Join us: Wednesday December 11, 6pm

This presentation has been organized as a recognition event for all volunteers, to come together and enjoy a favourite show, before the holidays. Learn more about these vibrant works, and the life of this daring and charismatic Artist who travelled the world! An expressive painter and master of the narrative quilt, Abad was also fiercely political, creating work that referenced multiculturalism and immigration.

This is an in-gallery, Curator’s Tour, organized exclusively for all AGO volunteers. We will have the galleries mic’d – so you can enjoy a walk and talk with Renee throughout the galleries and looking at the works in more detail (and you will be able to hear it all!) No need to register for this one, just drop-in. We look forward to seeing you there!

*Please note: Because this is an in-gallery tour – by volunteer request – we regret we cannot record this event. Please make plans to join us if you can. Wednesday evening volunteers – please come and enjoy as part of your shift!

Hello everyone,

It is nearly the start of a new month. This is a busy time at the AGO and I am really proud of the content we will be sharing with our public this holiday season.

Next week, I go on my final business trip of the calendar year. I will be in Lyon and Paris with Bizot Group, which is comprised of the Directors of the top 50 or so museums internationally, and we will be discussing the evolving role of museums in contemporary society. I will also have the opportunity to share the AGO experience of adopting the Bizot Green Protocols to reduce carbon use in our building operations, while maintaining a safe environment for artwork preservation.

Take care,

Stephan

Hello Volunteers! Last week we were happy to have Artist and AGO Gallery Guide Janne Reuss join us for the launch of the AGO Volunteer Artist Collective – an opportunity for all artists across the volunteer program to share their work with each other. We recorded this session for those that couldn’t attend but wanted to hear about Janne and her work, in her own words. It was a remarkable presentation, shared HERE (click on this link to view): Janne Reuss AGO Volunteer Artist Collective talk

Thank you, Janne! Our next guest Artist to present in the AGO Volunteer Artist Collection is Alieh Akbarzadeh. Watch for a date in the new year.

Hello everyone,

The 5th floor is busy with The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21^st Century in mid-installation. With every exhibition there are surprises – sometimes good, sometimes less good. One of the major works in the exhibition was too large to squeeze from the E.R. Wood Gallery into the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Sculpture Atrium. Moby Dick (for Oscar Wilde, Oscar Romero y Oscar Grant) by William Cordova is a sculptural work made from a reclaimed police car and other materials. Instead of admitting defeat, the Logistics and Art Services and Conservation teams devised a new method to transport the work. Below are great pictures of the work propped up on its side on a custom cradle on its way to its intended destination on the 5^th Floor. Thank you, all!

On Wednesday, the AGO Board of Trustees met in the Weston Family Learning Centre. We provided an overview of our current financial position (we are tracking to a balanced budget if we continue to keep things tight), shared recent developments in the Brand & Business and Education & Programming areas, and Dr. Julie Crooks presented on The Culture.

Take care,

Stephan

Hello Everyone,

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre. We marked the occasion with programming and publicity, and it gave me a moment to reflect. It is a truly beautiful space, filled with monumental plaster sculptures, in an elegant gallery designed by Toronto architect John Parkin in partnership with Moore. Five decades later, it still feels contemporary.

Everyone has a story about the Moore Centre – it really does seem part of our museum and the city of Toronto. One of the paradoxes of the Moore sculptures is that while they look bold and monumental, they are actually extremely fragile. Lisa Ellis in Conservation spoke this week about how many of them are made of simple crude wood forms covered in chicken wire with a pretty thin layer of plaster. 

Click here for more information from Adam Welch in Curatorial and Lisa Ellis about the Moore Centre.

I know many of you are hard at work installing and ramping up for the upcoming exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century on the fifth floor. I have a feeling that it will be a popular exhibition for the holiday season.

Stephan

We are excited to welcome Janne Reuss, AGO Gallery Guide volunteer and our first Guest Artist:

• WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20
• 10:30am – 11:30am
• Online, via Zoom (linked HERE):
• (*please log on no more than 5 minutes before the presentation begins) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85429082094?pwd=KTtKmuQaji7Ix5b862ARRMCnaaaZFE.1
• Meeting ID: 854 2908 2094
• Passcode: 763520

In this presentation, Janne will showcase her art of photography and the unique personal meaning behind her works; for reference here is Janne’s website www.artjanne.com I first viewed Janne’s photography at Art Toronto last year and so thrilled to see her launch this important volunteer artist collective. 

The AGO Volunteer Artist Collective initiative was born out of conversations I had with volunteers in the lounge and the incredible pool of creative talent we can highlight and showcase, as a community.

We, Holly, I and the artists, are excited to launch this initiative. Equally as Volunteer President, I’m so thrilled to see this idea come to life, and highlight the talents of so many of our volunteers, and what we create outside the gallery walls; as artists, our visions and mandates. This will give us all, volunteers over different days, shifts and placements, an opportunity to come together as a community.

Barbara Glaser

Volunteer President

Dear Volunteers,

We are excited to share that the Gallery’s Development Team, led by Associate Director Erin Thadani, has organized an exclusive talk for volunteers, in thanks for this year’s Volunteer Endowment Trust (VET) donation to support the upcoming exhibition Joyce Wieland: Heart On (opening June 2025).

• Tuesday November 26
• 10:30am – 12:00pm
• WFLC Seminar Room #1

Georgiana Uhlyarik, Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art, will be joining us for an illustrated talk on Wieland; she will be introduced by Michael and Sonja Koerner Director & CEO, Stephan Jost, who will share insights into the Gallery’s latest expansion, the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery.

With thanks also to the leadership of Barbara Glaser, your Volunteer President, in helping to coordinate this event.

Important: Please RSVP your attendance, (HERE: https://forms.gle/N31Tgsqyd9aKPJCc9) so we can ensure we have enough seating and refreshments for all.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Please note: with Jackman Hall closed for construction, we have no way to record this event, but we will happily send copies of the presentations for those who cannot attend. This is an in-person opportunity only (no Zoom).

Hello everyone,

In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the AGO’s Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, the City of Toronto is proclaiming Wednesday, November 13 as Henry Moore Day. The Sculpture Centre has always been among the most beloved spaces at the museum and the artworks have inspired generations of visitors. We will be acknowledging this milestone in a bunch of ways:

1. Check out this week’s dedicated volunteer blog post, with archival photos from Al Stanton-Hagan, AGO Archivist
2. Join Adam Welch, Lisa Ellis and James Copper, Henry Moore Foundation Lead Sculpture Conservator and Senior Technician, in conversation Wednesday November 13 at 7pm in Baillie Court
3. Share your photos and recollections of time spent with Henry Moore’s art on social media, using the hashtag #MooreMemories and tagging @AGOToronto

Thank you to those who are helping mark this significant anniversary. I am grateful to our predecessors who had the foresight to welcome Moore’s collection to the AGO for the people of Ontario to enjoy. It is truly among the highlights of the AGO’s holdings.

This coming Monday, November 11, is Remembrance Day. I encourage everyone to take a moment on Monday – if not before – for private reflection – whether it be viewing artwork, reading prose, or spending a contemplative moment in Grange Park.  

Remembrance Day has been observed in Canada since the end of the First World War. It was a brutal war. I tend to reflect on WWI as well as the many conflicts and wars that continue today – particularly on the lives lost and all the people impacted by the senseless violence of war. 

Take care,

Stephan

In the fall of 1974, the AGO opened one of the most iconic Toronto spaces: the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre.  

The Henry Moore Sculpture Centre was created to house the generous number of works artist Henry Moore (1898 – 1986) donated to the AGO between 1971 – 1974, which included 101 sculptures, 57 drawings, and 150 prints. This gift marked the AGO as home to the largest public collection Moore’s work, a title the Gallery continues to hold. 

Incorporating natural light and reflective floors, Moore worked with Toronto architect John C. Parkin to design the 10,000 sq. foot exhibition space loved by visitors and staff alike. His vision for the Centre’s architecture was to make his works appear like they were floating on a pond. 

It was also in 1974 that Large Two Forms (1966-1969) was installed at the corner of McCaul and Dundas. The sculpture was moved to Grange Park in 2017, becoming a favourite spot for park patrons to take a nap or eat their lunch in.  

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, travel back in time through this selection of archival photographs documenting both the Centre’s opening and the ways visitors have engaged with it over the past five decades. Big thank you to Al Stanton-Hagan, AGO Archivist, for providing these photographs!  

Want to learn more about Henry Moore’s longtime relationship with the AGO? Join Adam Welch, Associate Curator, Modern Art; Lisa Ellis Conservator, Sculpture and Decorative Arts; and James Cooper, Henry Moore Foundation Sculpture Conservator in conversation on Wednesday, November 13 at 7 pm.  

(Please note: If you are an AGO member (with a membership card) – you can register online. Volunteers who are not members will need to book tickets in person (at the Welcome Desk) or by calling the Contact Centre at 416 979 6608).

Hello Everyone,

First, I want to extend a big thank you to our capable team in the Contact Centre that has been fielding several hundred questions related to the recent ransomware attack. This is not easy work and they are doing it well.

Thank you also to all of you – staff and volunteers – who participated in our values focus groups, organized earlier this Fall by the Joint Working Committee (JWC). Your suggestions and opinions on how we evolve the culture of the AGO are extremely valuable. Members of the JWC are reviewing the values that came out of those focus groups and will develop a plan for how we best express these and bring them to life in our everyday work. We hope to put these values into practice and policy in early 2025.

A reminder that this weekend, Members enjoy early access to Light Years: The Phil Lind Gift. We also celebrate Pacita Abad with E&P events, including a Roundtable Conversation.

Finally, I want to acknowledge a sad loss for the AGO. Pat Munson passed away recently. He was a long-serving volunteer in the Marvin Gelber Print & Drawing Study Centre. I will miss his enthusiasm for the AGO and his habit of purchasing multiple boxes of donuts to share liberally.

Take care,

Stephan