We asked this year’s award winners a bit about themselves.  This week Cara-Lynn Nisenbaum interviews winner Pat Munson, both of Prints & Drawings

I personally have had the pleasure of working with Pat in the Print and Drawing Center and can say first hand he definitely deserved to be a recipient of the OSA award this year!

In the summer of 2010, when Pat immigrated from the US to be with his wife, hIs VISA didn’t allow him to work or study in Canada. Lucky for the AGO, his wife realized he needed something meaningful to keep him busy! Pat found P&D and has been involved in the centre since 2011.

In P&D, Pat’s role changes each week to fill the need of the scheduled activities in the centre. Honoured to be chosen, Pat took on the role of P&D Volunteer Chair for a two year term and has been an active member of the Volunteer Executive and other AGO committees.

We asked Pat to share his AGO favourites. About Ruben’s Massacre of the Innocents, his favourite work, he says “It’s a glorious work both technically and visually. It tells a gripping story. I’m still waiting for it to be offered through Art Rental & Sales”. (Me too!) About the David Blackwood exhibit,  Pat comments on the small gallery that showed the progression of his work on Fire Down on the Labrador, “It’s fascinating to see how that beautiful work came to life.”

“Working in the P&D vault and discovering artists I haven’t seen before is a thrill”, says Pat. Also he says, “Its great to greet visitors and introduce them to the wonderful resource at the AGO.

With a career starting in the US military, and now involved in seasonal tax preparation, Pat says he came to the arts later in life and enjoys learning more each time he visits the AGO. He and his wife enjoy travelling, exploring Toronto and being with their dog, named, of course – Picasso!