A place for AGO volunteers to share, learn, and connect
Happy Long Weekend, volunteers! Please be advised of our hours this weekend:
Hello everyone,
I am just in from my bi-weekly “hard hat” tour of the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery construction site. In the last two weeks, two more floors of steel have been erected. The outline of the building is really taking shape. There are many people who are working on this expansion project, and I am struck by the care and level of specialized knowledge. Each piece of steel is custom made with a “code” etched into it which identifies to the team where and in which order it needs to be installed.
All of us have specialized knowledge in the areas in which we work here at the AGO, and that is exactly what makes us – as a team – so effective in bringing things alive for our visitors.
Stephan
Hello Everyone,
This week I have had the Prince song – Sometimes it Snows in April – on repeat in my head. I know real Spring will be here soon. I am very ready for warmer weather.
I look for moments of joy to balance out the weather – we had a great profile on Citytv’s Breakfast Television, the Kusama Infinity Mirrored Room is up and running, there was a great lecture on Colville on Wednesday and the glow from the very busy closing weekend of The Culture is still in the air. Take a moment to think of things that brought you joy this week and share them with your colleagues.
The 125th Anniversary celebration of the AGO will soon be upon us – there is lots of anticipation. The kick-off – a party on May 15 – sold out in 4 days!
Stephan
Hello everyone,
This week marked the end of one fiscal year and the start of another.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge that we ended 2024/2025 with a balanced budget. Thank you, everyone. This was a tough year financially and it required a huge amount of collective effort to consider revenue opportunities and expense savings, and advocate for additional support from the province. These things helped us achieve success. We did this while navigating some significant challenges and, at the same time, sharing very high-quality exhibitions and programs with our audiences.
Some of you have been asking about tariffs. We are assessing the impact on the organization and, at this point in time, we believe that the impacts will be manageable. I will keep everyone posted on our situation as things continue to evolve.
Welcome spring. Yesterday Alicia and Ryan took me on a hardhat tour of the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery. A couple of photos below.
Take care,
Stephan
Hello Volunteers! This National Volunteer Week, we are so excited to once again be hosting the Volunteer Annual Party, in honour of your commitment and contributions to the Gallery:
Wednesday April 30
5:30pm -7:30pm
AGO Bistro
Please join me, Volunteer President Barbara Glaser, your fellow volunteers, staff supports and special guests as we come together to recognize and celebrate your volunteer service.
Please click on the link below to view the full invitation, and RSVP your attendance by April 14 (we want to be sure we have enough food and drink for everyone!)
On behalf of everyone that works with volunteers across the Gallery, we are looking forward to celebrating YOU!
PLEASE RSVP HERE: https://forms.gle/mFkQ7VLyzVSNiGsD9
With thanks for joining us for a celebratory evening of food, drinks and merriment
After 50 years of practice, Tim Whiten reflects on his body of work with a succinct understanding: “They are living organic materials that are informing us about what we are and how we do things.” Since the 1970s, the acclaimed multi-disciplinary image-maker has been exploring naturally occurring materials, turning bone, leather, glass and coffee into monuments that fuse the physical and spiritual realms.
Opening at the AGO on Saturday March 29, Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light marks Whiten’s 2022 Gershon Iskowitz Prize for his outstanding contribution to Canadian art. With over 30 key works on display, the exhibition ranges from works on paper and cotton, other three-dimensional objects, and mixed media installations.
A Little Bit of Light is curated by Julian Cox, the AGO’s Deputy Director and Chief Curator. “Attuned to the transcendent potential of objects, and drawing upon various spiritual traditions, mythologies, and rituals, Whiten invites viewers to sense, rather than overtly read, his artworks,” says Cox. “Whiten’s practice prompts audiences to explore the depths of spirituality, the nature of consciousness and the importance of ancestral knowledge.”
During the installation of the exhibition, AGO Foyer writers met with Whiten for a conversation. Read more, HERE.
Hello Everyone,
Since Wednesday, Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light has been on preview to AGO Members. It will open to everyone on Saturday, with at talk at 2pm with Tim and the exhibition’s Curator, Julian Cox. It is an exquisite exhibit featuring lots of glass (thank you Security!). Tim was the winner of the Gershon Iskowitz Prize awarded in 2022. Do take a few quiet moments to walk through and view the art. Thank you to everyone involved with Tim’s show.
Values: Let’s remember that while we all have our own personal values, the AGO Values guide how we show up for one another and commit to working together:
Respect: We foster belonging and appreciate each other.
Openness: We interact with an open mind and thoughtful engagement.
Collaboration: We believe in the power of together.
Accountability: We own our actions and outcomes.
We will continue to discuss and communicate our Values so that everyone has a shared understanding of their meaning and purpose. It’s very important work and I appreciate everyone’s involvement and attention to our Values.
With March Break, the final weeks of The Culture, and the arrival of Spring, I want to acknowledge our Facilities crew for the amazing work they do maintaining our building and keeping it clean and safe for our public – and all of us – especially during busy periods when we have lots of visitors onsite. They do an amazing job, and their work is invaluable to maintaining a positive visitor experience. Thank you, everyone in Facilities, and across all areas of building maintenance. We appreciate you!
Take care,
Stephan
Hello Everyone,
We are coming off of another successful March Break, and I know that many of you have been receiving well-deserved positive feedback. The interactive textile installation was a hit (see attached), and I want to thank Artist-in-Residence Laura Carwardine for being here throughout March Break to engage our public. Thank you again to all of you who ensure that busy periods like this one run smoothly.
For anyone who grew up watching MuchMusic, we are hosting a talk, Remembering RapCity: The Legacy of Canadian Hip Hop Television, in celebration of its 35th anniversary this Saturday at 1pm in Baillie Court. We also have a new exhibition, Tim Whiten: A Little Bit of Light, opening to Members next Wednesday. I dropped by installation several times and Julian and the entire team have created a most beautiful exhibition of Tim’s artwork.
Take care,
Stephan
Hello Volunteers!
Please Save the Date for this year’s Volunteer Annual Party:
Join your Volunteer President, Barbara Glaser, myself, your volunteer friends and colleagues, staff coordinators and special guests from the Management and Leadership Teams, as we come together for an evening of food & drink, recognition and merriment, in thanks for all you do for the Gallery. We’ll share more details, and a formal RSVP, soon.
“Barren Ground Caribou is a continuation of the ecological theme in my work… [It] expresses aspects of the public’s growing awareness of their environment and its preservation. A subway station is an obvious place to make an offering to nature.” – Joyce Wieland, 1975
Picture this, if you can: Toronto in the mid-1970s. Like Montreal and New York City, it’s a burgeoning metropolis that necessitates rapid expansion. To meet the moment, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) plans for nine new subway stops reaching north from the city’s core, each station to include public art commissions by Canadian artists.
Toronto born and raised, Joyce Wieland (1930 – 1998), was one of these selected artists. For her commission, the renowned artist chose to locate her artwork at Spadina subway station’s unassuming Kendal Avenue entryway (a late 19th-century house repurposed by the City). Measuring a massive nine meters long and two and a half meters tall, Barren Ground Caribou (image at top) is the largest quilt Wieland ever made, extending the width of the two subway tracks beneath it.
In her 1975 proposal to the TTC she wrote, “While running towards the lower level to catch a train in a subway, one is confronted with a depiction of a group of Barren Ground Caribou in quilted form. Like prehistoric beasts, they are placed in the modern technological cave of the subway. (Altamira) Let us remember these marvelous beasts before they are no more.”
READ MORE in this week’s Foyer, linked HERE