A place for AGO volunteers to share, learn, and connect
Hello Volunteers!
Please Save the Date for this year’s Volunteer Annual Party:
Join your Volunteer President, Barbara Glaser, myself, your volunteer friends and colleagues, staff coordinators and special guests from the Management and Leadership Teams, as we come together for an evening of food & drink, recognition and merriment, in thanks for all you do for the Gallery. We’ll share more details, and a formal RSVP, soon.
“Barren Ground Caribou is a continuation of the ecological theme in my work… [It] expresses aspects of the public’s growing awareness of their environment and its preservation. A subway station is an obvious place to make an offering to nature.” – Joyce Wieland, 1975
Picture this, if you can: Toronto in the mid-1970s. Like Montreal and New York City, it’s a burgeoning metropolis that necessitates rapid expansion. To meet the moment, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) plans for nine new subway stops reaching north from the city’s core, each station to include public art commissions by Canadian artists.
Toronto born and raised, Joyce Wieland (1930 – 1998), was one of these selected artists. For her commission, the renowned artist chose to locate her artwork at Spadina subway station’s unassuming Kendal Avenue entryway (a late 19th-century house repurposed by the City). Measuring a massive nine meters long and two and a half meters tall, Barren Ground Caribou (image at top) is the largest quilt Wieland ever made, extending the width of the two subway tracks beneath it.
In her 1975 proposal to the TTC she wrote, “While running towards the lower level to catch a train in a subway, one is confronted with a depiction of a group of Barren Ground Caribou in quilted form. Like prehistoric beasts, they are placed in the modern technological cave of the subway. (Altamira) Let us remember these marvelous beasts before they are no more.”
READ MORE in this week’s Foyer, linked HERE
Hello Everyone,
With the volatile global situation and news of tariffs, it has been a choppy week! In terms of tariffs, we simply do not have enough information to determine scope of impact yet because every day seems to have a different news lead. At this point, we do not anticipate a significant impact on Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery construction. Fortunately, the steel required is already here. These forces are out of our control and, until more information is shared, we just need to stay calm and focus on our work.
In good news – next week is March Break! The AGO will be hosting lots of kids and their families, including on Monday, March 10. Our Artist in Residence, Laura Carwardine, created an interactive textile installation for artmaking in Walker Court, our AGO PLAY book is in both English and French this year, and there is still some space left in our child and youth courses. Thank you to all staff who are coordinating these activities and everyone who will be onsite next week to ensure a positive experience for all.
See you soon and take care,
Stephan
March 03 2025
Dear Volunteers,
The Gallery is pleased to be recruiting for a volunteer representative to serve on the AGO Board of Trustees, beginning this Fall (September 2025). The Board is responsible for the effective governance of the Gallery.
This position is open to all current AGO volunteers, with two or more years of service.
Please read more about this role in greater detail, and find a link to apply, here: AGO Board of Trustees Ex-Officio Volunteer Representative | Art Gallery of Ontario
Please note the deadline for application is March 17, 2025.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. – Holly (volunteer resources) [email protected]
Departures: Paola Poletto, Director, Engagement and Learning
Hello Volunteers, we are sharing news of the departure of Paola Poletto, Director, Engagement and Learning. Paola’s last day at the Gallery was February 27. Here in the volunteer program we were thankful for Paola’s recent work with the Gallery Guides. Paola is an amazing Artist and creative, and we often talked about our shared love of textiles. I am looking forward to seeing the next steps in her journey. Please see the Gallery’s announcement below:
Paola was instrumental in transforming the AGO x RBC Artist-in-Residence Program, supporting the development of emerging artists and engaging them with the AGO. Her work with adult courses lived our E&P mission to nurture life-long learning and connection with art. We thank Paola for her contributions and wish her well in all her future endeavours. While the next steps are being determined, please reach out to Robert Durocher for questions: [email protected]
Hello Volunteers! AGO Gallery Guide volunteer Alieh Akbarzadeh joined us back in February for our second installment of the AGO Volunteer Artist Collective. Thank you to everyone who attended this wonderful talk online, in real time. Though we had trouble with our Zoom recording that day, a video link is now available to enjoy (most of) Alieh’s presentation. The video starts with an introduction from our Volunteer President, Barbara Glaser, who created the AGO Volunteer Artist Collective initiative. Please enjoy this insight into Alieh’s life and work:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/192oqGCrkw0OrLwcHeHNw_zX9-1eC5-uc/view?usp=sharing
Though we had a fulsome conversation that day, we had to end our zoom recording early due to technical difficulties, (and without a proper goodbye or wrap up). For more on what Alieh is up to today, including a recent solo show at sahar K. Boluki Gallery, please see Alieh’s instagram, which also links current works and sketchbooks: https://www.instagram.com/aliye_akbarzade/
Thanks so much for sharing your work with us, Alieh! and for your patience as we worked to recover this partial video file to share.
Hello Everyone,
On Wednesday night we hosted Growing the AGO Collection, a Curators Circle panel talk and reception, whose purpose is to bring key supporters of the AGO together to hear from our Curatorial team about the acquisitions that have grown and shaped our current collection. The event was incredibly well-received, and I want to thank Julian Cox, Caroline Shields, Alexa Greist, Georgiana Uhlyarik, Renée van der Avoird, Julie Crooks, Adam Welch, John Zeppetelli, Sophie Hackett, and the rest of the Curatorial team for bringing the content of the event to life. There are also many of you who support the acquisitions that inspire this annual event that I’d like to thank, including (but not limited to) art handlers, photographers, registrars, collections staff, and curatorial coordinators.
Take care,
Stephan
Jean-Léon Gérôme. The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura, 1893. oil on canvas, Overall: 50.1 x 68.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift from the Junior Women’s Committee Fund, 1969. Photo © AGO. 69/31
For this month’s RBC Art Pick, we turn our attention to The Antique Pottery Painter: Sculpturæ vitam insufflat pictura (1893), an oil on canvas painting by French painter and sculptor Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904).
In this behind-the-scenes look at a fictional artist’s studio, a woman is seated and surrounded by objects and artworks on the left side of the canvas. She holds a small figurative sculpture in one hand and in the other, a thin paintbrush. On the table in front of her is a row of other small figurative sculptures painted in bright colours. On the right side of the canvas, another woman stands facing a large shop window as she sells artworks to passerby shoppers in the courtyard. There are many different works placed around the studio including sculptures, paintings and masks.
An influential 19th century artist and sculptor, Gérôme’s works all boast meticulous attention to detail, effectively pulling viewers into their narratives. He became famous for his artworks depicting mythological and historical scenes, as well as portrayals of the Middle East. Gérôme was one of the most popular and sought-after artists of his time; he received honours and awards across Europe, his paintings achieved record-breaking sale prices, and as a professor at the prestigious École des Beaux-arts, he trained thousands of students.
Find this painting on view on Level 1 in the Carol Tanenbaum Gallery (gallery 116), at the AGO as part of the exhibition Steam: Impressionist Painting Across the Atlantic. For many more secrets of the painting, read the full text, in this week’s Foyer, linked HERE.
Hello Everyone,
We’ve had a big week starting off with Family Day, new installations on view, and a Board of Trustees Meeting. Let’s not forget the massive snowstorm that derailed some planned programming for last Sunday. I want to thank everyone for pivoting on Sunday, especially E&P staff, and for providing our public with an amazing day of activities on Monday. I think we made the right call to close on Sunday – my priority was to keep everyone safe.
I have enjoyed viewing a few new exhibits this week, including Letendre/Morrisseau on Level 1 (Fudger Rotunda), which features works from our permanent collection. Also, Oluseye: Orí mi pé in the Murray Frum Gallery on Level 2. Through an exquisite interdisciplinary art piece featuring cowrie shells, Nigerian-Canadian artist Oluseye brings together spiritual, mythological, and biographical elements that shape his worldview. Please take a moment to explore these and other new collection rotations and exhibits.
Take Care,
Stephan
Hello Volunteers!
We are pleased to offer this informal volunteer meet and greet with one of the Gallery’s newest Leadership Team members: Robert Durocher
About Robert: Robert Durocher joined the AGO in 2024 as the Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming. In this role, he leads the Education & Programming Division. Robert believes all people should have access to arts education, play, and programming that reflects and affirms diverse learners and communities, including intergenerational programs.
Before joining the AGO in this role, Robert was a Centrally Assigned Vice-Principal, Indigenous Education at the Urban Indigenous Education Centre at the Toronto District School Board. He was also an Instructional Leader, supporting teacher learning for the Grade 9 art course Expressions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Cultures. Before this, he was a K-12 Learning Coach, engaging educators to integrate equity and anti-oppression strategies into their teaching practices. Robert was seconded faculty at York University’s Faculty of Education where he led courses in Visual Arts Education, Arts Integration, and Inclusive Education.
Robert is also an Associate at the Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD U), where he specializes in printmaking. He also holds a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from York University, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Arts from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.