How did you come to volunteer at the AGO?  I believe in Volunteering. In 1978 I immigrated to Calgary from Tanzania, East Africa and gained employment in hospitality administration. In my spare time I enjoyed volunteering. I was officially recognized by the City of Calgary for my years of dedicated volunteering in several different areas […]

How did you come to volunteer at the AGO? The AGO Youth Council was throwing an awesome party in Walker Court. At the time, I was feeling creatively stunted but at that party there was so much positivity and genuine excitement around creating fun art. It was exactly the energy I needed. And so, on […]

Special thanks to Shelagh Barrington, past Volunteer President and Gallery Guide for reaching out to our award winners, to conduct these interviews! How did you come to volunteer at the AGO?  Volunteering, art and HR have always been a few of my passions in life. I used to draw and paint when I was in […]

Each year, the Gallery is invited to nominate volunteers for the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards. These awards recognize volunteers for providing committed and dedicated service, and are awarded by the length of time someone has volunteered with one organization, ranging from five to 65 (!) years of continuous service. While we love the opportunity to […]

Hello everyone! Let’s imagine: if we were back in the Gallery this week, I’d be joining you for a coffee (or tea) from the cafe, and some homebaked treats in the volunteer lounge. We’d be awaiting a behind-the-scenes tours in conversation, or looking forward to a talk with our installation crew on the 5th floor. […]

Hi everybody! Oh the tyranny of spring – last week people were celebrating the beginning of spring with the emergence of light jackets and short sleeves (gasp) but this week it snowed! If anything, at least we are all used to this push and pull seasonal rhythm! I (Nicole) wanted to share the above picture that was taken recently […]

As we gear up to celebrate an important, but very different National Volunteer Week, the good folks at Volunteer Toronto have prepared some special resources for volunteers. You are invited to join a complimentary webinar: Thursday April 23 12:00pm – 1:00pm At no other time has your kindness, generosity, and community spirit meant more. In […]

by Shelagh Barrington, NDSC Director for Canada    AGO Gallery Guides and interested volunteers might want to check out the National Docent Symposium Council’s Facebook Forum.  It has been extremely popular in these turbulent times, with docents/guides from all over the US and Canada, providing support communications and diversion. The NDS Council continues to plan and […]

What we are loving in the collection Today we hear from Trish Popkin, as she discusses one of her favourite works, William Kurelek’s Home on the Range from the Thomson Collection:  When sitting down to write this, I thought about some of my favourites. The Hearn Plant, Toronto Harbour, by Kim Odaatje, any Rita Letendre, and so many others. But […]

Hello Volunteers – you’ll note that I’ve truncated Stephan’s messages this week, as much of the content has been directed towards efforts and plans to keep staff employed during this challenging time. (I’m sure you’ve read that museums across the county and internationally have had to furlough and lay off their employees). I’m happy to […]