Installation view of “Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody” at the Broad, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White/JWPictures.com. Courtesy of the Broad – where the exhibition is currently installed.
It’s a busy Fall of back-to-back exhibition openings here at the Gallery. Next up, Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody (exhibition launch video, linked below:)
You’ll be prompted for a password. Please enter: Harin54AGO
This is my personal favourite of the most recent exhibition launch videos we have shared this Fall. Georgiana speaks with such passion, and shares insights into why the show means so much to her. She’s peppered her presentation with archival footage of Haring himself, and interior shots of the Gallery the last time we hosted a Haring retrospective in the 80s (major throwback vibes!)
In this essay for Foyer, Renée van der Avoird, AGO Associate Curator, Canadian Art, writes about the vivid colours, floral patterns and compelling imagery found in Sarindar Dhaliwal’s works on paper.
Like all of Dhaliwal’s work Triple Self Portrait with Persimmons and Pomegranates is characterized by saturated colour and compelling imagery. Deeply personal investigations into memory, identity and migration, her works are inspired by her travels and her experience living in India, England, and Canada.
Dhaliwal delights in the sensuousness of words, the natural world and objects around her. And yet, the aspect of joy that permeates her works is always underscored by experiences from childhood or socio-political issues that were dislocating and traumatic to the artist. The delicate balance between beauty and hardship is one that she expertly strikes in all of her work.
Read more of Renee’s analysis, in this week’s Foyer, full article linked HERE.
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Adam Welch to the position of Associate Curator, Modern Art. Adam will develop exhibitions, lead acquisitions, and help guide the installation of the AGO’s new Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery. He will report to me as part of a newly independent Modern Art department and work closely with Debbie Johnsen, Manager, Modern and Contemporary Collections and our soon-to-be hired Carol and Morton Rapp Curator, Contemporary Art.
Adam Welch (photo: National Gallery of Canada)
Adam joins us at a pivotal moment of collection growth and building expansion. He brings to the position an impressive track record of substantive exhibitions, as well as an intimate knowledge of Toronto and its unique role in the evolution of modernism.
Adam is curator of the acclaimed 2022 retrospective exhibition General Idea, currently on view at the Gropius Bau, Berlin. He comes to the AGO from the National Gallery of Canada, where he served as Associate Curator, Canadian Art. Prior to that he held positions at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Adam holds a PhD in the history of Art and his doctoral dissertation from the University of Toronto, Borderline Research: Art between Canada and the United States, 1965–75, explored relationships between artists, curators, and dealers across the Canadian American border.
Adam grew up in Toronto so this new role with the AGO is a homecoming.
I know you will join me in welcoming Adam when he begins his role with us on Monday, November 13, 2023.
Tomorrow I will be going with Sophie Hackett and Anastasia Hare to São Paulo, Brazil with a group of donors for a week to see the São Polo Biennial and art from South America.
This morning, I had the opportunity to stop by and see the installation of Building Icons: Arnold Newman’s Magazine World, 1938-2000, which is being installed in Zacks. It is a beautifully hung exhibition curated by Tal-Or Ben-Choreen. Arnold Newman photographed many of the leading cultural and political figures of the twentieth century. The show opens next week and I hope you will take a moment (actually more than a moment – it is a huge show) to see the exhibition.
I’m happy to share below, a copy of the recording of our recent talk with Cian Knights, AGO Manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility.
Setting the groundwork: Cian’s presentation includes definitions that help us understand the differences between Equality and Equity and how we’re looking to support both at the Gallery
Cian’s presentation provided a structured roadmap of our DEIA program and how it is unfolding at the Gallery. The slides are full of facts and figures, and plainly suggests what we’re doing, and where we need to go; milestones, celebrations, areas to work on, and next steps.
In our shared conversations in the volunteer lounge this week, some folks mentioned to me that this presentation felt like a review, (and it is), but my intention in inviting Cian to join us, was to re-establish the Gallery’s goals top of mind, and to set the stage for DEIA volunteer training to come.
For those that weren’t able to join us, I encourage you all to watch when you can. Click on the link BELOW to view: (a reminder, this resource is for volunteers only, please do not share)
Cian mentions that a copy of the presentation can be downloaded, so no need to take notes – we’ve included a PDF of the presentation’s slides to volunteers in this week’s email (check your inbox!)
Next week, we’ll be sending a survey to all volunteers, so that you can help us pick upcoming topics; we want to hear what you feel you need, what you’d like to learn more about, and benefit from.
Thank you for your commitment to our continuous learning journey together!
Earlier this month, you’ll recall we shared the exhibition launch video for KAWS: Family. Exhibition launch videos are new to the Gallery, and share the main messages behind each exhibition; providing a chance to meet the project team, explore “the big idea” with curators and interpretive planners, and more. They’re intended to help prepare us all for our upcoming exhibitions, by providing sneek-peeks.
We don’t currently have access to space at the Gallery that can accommodate all staff and volunteers – so these videos are being recorded and shared, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to view.
This week, we’re excited to share the exhibition launch video for Building Icons: Alfred Newman’s Magazine World, opening next week (October 18 for members, staff and volunteers; October 21 for Annual Pass holders).
These opportunities to view Exhibition Launch meetings include confidential material that is not intended to be shared with the public. The Gallery is trusting all of us – staff and volunteers – to keep these details confidential and not share this link outside of our community. Thanks in advance for your agreement and support! One final note: this is new technology for the Gallery – the Newman video includes a slight echo throughout the recording that can’t be removed here, but will be addressed for future recordings. Thanks for your patience!
Moving the Museum documents the reopening of the AGO’s J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous + Canadian Art
Moving the Museum: Indigenous & Canadian Art at the AGO, edited by Wanda Nanibush & Georgiana Uhlyarik, published in 2023 by the Art Gallery of Ontario and Goose Lane Editions.
So much excitement this week as Curator of Indigenous Art, Wanda Nanibush and Fredrik S. Eaton Curator of Canadian Art, Georgiana Uhlyarik, have been awarded the 2023 Toronto Book Award for their book, Moving the Museum. Documenting the reinstallation of the AGO’s J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous + Canadian Art in 2018 and its renewed focus on Indigenous art, Moving the Museum, describes through text and more than 100 images, how art by Indigenous, Inuit and Canadian artists can be put into conversation across time, to better reflect the Nation-to-Nation relationship that Canada was built upon.
The 2023 Toronto Book Awards volunteer jury described Nanibush and Uhlyarik’s book as “revelatory,” saying the book “kicks the colonial gaze to the curb, insisting instead that museums and galleries radically shift what they’ve been doing and offers page after page enacting the potential of Indigenous art to empower, inspire, and create community.”
Georgiana Uhlyarik, Fredrik S. Eaton Curator of Canadian Art, accepts Toronto Book Award from Vickery Bowles, City Librarian, on behalf of herself and co-author Wanda Nanibush, AGO Curator, Indigenous Art. Image courtesy Toronto Public Library.
Moving the Museum was one of five books shortlisted for this year’s award, and is the first AGO publication to receive the award, published by AGO in association with Goose Lane Editions.
I wanted to reach out and acknowledge that the events in Israel and Gaza over the past several days are impacting many members of our community who have family and ties to the region. The violence is horrific. The loss of life is heartbreaking. The impacts of war are massive. My only suggestion is to please reach out to folks who may be impacted, tell them you care, and listen. Please be kind and thoughtful to one another.
Our fall season is rolling. With KAWS: FAMILY now open to our public, next up is Arnold Newman in two weeks and then Keith Haring a few weeks later. There is A LOT going on. I wish you all a joyful and restful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the AGO!
Last night’s Art Bash fundraiser was a huge success, thanks to the incredible efforts of many across the museum. This was on the heels of a complex installation of KAWS: FAMILY, spanning numerous gallery spaces; a media and influencer preview; Members’ Preview; and also Nuit Blanche last Saturday night, which brought in nearly 7,500 visitors to see Tillman’s Moon in Earthlight film in Jackman Hall. It’s been a HUGE week!
Art Bash, our annual signature fundraiser, brought in more than $1.1 million to support exhibitions and programs at the AGO. It also featured amazing artist installations and performances and was a terrific party (including a fantastic meal!), with real buzz and liveliness throughout the evening. There are too many people to list but I would like to call out Brianna Chase, Manager, Development Special Events, for her unflappable disposition and hard work; her colleagues in Development; and the folks in Food & Beverage, Facilities, IT and Communications and Brand, among many others.
And let’s all take a moment to reflect on tomorrow’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. For Foyer, Charlotte Big Canoe, Program Curator, Indigenous Projects, created an itinerary of events for people to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. You can read it here: Commemorating National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
