Hello Everyone,
It’s been a big week!
- I will be in Israel next week, meeting with the directors of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, back on Friday.
- I thought you’d like to hear from others about the work we’re doing at the AGO.
- from Vija Celmins in an email to Kitty on her experience at the AGO. Bravo, team – we all should be most proud!
“I have to tell you how wonderful you were during the installation of my show at AGO and how smooth the whole thing went because of your calm demeanor and great eye… I really appreciated the whole experience which was so well organized. I just want to say you should be proud of your hard working staff.”
- One online response to AGO Access was particularly moving and motivating!:
“I woke up this morning to the news that people ages 25 and under will be able to visit the AGO for FREE!
YES!!
The annual membership of $35 a year is also brilliant as it makes the AGO affordable for all! This really struck a chord with me. Please bear with me while I explain.
Twenty-eight years ago, I was a 24-year-old sole support mother of a five-year-old child in Ottawa. My daughter and I lived on a shoestring budget and many things were beyond our reach like; galleries, museums, etc. This being said, the National Gallery of Canada, was free to all, every Thursday. I adjusted my work schedule accordingly and during the summer months, every Thursday, I would take my daughter to the gallery.
This experience had a huge impact on both of our lives. The free admission allowed visits which opened up whole new worlds to me and exposed my daughter to art at a most impressionable age.
We both immediately embraced the world of art and it has been a part of our lives ever since. My daughter is now 33 and very creative, introducing art to her own children (and her husband) and now at age 51 (almost 52 yippee), I have recently begun to do something I have wanted to do ever since I first gazed upon the paintings at the national gallery – paint with oils.
Without exposure to the National Gallery, I know none of this could have come to pass. Sure, we always had a love of anything creative, but we never would have exposure to the artists and great masters. Being introduced to their work ignited a fire in both if us and changed us forever. This decision for the AGO to offer free admission for people age 25 and under, is going to change lives for the better. I actually had tears in my eyes when I watched the news about it this morning. Art isn’t just for the rich to enjoy, art is for everyone. I am overjoyed.”
- Enjoy the long weekend and thank you to all who are working at the AGO over the holiday!
Stephan