Hello Everyone,

Earlier this week at a Leadership Team meeting, we were talking about resilience. We have come through a lot together in the past couple of years and it is clear we have a ways to go. I know we are all trying to cope and move forward. Remember, the worst days of Omicron will be behind us soon.

Here are three ways of building resilience:

• Being aware that we are part of something bigger than ourselves
• Setting achievable goals
• Focusing on the closeness of relationships           

The last point is key. I encourage you to consider how you might approach this with people you work with at the AGO. This could be a walk outside with colleagues. Zoom or phone cats with someone you haven’t talked to or seen in months. All of these ways of connecting are deeply meaningful.

To round off the week, our Virtual Schools Program enjoyed a stellar start — reaching over 31,000 learners in just 3 days! A huge thank you to ALL the teams in the museum that support the VSP. E&P is evident, but there are so many others behind the scenes that make it happen.

Thanks and take care,

Stephan

Suchitra Mattai and Wendy Nanan discuss the importance of belonging and giving voice to Indo-Caribbean histories in their respective practices and works featured in Fragments of Epic Memory

Multidisciplinary artists Suchitra Mattai and Wendy Nanan may share similar regional origins (Muttai hailing from Guyana and Nanan from Trinidad, both islands in the Caribbean), but they express the diversity of lived experiences within the Indo-Caribbean diaspora from distinct perspectives. In December 2021, the AGO invited both artists to come together for a virtual conversation, moderated by writer, critic and academic Dr. Ramabai Espinet. The essence of their discussion traced their approach to artmaking, while also describing their works featured in Fragments of Epic Memory, displayed in dialogue with select post-emancipation era photographs from the AGO’s Montgomery Collection of Caribbean Photographs.

Click HERE for the full discussion with Nanan and Mattai as they describe their work in Fragments of Epic Memory, and their respective paths as contemporary artists.   (via AGOinsider)

Hello everyone,

Earlier today, the Premier announced new restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of Omicron. What this means for us is that the AGO will be shutting down again for a period of time. While this is not necessarily the way we all envisioned the beginning of 2022, my greatest priority is your health and well-being. We will get through the closure as we have before. Here are the key details:

• We will be open to the public tomorrow, Tuesday, January 4^th
• Schools will revert to online learning until January 17^th
• As of Wednesday, January 5^th, we will be closed to the public until January 26^th   

Leadership Team is considering the impact of another closure and we will stay in close contact with you. Things continue to be fluid. We just have to hang in there and take care of one another.

More soon,

Stephan

Yesterday we heard that schoolchildren will not return to in-class schooling at least until next Wednesday, January 5^th. I understand that this may have an impact on many of you. I encourage those who can work from home to continue to do so. I am asking all managers to show as much flexibility as possible this coming week as people adjust to the changing circumstances

As things unfold, we will continue to stay in close touch with everyone. Stay tuned. Until then, my very best wishes to all of you – and especially those who are working onsite this New Year’s weekend.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

Hello Everyone,

When I look back at this past year, I marvel at what we accomplished together. It is truly extraordinary and happened in the midst of a global pandemic. I am immensely proud of each of you for the ways you contributed to our success in 2021. We work at a museum because we are committed to learning and sharing and believing in a hopeful future. Whatever comes our way in 2022, I know we will continue to work together to fulfill our mission.

I hope that the holiday seasons brings a moment of rest and pause, and that you are safely able to visit or communicate with loved ones. I understand that everyone is exhausted and a bit stressed out at this point. Remember, the AGO has a robust Employee Assistance Program including access to LifeWorks if you need it.

A special thanks to those of you will be working onsite during the next couple of weeks, enabling our public to experience respite and comfort amongst art at the AGO.

For the people who are celebrating Christmas – please have a very happy one!

Stay safe and well, see you in 2022!

Stephan

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday I sent an email about reducing our capacity to 50%. I have great confidence in our team to adjust. People are still booking tickets at a fairly consistent level for the holiday period and we will accommodate them.

Having said that, we are in a very fluid situation with COVID and there are a lot of unknowns. I understand that that this can cause anxiety, including for parents with school children who are hearing that classes might pivot to online in January. We will learn more in the days ahead so let’s focus on one day at a time. We have the tools and protocols to keep one another safe. Again:

–             Get a booster

–             Wear a mask – if you are working on-site, I highly encourage you to wear one of the masks provided by the AGO

–             Practice social distancing

–             Wash your hands and sanitize regularly

All of us have come a long way together since the beginning of the pandemic and we will get through Omicron.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

Dear Everyone,

Thanks to everyone’s efforts to follow health guidance and practices such as wearing masks and physical distancing, we are managing things very well at the AGO. We have a safe building and our protocols are working.

We have followed the advice of public health professionals and provincial directives throughout the pandemic.

As we are hearing in the news, there is a rising number of COVID-19 infections, particularly due to the Omicron variant. As a result, the Province has announced that indoor areas of venues with a usual capacity of 1,000 or more will be subject to a capacity limit of 50%.  This directive includes museums like the AGO.

Our Visitor Experience team will continue to monitor ticket sales to ensure that we remain at 50% capacity throughout the museum.

We have worked very hard to keep our staff safe throughout this pandemic and will continue to do so. This week, we pressed pause on bringing back our Volunteers and have asked those Managers and others who can to do their work from home and resume working remotely.

What protections are in place for employees and visitors?

We will continue to be guided by the advice of public health officials. We have the following measures in place:

• All employees and visitors over the age of 12 are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they have a valid exemption. Visitors must show proof of vaccination and a corresponding ID on arrival.
• All employees and visitors over 2 years of age are required to wear a mask or face covering in a manner which covers their mouth, nose and chin, while visiting the AGO.
• We have increased our cleaning schedule and will be disinfecting high touch and high traffic areas multiple times a day. Our state of the art HVAC system has a 95% efficiency or MERV 15 rating, ensuring regular fresh air exchange and filtration. 
• This summer we installed UV sanitizing lighting in all fan systems throughout the building. UV sanitizing lighting is considered to be an effective tool to further aide to reduce the spread of pathogens and provide ongoing disinfection.

A reminder of what we need from you:

• Please wear your mask at all times when working with others.  We strongly recommend you wear a mask provided by the AGO.
• Please practice physical distancing and where possible stay at least 2 metres from one another.
• Please wash your hands frequently and properly.
• Please limit your movement around the building so that you minimize contact with others.

Sick policy:

• Please stay home if you are feeling unwell. As usual, notify your manager.
• If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, use this self-assessment tool to help determine how to seek further care. Please stay home if you are feeling unwell.
• If you, or someone you live with, are diagnosed with COVID-19, please contact your Manager and Kyle Nhan, Manager, Health & Safety, immediately. His email is [email protected]. We will keep this information confidential.

Leadership Team is paying close attention to the situation and we will keep everyone updated on the situation, should additional restrictions come into play. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please talk to your manager or LT members.

Thank you and stay safe,

Stephan

• 

For those volunteers interested, the Gallery has announced Extended Hours Until 9 pm (for Picasso Only)
Tuesday and Thursday Evening: December 28 and December 30
The exhibition closes January 16, 2022.

Also posting here, a reminder on the Procedure for Booking Volunteer Tickets. With less staff on site, and new contracting staff often taking shifts over the Holiday Break, please be patient with booking – this procedure will not be familiar for new folks. Just make sure when you book a ticket that you clearly share you are a volunteer looking to book a volunteer ticket(s). Thank you for your patience and support:

VOLUNTEERS are invited to book any of the following:

2 Special exhibition tickets for Picasso: Painting the Blue Period (There is a maximum of 2 exhibition tickets per volunteer) – one of these tickets will be for you, another for your guest. Picasso tickets include general gallery admission, which includes access to Matthew Wong, and Fragments of Epic Memory.

Not planning to see Picasso? A friendly reminder, you can also book up to 4 General Admission tickets in one visit. One of these tickets will be for you; and 3 for your guests.

For either option – you do not need to provide the name or contact details of your guests. The booking will be made under your name.

For both options, please:

Call the Contact Centre on 416-979-6608 or email [email protected] and make sure to:

• Specify if you are booking ticket(s) for Picasso (which includes General Gallery Admission), or General Admission only
• Please include the Date and time you would like to attend, and provide the name and email address for where to email the tickets. (This can be a name other than yours)
• The tickets will be sent out as PDFs that can be shown on a smartphone or printed in advance of your visit.
• Please provide 5 business days’ notice in advance of your visit so we can email you your tickets.

For any Volunteers who have a membership or Annual Pass, we encourage you to continue to use your membership to book your tickets, online, in advance of visiting.

Remember: all visitors/volunteers/staff must show proof of vaccination. For more details, please see all of the guidelines posted on the AGO website: https://ago.ca/visitor-information/visitor-guidelines

Hello Everyone,

This past weekend of aabaakwad was amazing. aabaakwad (it clears after a storm) is an annual Indigenous-led conversation on Indigenous art by those who create, curate and write about it. I was at the opening on Friday evening, and it was astounding to see, hear, and learn from so many stellar Indigenous artists.

Aabaakwad brought people together to share thoughts and ideas. Gatherings like this really do grow, change and shape culture over time.

A massive thank you to Wanda Nanibush and her imperative vision for this program.

I also want to make note of the production and operational work that goes into pulling off a weekend of this stature. It is a lot and often goes unnoted. Thank you to Deborah Nolan who was the lead for production and operations and all the teams across the museum who worked to make this happen: Communications & Brand, Education & Programming, Facilities, Finance, Food & Beverage, Media, PSD, Visitor Services and many others!

Finally, as Leadership Team continues to monitor and respond to the COVID environment with more employees back in the museum, it is extremely critical that we continue to adhere to Public Health’s recommended guidelines by:

• wearing a mask while walking through the Gallery
• practicing physical distancing
• sanitizing and washing your hands regularly
• staying home if you are feeling unwell

Everyone has done an extraordinary job since we’ve re-opened and these activities will ensure that safety amongst our colleagues is a priority.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful is on view now. Take a closer look at Houle’s Mohawk Summer, four banners inspired by a historic moment in the struggle for First Nation’s sovereignty.

For over 50 years, Anishnabe Saulteaux contemporary artist Robert Houle has been trailblazing. Since the Canadian Museum of History’s 1970 acquisition of his painting Red Is Beautiful, Houle’s influential work as an artist, curator, writer and educator has profoundly impacted the world of contemporary First Nations art in Canada – and globally. 

On view now, the AGO exhibition Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful surveys five decades of the artist’s monumental career and includes more than 90 large installations, paintings and drawings. Friday, December 3, 2021 – live from the AGO’s Baillie Court (and online) – was the kickoff of aabaakwad 2021, the third annual international gathering of Indigenous artists, curators and thinkers. This year, aabaakwad welcomed Robert Houle to deliver an opening keynote address, followed by a panel discussion with artists Faye HeavyShield and Barry Ace. 

Mohawk Summer (1990) is a large-scale work by Robert Houle consisting of four vibrantly coloured cloth banners, each showcasing a word directly related to a historic standoff between the Mohawk nation of Kanehsatà:ke and the Quebec provincial police in 1990. As part of Red is Beautiful, a re-creation of Mohawk Summer – done by Houle in 2010 – will be hung in Maxine Granovsky & Ira Gluskin Hall at the AGO. These grand and majestic banners will greet visitors when they first enter the Gallery, prepping them for the landmark exhibition.      

Read the full article on AGOinsider