Hello everyone,

Last week I attended the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) Spring Summit in St. Louis, MO. Just over 200 museum directors from Mexico, Canada, and the US are members. In the US there are serious issues as the current administration has cut all three federal agencies that fund museums, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. There are several organizations – including AAMD – that are resisting these cuts and considering legal options. It is most important that the AGO work to support our American colleagues and create stronger relationships globally. 

This week The National Gallery in London celebrates its bicentenary and reopens its redesigned Sainsbury Wing – another project by Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery design architect Annabelle Selldorf. I made a quick trip to London to celebrate Annabelle’s success, but also to meet with other art museum directors. Canadian and European cultural ties are important as the US takes a step back from the global cultural stage. Soon I will travel to Asia to further develop ties on the other side of the Pacific. There is a real opportunity for Canadian cultural leadership globally.  

Hello Volunteers,

The Gallery is busily preparing to celebrate the AGO’s 125th birthday over the coming months, with much programming launching over the summer season. A reminder, we are all invited to attend the staff & volunteer celebration, on Monday June 23, at 10:00am, in Baillie Court (our third floor event space) with details and an RSVP (to help us plan for numbers), to follow. Save the Date!

Volunteers will also be interested in this visual timeline that shares important moments in AGO history through the years, just launched, HERE: (Scroll down the page to the “Discover 125 Years of History” feature, and click on the “Walk Down Memory Lane” banner to view).

1964: The Art Gallery of Toronto thrilled audiences with Canada’s first-ever retrospective of Pablo Picasso’s work. This month-long visual spectacle featured 270 artworks from around the world and was visited by a staggering 107, 214 visitors.

The Marketing team is looking for staff, volunteers and their family members or friends to volunteer for a retail photoshoot highlighting new AGO brand products available at Shop AGO. 

The photoshoot will take place on Monday, May 26, with exact timing to be confirmed. Each volunteer will receive a $40 gift card to Shop AGO for participating.

The Marketing team is specifically looking for:

• Models of all ages and genders, especially kids

Next Steps:

Please email your name, volunteer placement, and an up-to-date photograph (this photo will be used to help the team identify you / put a face to your name on shoot day!) to Amy Wu, 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 any photoshoot, and they can decide if they want to participate. 

To be considered for our next immediate photoshoot, please submit your volunteer application by end-of-day, Friday May 23. If you are interested but can’t make timing due to the late call, please apply and we will consider you for future marketing initiatives. Photo shoots are ongoing.

Selected volunteers will be asked to complete a photo release form, which allows the Marketing team to use their photographs.

Questions? Please reach out to Kristine Irwin [email protected] or Amy Wu [email protected]

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

A Message from Your Volunteer President, Barbara Glaser

Hello Fellow Volunteers,

It’s that wonderful time of the year again, with excitement forwarding here the Google Poll voting link and also PDF proposal (please see your email for PDF attachment) for your consideration on the 2025-26 Volunteer Endowment Trust from the Development Team, Erin Thadani Senior Manager, Philanthropy and Planned Giving, Development: “With gratitude, I am pleased to share this year’s proposal for the annual distribution from the Volunteer Endowment Trust.”

LINK TO VOTE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBg8ULLQuaG9sfyewrt3DOpdqX3_Twg0tXq1lMH0o2KhoayA/viewform?usp=sharing

Please note the poll will close on Tuesday May 20th at 5pm, be sure to cast your vote by then. 

Thank you for your support and contributions on the VET.

Barbara Glaser (she/her)

AGO Volunteer President

[email protected]

Special Art Tour at Queens Park Friday May 23rd, 2pm (please arrive by 1:30pm for security screening)

A Message from Barbara Glaser, your Volunteer President: It’s been a long winter and spring is upon us with a a new group outing. As your Volunteer President, I’ve organzied these outings as a great opportunity to meet with you and your fellow volunteers as a community, to connect and mingle with various volunteers from different days and placements. Come join AGO Volunteer and Queen’s Park Education officer Aisling Joe in her specialized tour. There is no need to RSVP to me for this tour, just show up as per below, however please feel free to be in touch with any questions at [email protected].

Aisling Joe, a volunteer AGO gallery guide, would like to offer AGO volunteers an exclusive tour of the art and architecture of Queens Park. She has worked at Queens Park since 2023 as an education officer and has been an AGO gallery guide since 2016.

Please join her at 2pm on Friday, May 23 for a 90-minute tour of the incredible historical art collection at Queens Park. The provincial government has collected art from Ontario based artists since 1875. Many of the paintings here are by artists that you would also be familiar with from the AGO, including George Agnew Reid, Shelley Niro, Carl Beam and Norval Morrisseau.

Important details on attending the tour and meeting area:

• If you would like to attend, you’ll need to bring government issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license or health card) to enter the building.
• Please don’t bring any sharp objects including pocketknives or scissors. All guests must go through airport style security screening.
• Please enter the building through our visitor entrance located on the south side of building, on the ramp beside the main entrance. There will be staff onsite to help.
• You will meeting Aisling there, where the tour will begin in the basement. We recommend that you arrive at least 20 minutes before the tour begins to make it through the security screening. The tour is free.

Enjoy the outing!

Barbara Glaser Volunteer President

Henry Moore celebrates his mother in this affectionate portrait

On view at the AGO in gallery 124 is a selection of portraits of mothers – some posed, some depicted going about their everyday lives. Three of the women are portrayed by their own children, providing viewers with an intimate perspective of these artists’ mothers. 

This month’s RBC Art Pick is Henry Moore’s (1898 – 1986) sketch of his mother: The Artist’s Mother (1927), seen above. While Moore is widely known for his sculptures, drawing was a central aspect of his practice. He drew prolifically, starting during his time as a schoolboy and continuing throughout his life. Of the thousands of drawings Moore created in his lifetime, portraiture constituted a minor portion. However, when he did draw portraits, they were often of his family, including his sister, Mary Garrould; his wife, Irina Radetsky; his daughter, Mary Moore; and, of course, his mother, Mary Baker Moore.  

In The Artist’s Mother, Moore’s mother is depicted seated and focused on her needlework. At the time of this portrait, Moore and his mother were staying with his sister and her husband in Colchester, England. He rendered this sketch on a page from the local newspaper The Essex County Standard. Moore depicts his mother affectionately, outlining her hairstyle, glasses, furrowed brow and busy hands as she focuses calmly on her task. As you can tell from this work, Moore’s portraits were often not concerned with detailed facial features. Rather, he focused on body proportions and portraying the general disposition of the body to reveal the character of his sitter. 

Read more in this week’s Foyer, linked HERE.

Hello everyone,

Last week I attended the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) Spring Summit in St. Louis, MO. Just over 200 museum directors from Mexico, Canada, and the US are members. In the US there are serious issues as the current administration has cut all three federal agencies that fund museums, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. There are several organizations – including AAMD – that are resisting these cuts and considering legal options. It is most important that the AGO work to support our American colleagues and create stronger relationships globally. 

This week The National Gallery in London celebrates its bicentenary and reopens its redesigned Sainsbury Wing – another project by Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery design architect Annabelle Selldorf. I made a quick trip to London to celebrate Annabelle’s success, but also to meet with other art museum directors. Canadian and European cultural ties are important as the US takes a step back from the global cultural stage. Soon I will travel to Asia to further develop ties on the other side of the Pacific. There is a real opportunity for Canadian cultural leadership globally.  

Take care,

Stephan

Hello Volunteers,

I hope you’ve had time to visit Recuerdo: Latin American Photography at the AGO, on now until October, and installed on the main level (in galleries 128 & 129- replacing the Sonia Boyce exhibition). We wanted to draw you attention to the exhibition page, where you can download a copy of the catalogue, discussing the works: https://ago.ca/exhibitions/recuerdo-latin-american-photography-ago

It’s a beautiful show that takes you on a journey from Mexico to Argentina – with lots of street scenes and everyday images that are transportive. Enjoy!

Happy Monday, volunteers! and thank you to everyone who came to our National Volunteer Week volunteer party, celebrating YOU – your community, commitment and years of service, held this past Wednesday evening in the AGO Bistro.

If you missed us (and we missed you, too!) we will continue to distribute years of service certificates and pins this week. Holly will be reaching out to connect with folks, or feel free to stop by her office in the volunteer lounge.

Did you know? Last year, volunteers contributed over 31,000 hours of volunteer service to the AGO! Whether you’re new this year, celebrating one year of service, 5, 15 or more, everyone’s contributions play a part. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you do for the Gallery. Our community is richer for it!