Hello Volunteers,

The Ontario Science Centre has kindly invited AGO staff and volunteers to attend their Northern Lights Webinar, taking place on:

• Wednesday, July 16,
• from 1 pm to 2 pm
• via Zoom (registration link, HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SEhGlzEzS1KCzZc-t72CkQ#/registration

In this webinar, colleagues at the Ontario Science Centre will be sharing content about the science behind what causes the Northern Lights, programming ideas and considerations if you want to host a viewing party of your own, and resources such as videos and printable posters available for your own use.

We are currently in a period of peak solar activity and anticipate that the Northern Lights will be very active, bright, and visible far further south later this year. There may not be an opportunity as good as this for viewing for another 11 years!

You need to register to attend. To register for this webinar, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SEhGlzEzS1KCzZc-t72CkQ#/registration

Hello everyone,

Every week when I write this weekly message there are new things going on at the AGO. New this week and valid through to September 2, 2025 is the Canada Strong Pass. This is an initiative from the Federal Government that provides free or discounted access to museums and galleries, Parks Canada visits, and VIA Rail travel. At the AGO, children, teens and youth who live outside of Ontario will be admitted at special rates.

Aged 10 to 17: Free (normally $15)

Aged 18 to 24: $15 (normally $30)

Thank you to everyone who helped us take advantage of this opportunity to provide our public with even more access to great art and programming.

Also new next Wednesday is the Naoko Matsubaraexhibition being installed on Level 1. If you were on-site yesterday, you may have gotten a sneak peek during installation. This is a beautiful exhibition of woodcut prints curated by Renée van der Avoird, associate curator of Canadian Art, and the first solo exhibition of this artist’s work at the AGO.

Take care,

Stephan

The AGO is participating in the Canada Strong Pass, an initiative from the Federal Government that provides free or discounted admission to attractions and parks throughout the country. 

The Canada Strong Pass will be valid at the AGO until Tuesday, September 2. Read below to learn how Gallery admission for children, teens and youth who live outside of Ontario will change during this timeframe. 

Thanks to the Canada Strong Pass, children, teens and youth who live outside of Ontario can take advantage of these special rates until September 2: 

• Aged 10 to 17: Free admission (normally $15). 
• Aged 18 to 24: $15 admission (50% off regular admission) 

What doesn’t change at the AGO is:   

• Ontario residents up to 17 years old will continue to enjoy free admission to the AGO. 
• Ontario residents aged 18 to 24 can access the AGO free Annual Pass 
• Children aged 9 and under continue to visit the AGO for free, regardless of residency. 

Interested in exploring Canada this summer? Visit the Canada Strong Pass webpage for offers from museums and galleries, Via Rail and Parks Canada.  

Questions about the Canada Strong Pass at the AGO? 

Reach out to the VE team at [email protected]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you to all who attended the Town Hall in celebration of the AGO’s 125^th Birthday this past Monday. I hope you enjoyed the presentations and cupcakes as much as I did! I told a personal story about my daughter Monique and I meeting the artist Rita Letendre at the opening of Rita Letendre: Fire and Light in 2017. Monique was about 10 and Rita was about 90 (photo below). It made me think that when Monique is 90, the AGO will be celebrating its 200^th anniversary!

This coming week the museum will enjoy having all of the summer art camp kids and volunteers in the galleries. These kids are our future, and the reality is that museums that thrive invest time and attention into audiences of all ages. All of you contribute to making this happen here, so thank you.

Happy Canada Day,

Stephan

The Gallery’s hours around the upcoming July 1 statutory holiday look a little different this year. Read below for more details on the statutory holiday and which days the Gallery will be open:

Statutory Holiday 

• Monday, June 30, 2025, is a normal workday. The Gallery will be closed to the public as usual.  
• Tuesday, July 1, 2025, is a statutory holiday for full-time and part-time staff. The Gallery will be open to the public from 10:30 am to 4 pm, and some front-line staff (such as the Visitor Experience team) may be scheduled to work to support these operations. Tuesday volunteers, you are welcome to join us on Canada if you’d like!

Gallery Hours  

• Monday, June 30, 2025 – The Gallery will be closed to the public as usual.  
• Tuesday, July 1, 2025 – The Gallery will be open to the public from 10:30 am to 4 pm.  

The Education & Programming (E&P) team is looking forward to running AGO camps again this year.

• Camps will run from Monday, June 30, to Friday, August 29
• The Gallery will be welcoming over 150 campers each week for a fun-filled, creativity-fueled day camp experience.  
• Our full counsellor team started on Monday, June 23, and our summer art camp youth volunteers start next week. Thanks in advance for everyone’s support in welcoming our staff and volunteer team, and our campers for the summer season! 

Tiana Roebuck, Manager, Studio Learning & Programming

The Marketing team is looking for children to participate in a retail photoshoot taking place on Monday, July 14. We will shoot from 9 am to 4 pm but only need volunteers for 1.5 to 2-hour time slots.

The Marketing team is looking for:

• Children aged 6 to 10

I know a child who’s interested! How can they apply?

• Please email your details and photos to Kristine Irwin, Marketing Coordinator, at [email protected]
• Please note: Signing up for the roster does not mean volunteers automatically agree to any photoshoot. The Marketing team will reach out to volunteers with specific details about a photoshoot and they can decide if they want to participate. 
• Please submit your volunteer application by Monday, July 7.
• Selected volunteers must fill out a photo release form, which allows the Marketing team to use their photographs.
  • If you would like to revoke your consent, please give the Marketing team one week’s notice ahead of the launch of the campaign your photos are featured in.

It’s Summerlicious time in the city, and the AGO Bistro is one of the 220 local restaurants participating this year! 

Summerlicious takes place from Friday, July 4, to Sunday, July 20. The Bistro’s Summerlicious menu will only be available on weekdays. 

The Bistro is offering a $34 three-course prix fixe lunch and a $45 three-course prix fixe on weekdays. View the full menu here.  

While the staff and volunteer discount does not apply towards the Summerlicious menu, staff and volunteers are still invited to take advantage of this amazing deal! To make a reservation for Summerlicious, please use this link.  

Questions? 

Reach out to the F&B Management team at [email protected]  

Hello Volunteers! Happy to share this link (with biggest Heart-felt thanks) to our publishing team. This is a digital copy of the Joyce Wieland catalogue, Joyce Wieland: Heart-On (supplied for internal AGO research only, please do not distribute!)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8b48ro9sepp88tpulchco/AGO.Joyce-Wieland.ENGLISH.2025.mar24_WM.pdf?rlkey=eoultfhjl870dhh6e0r53i8l0&st=jfbmxvuz&dl=0

This is the first time we’re sharing via Dropbox; our tests worked well but if you have trouble accessing, please let me know.

Here’s to Joyce!

Holly (-volunteer resources)

Hello everyone,

There are many “big” weeks at the AGO, and this one is no exception. 

Congratulations and thanks to our Finance team. We received confirmation of an unqualified or “clean” audit. An audit is essentially a review of all our finances by an outside accounting firm who then tells us if we are doing everything correctly. The audit is hard work, and the team achieved the most optimal audit outcome. 

Joyce Wieland: Heart On is now open to Members and opens to Annual Pass holders and the public tomorrow. The artworks and the way they were installed on the 5th Floor are both beautiful. It is the right exhibition for the right time. A special shoutout to the team that created this wonderful exhibition – in particular, to Georgiana Uhlyarik who curated the exhibition.

I am looking forward to our Birthday Town Hall this Monday, June 23, 10:00am in Baillie Court (dedicated to AGO 125) followed by coffee, tea (and cupcakes). We also have our final Board Meeting of the 2024/25 year, our Annual Members’ Meeting, and the first Board Meeting of the 2025/26 year next Wednesday.

Take care,

Stephan