Hello Everyone,

This is a monumental week at the AGO. Yesterday, to kick off our 6 months of 125th anniversary celebrations, we hosted a big birthday party and gave a number of TV and radio interviews about who we are and our history. Our birthday party was a major effort as hundreds of people came to enjoy the celebration. The museum was full, and I loved the range of activities, including a great DJ, art making, special works on view from the archives, and even a harpist! I want to thank you for making the event special for everyone in attendance.

The Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery (DRMCG) project continues to progress. Also yesterday, Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects, design architect on the DRMCG project, came to Toronto and we visited a company in Mississauga to look at samples of the exterior cladding. The cladding will be made of terracotta (a fancy way of saying clay) and glazed the color of the sky on an overcast day (this is in contrast to the Gehry Blue Box which is the color of the sky on a clear day). Why are we using terracotta tiles. First, they are very strong – they are fired to about 1200 degrees Celsius and are great protection from the elements. Second, using tiles was suggested by the team at Two Row Architect – who with their Indigenous perspective were interested in bringing the earth/clay into the construction of the expansion. Aesthetically, it will blend with the sky and each tile has a slight curve that reflects light in a dynamic manner. The proportions and the slight curve of the tiles are inspired by the shells on a wampum belt. In my opinion, the result is highly functional and will create a thoughtful and fundamentally quiet building. I have attached a few photos. 

Take care,

Stephan