east entrance. Basseches has suggested that he’ll de-emphasize traditional exhibitions and instead foster experiences that guests can curate themselves. The renovations will be pricy, but Basseches helped raise more than $600 million during a capital campaign at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts, so he knows how to whip up support.
Up next: He’s creating an outdoor performance space, commissioning public art installations and debuting two exhibits—Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion and Philip Beesley: Intimate Veils.
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