Hello Volunteers: re-sharing this note from Paola Poletto (and an additional goodbye note from outgoing GG coordinator, Melissa Smith), re: the recent restructuring of staff support for the Gallery Guide program.
Though these communications were shared weeks ago to Gallery Guides directly, we continue to hear from guides who missed the message, so I have been asked to share here, on the blog. I loved working with Melissa and I am very much looking forward to working with Paola on this transition- you are all in very good hands! – Holly)
Hello Gallery Guides,
I am so excited to more directly connect with you! Over my 8 years at the AGO, I have often admired the engagement work you do from afar, and also up close. I feel you are truly invested in the AGO, in art and the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to engage with relevancy. This impacts audiences in the moment and over time! I think there is much to learn from your intimate connections with visitors, and more to learn and transform together as we emerge from a sector and world deeply impacted by the events of the past year. I don’t take our relationship lightly, and I have been gathering Melissa’s insights. I also want to thank her for the ceaseless passion and focused coordination during her tenure in her role with you.
Going forward, I look forward to planning how we will return to our beloved galleries in the New Year, or when it is safe to do so. I continue to work from home. My work for the past 18 months has largely focused on the delivery of online public programs and learning opportunities for broad audiences. This has included the creation of the Learn From Home webpage and all its resources (https://ago.ca/learn/learn-and-make); a successful pivot to delivering online studio courses, workshops and tours for families, children, youth, adults and older adults with a fantastic team of artist instructors and art educators; the launch of our first ever online community gallery and call for art entitled, Portraits of Resilience (https://ago.ca/portraits-resilience) and the expansion of the AGO X RBC Emerging Artist Program (https://ago.ca/emerging-artists-program), now in its 10th year (Please join the artists online with me on October 7th when they present their new work). I have been to the gallery 3 times over the past year, as a visitor.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or updates in the meanwhile, or to just say hello and welcome me into the fold!
Paola
Paola Poletto, Director, Engagement & Learning
Hello Everyone,
Many of you might have noticed that my role changed significantly since the start of the pandemic, focusing much more on accessibility and community programming.
This is exciting, as my work in accessibility becomes more visible at the AGO.
You can explore some of the programming on the Access to Art website here:
The Gallery Guides will now report directly to Paola Poletto, Director of Engagement and Learning. Paola is excited to become your main contact person, working together with you, Audrey Hudson, Richard and Elizabeth Currie Chief of Education and Programming, and the People team once we can all be back in the building.
Many of you know Paola already. She and I have worked together over the past 8 years on access programs including Seniors Social, as well as the Gallery Guide Program. I will continue to report to Paola in my new role, as well. We are in great hands!
I can’t begin to thank you all for the incredible experiences we’ve shared together over the past eight years!
We started working together in September of 2013, so it seems fitting that I am saying farewell in the fall 8 years later.
There are so many great memories and accomplishments that we share and I thought I would name some of the things I’m most proud of in our work together:
- Special Projects like the Brian Jungen Multisensory Dots, Anthropocene Ipad Floating, and the Stereoscopic Viewer Engagement
- Experiencing wonderful training sessions with Stephen Andrews, the Ontario Science Centre, Edward Burtynsky, and Museum Hack
- Digitizing content information on our Learning Page and Content Emails to make it more accessible
- The introduction of the Pop Up Art Chats aka the Dot Program. In the past eight years, we managed to engage over 67,000 visitors through this program!
I feel I’ve really grown as a person and in my career, while working and learning with you all.
I will be around, so it’s not goodbye, and I look forward to seeing all the amazing work you will do in the future.
With great gratitude,
Melissa