This is a reminder that Library & Archives will be closed for annual collections maintenance from Monday, August 19 to Friday, August 30.  

Hello Volunteers

Hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful summer we have been experiencing!

I’m writing with some exciting updates that have been busily working on. First, however in gratitude and thanks to all the staff; Debbie Johnsen, Holly Procktor, Paola Poletto and Natalie Lam for the enriching actives and talks they have arranged for us as we have had recently from Moment’s in Modernism, to Bright Lights, to a visit with Artist in Residence Michelle Peraza, can’t wait to see what she will create! It’s always wonderful to learn, be together as a community and a pleasure to see everyone! In our mutual volunteer work together, enrichment activities and socially.

Next Group Volunteer Excursion: Charles Pachter Studio. Registration required.

Please mark your calendars for the launch of our first fall excursions. Pleased to relay that the next group outing since the summer will be on Wednesday September 18th at 10:30am to Charles Pachter Studio, (near the gallery). This is an opportunity to personally meet one of Canada’s leading artists and see his studio, artwork and where he creates these glorious works of art! There will also be socializing time with Charles and fellow volunteers from different shifts. Meeting details to follow closer to the date, this excursion is open to 50 volunteers for space requirements in Charles studio. Afterwards we will get together for an optional lunch and an opportunity to meet fellow volunteers from various shifts and days. Registration is required, please sign up and confirm your attendance (and for lunch if interested to join) at my email address [email protected]

AGO Volunteer Artist Collective:

A reminder our AGO Volunteer Artist Collective launches on Wednesday October 30th with our first artist Janne Reuss, our second artist is scheduled for Tuesday November 19th with Aliye Akbarzadeh.

These presentations will be on zoom and recorded and shared. Janne will showcase her art of photography and the special personal meaning behind her works, for reference here is Janne’s website https://janneartdot.wordpress.com/. Aliye’s art is equally unique in a stylistic manner capturing a creative vision drawings and paintings via a contemporary style, her past life stories and deep philosophical meanings. Aliye’s artwork, technique features, collage, drawing and painting.

As Volunteer President, I’m so excited to launch this initiative idea, showcase and highlight the talents of so many volunteers as to what we create outside the gallery walls as artists our visions and mandates as well as contributing to the gallery. This will also give us all including fellow volunteers over different day shifts break down the silos and an opportunity to learn, be inspired and seeing your cohorts in a different light, commonalties and the hope of building a strong artistic community to be recognized and inspired by staff alike. Please submit your interest to participate in the collective, with Holly or myself at the email address above.

On the horizon in the fall:

We are most grateful to Melissa Smith, who will be arranging a watercolor studio workshop lead with a Gallery school facilitator for volunteers. This is a collaboration between staff and volunteers coming together in the studio, as part of a community to simply learn, and hands on create and have fun!

Volunteer Recognition:

There will importantly be a volunteer recognition event coming up around the late fall into the holiday season, this will also give us an opportunity to come together and socialize as well. With warm thanks to Holly for brilliantly organizing all factors of this recognition event for volunteers. We look forward to celebrating you!

Look forward to all these activities and seeing you all in the near future, until then I will be on summer break mid to late August and as always, my door is open with any suggestions, questions or concerns via email ([email protected]) or in person. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer!

All my best,

Barbara Glaser

AGO Volunteer President

Hello volunteers! Last week, Debbie Johnsen, Manager, Modern and Contemporary Collections, joined us for a lively and informative Zoom presentation on Moments in Modernism. Debbie is a huge fan of the behind-the-scenes work of artists and her presentation is informed by beautiful studio shots of artists and their works. Sharing the link here for all to enjoy:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T3ZuctIQmjZsud60daivQWY-YVmLQkDw/view?usp=sharing

Note: this is an unedited video, and intended for AGO volunteers, only. Please do not share or distribute this link.

Moments and Modernism has been the talk of the Gallery this summer, as it unearths from the vault many classics of the Collection. Curator Debbie Johnsen is our Manager of Modern and Contemporary Collections, and those of us who have worked with Debbie for a long time know her as the glue that keeps this department running! She holds a wealth of information, and is not someone who usually gets the spotlight, so we’re thrilled she is joining us to share all of her insights into this show she co-curated with Director & CEO, Stephan Jost.

We’re grateful Debbie’s able to join us in a busy summer season to share all the behind-the-scenes information that volunteers love. This talk is for all volunteers! We know timing is tight, so please rest assured this talk will be recorded and shared for those who can’t make it.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86538431876?pwd=14BiPd8EYnK8wC6qd4OFa6CbaGZxUb.1

Meeting ID: 865 3843 1876
Passcode: 736314

Debbie Johnsen

Manager, Modern & Contemporary Collections

Selected AGO exhibitions:
Moments in Modernism (2024)
Bright Signs: Spotlight on Video Art (2024)

Background: Prior to becoming the Manager, Modern & Contemporary Collections at the AGO in 2023, Debbie Johnsen worked in various roles in the Gallery’s Department of Modern & Contemporary Art since 2011, most recently as Curatorial Coordinator. She provided key support for major exhibitions such as Brian Jungen: Friendship Centre (2019), Vija Celmins: To Fix the Image in Memory (2019) and Theaster Gates: How to Build a House Museum (2016). As Manager, Modern & Contemporary Collections, Debbie is responsible for the custodianship, research, and installation of the Modern & Contemporary Collections. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Art History from the University of Toronto.

Hello everyone,

This is the last week of the exhibition KAWS: Family. I will sincerely miss the show, but it must continue onto the next venue, which is Chrystal Bridges Museum in the US. I want to thank everyone who was involved in making this exhibition a success, and particularly give a shout-out to Julian Cox.

Yesterday the first piece of steel arrived for the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery – see images below. Once the foundation is complete, the building will start to be erected. The massing and scale of the structure will take shape once steelwork is done later this fall. There is a new banner over the Jackman Hall entrance that shows a rendering of the building.

I will be off for the next two weeks visiting family in Switzerland. My family comes from two small alpine towns, and it will be good to practice my Swiss-German!

Take care,

Stephan

P.S. To those of you who will be celebrating the richness of Caribbean culture this weekend – enjoy!

Hello Volunteers, I’m happy to share this exhibition launch video for the Pacita Abad exhibition, opening October 9, and continuing through January 2025. This video provides a unique sneak peek into the exhibition, and an introduction to the project team. Fun fact: the first speaker, Exhibition Project Manager Brittney Sproule, is a former AGO Gallery Guide volunteer. A reminder, launch videos are internal communications, and not polished public presentations. – Enjoy!

No password needed to access – simply click on the link to view:

https://artcloud.ago.ca/index.php/s/omMFfwBDGgTAg3E

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

The exuberant and wide-ranging works of the late Philippine-born artist Pacita Abad make their Canadian debut as part of her first retrospective. This acclaimed exhibition includes more than 100 artworks showcasing Abad’s experiments in different mediums: textiles, works on paper, paintings, prints, and a range of archival material and studio ephemera. Much of Abad’s work is defined by her engagement in social justice and her exploration of materials. She is best known for her large-scale hanging trapuntos, a form of quilted painting made of stitched and stuffed canvas.

Hello everyone,

Sometimes I focus my weekly message on major activities like big exhibitions or the large expansion underway.

Other times I attempt to point out the details that help make the AGO a magical and wonderful place:

– I love seeing young campers enter the museum in the morning and be greeted by summer staff and volunteers. The camps are so full of creativity and joy.

– I enjoyed viewing large portraits of women, one by Emily Carr and one by Augustus Edwin John (of The Marchesa Casati), next to one another in the Margaret Eaton Gallery. 

– The new presentation of Canadian and European paintings in the John & Nancy Mulvihill Gallery is beautiful.

– The espresso bar in the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Sculpture Atrium is busy (and Linda Coslovi, our CFOO, tells me that it is making money).

– The gallery floors are sparkling and clean.

– The Theaster Gates installation on the 5th Floor inspires visitors of all ages to dance.

Take care,

Stephan

Hello folks,

Earlier in the week we had a massive rainstorm. I know it is odd because I wrote about torrential rain only recently. It is clear that extreme weather is becoming more common.

When I looked out of my office window I saw Grange Park fill with water – a literal lake was created. By the next morning the center of the park was back to being a green lawn. When the AGO renovated Grange Park (yes, the AGO owns the park and we have a partnership with the City who manages it), we considered climate change. The main lawn is designed to become a reservoir when there is extreme rain. It holds the water until flood water in the storm drains subsides and only then releases the water on the main lawn. It is an example of how good design and helping to mitigate the impact of climate change can go hand-in-hand.

As we know, construction of the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery is underway. The building has been designed to very high environmental standards by the architects and engineers. Indeed, the expansion will operate without burning fossil fuel. In the future, I can share more about how we are making the building more green.

Stephan

Hello everyone,

Several weeks ago, Dr. Audrey Hudson let me know that she will be leaving the AGO to take on the role of Kathleen C. Sherrerd Deputy Director, Learning and Engagement at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Audrey joined the AGO in 2017 and was appointed Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming in 2020.

Of course we all have mixed emotions. On one hand, I am very proud to see Audrey’s career blossoming. On the other hand, I will miss Audrey, both professionally and personally. Audrey has had a profound impact on the AGO, and her leadership and legacy has changed the AGO for the better.

There are many achievements. She has deep knowledge of art and a passion for the many communities we serve. There are too many achievements to list, but one example stands out — Audrey was the driving force behind the Virtual School Programs. We estimated we would get 55,000 students, and we were way off! In the first year of the program, we served over 750,000 students! I think a hallmark of her legacy is high quality and popular educational programs that have that wonderful mix of rigor, innovation, and levity.

One of the many things Audrey and I shared was our honesty with each other, even in the toughest of times. We also had big laughs and a common vision to elevate the museum globally and an emphasis on different ways to bring audiences into the AGO.

Leadership is a team sport, and I know that she will be missed by members of the Leadership Team, the Board of Trustees and of course, all the staff and volunteers at the AGO. She is always herself which usually means a blend of candor and humor.

Audrey’s final day with the AGO will be August 23, 2024. Until then, I know you will join me in wishing Audrey well in her new role. Philadelphia is lucky to have her, and I know she will bring wonderful things to the organization, as she did here at the AGO.

Most recently, Audrey has been co-leading the Joint Working Committee with Board Member Liza Mauer. This was not small undertaking, but both of us agreed it was essential to the organizational healing of the AGO. It is still in progress, and Audrey will come back to conclude this chapter in the Fall. 

In the coming weeks, we will share next steps to find a suitable replacement who can build on Audrey’s legacy.

Take care,

Stephan

Exhibition Dates: October 9, 2024 – January 19, 2025

The exuberant and wide-ranging works of the late Philippine-born artist Pacita Abad make their Canadian debut as part of her first retrospective. This acclaimed exhibition includes more than 100 artworks showcasing Abad’s experiments in different mediums: textiles, works on paper, paintings, prints, and a range of archival material and studio ephemera. Much of Abad’s work is defined by her engagement in social justice and her exploration of materials. She is best known for her large-scale hanging trapuntos, a form of quilted painting made of stitched and stuffed canvas.

Fleeing the Marcos regime in the Philippines, Abad arrived in the United States in 1970. Largely self-taught, her work resonates with the various artistic communities she encountered on her global travels, incorporating a diversity of cultural traditions and techniques—from Korean ink brush painting to Indonesian batik. Under-recognized in her lifetime, her work is defined by her engagement with social justice and evolving material exploration. Organized by the Walker Arts Center in collaboration with Abad’s estate, the exhibition is curated by Victoria Sung, Phyllis C. Wattis Senior Curator at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), and former associate curator, Visual Arts, Walker Art Center; with Matthew Villar Miranda, curatorial associate at BAMPFA, and former curatorial fellow, Visual Arts, Walker Art Center. The AGO presentation will be organized by Renée van der Avoird, Associate Curator, Canadian Art.

Pacita Abad is organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.