Sharing the sad news that Bernie Gelfand, a beloved, long time member of the Wednesday evening crew of Information Guides, passed away in mid-December. A Memorial service has been set:

• Wednesday, January 25^th
• 1:00pm – 3:00pm
• Arts and Letters Clubs
• 14 Elm Street

 Bernard’s wife, Dorothy, has requested that anyone wishing to attend Bernie’s Memorial service send her their RSVP/share their email address with her so she can forward a personal invitation with details. Dorothy’s email address is [email protected]

Bernie joined us in his retirement. He had a doctorate in Social Work, and had taken studio courses at the Gallery before joining our volunteer community 13 years ago. He is lovingly remembered for his optimism, energy, artistry, friendship and great wit (There was never a dull moment with Bernie around!)

We are grateful to share these remembrances from Bernie’s volunteer and staff colleagues:

He was a beloved member of the vibrant Wednesday night group. He also recently celebrated his 86^th birthday while on shift! He was so funny, intelligent, kind and young of spirit. He will be greatly missed.

Bernie’s wry sense of humour, sage wisdom and the way he engaged all kinds of gallery visitors are all the things I will dearly miss.  I could always count on Bernie to be there on time and ready to greet visitors.

He was a fun, generous and intelligent man.

He was an incredible artist who loved Manet and Monet – this painting (above) by Bernie is an echo of that style.

He was such a kind man, with such wit and creativity; whether it be painting, writing or singing.  I remember a few years back seeing a play he wrote at the Sandcastle Theatre. I enjoyed, and will miss, the many conversations we had about art, the best art supplies and our creative projects.

During a memorable National Volunteer Week, Bernie and I sat side-by-side in the volunteer lounge, making buttons, just the two of us, cutting and pasting and collaging well past an hour together. It was wonderful to be joined by someone whose enthusiasm for making things matched mine.

Lovingly Remembered

Hello everyone, 

We are very pleased to welcome Taqralik Partridge to the AGO’s Indigenous + Canadian Art Department as Associate Curator, Indigenous Art – Inuit Art focus. Many of you will remember Taqralik as a co-curator of Tunirrusiangit: Kenojouak Ashevak + Tim Pitsiulak in 2018.  

Taqralik Partridge is a curator, artist, performer, writer and spoken-word poet originally from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. Taqralik comes to us from her role as Director of Nordic Lab at Galerie SAW Gallery in Ottawa.  She also served as Adjunct Curator at the Art Gallery of Guelph, where her most recent exhibition Qautamaat | Every day / everyday, is currently on view.

Taqralik’s performance work has been featured on CBC Radio One, and she has toured with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. In 2018, she was named a finalist for the CBC Short Story Prize. She has previously worked as Communications Director for Avataq Cultural Institute and Editor-at-Large for the Inuit Art Quarterly. She is a member of the Inuit Leadership Group for Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership: The Pilimmaksarniq/Pijariuqsarniq Project. Taqralik’s work was included in the Biennale of Sydney and Among All These Tundras, and has also released a book of poetry, Curved Against the Hull of a Peterhead (2020).

We are very lucky to welcome a true visionary, community builder and creative soul to our team.

Taqralik started on October 17, and she can be reached at [email protected].

Welcome Taqralik!

This week, we are saddened to hear of the recent passing of Millie Gotlib, a member of our Information Guide team for nearly 10 years, before she took leave in 2018. Millie was a warm & elegant presence in our volunteer lounge. I thought of her as a kind of “grand dame,” with a distinctive deep voice, a knowing wit (and a wonderful laugh.) Condolences to the family have been sent on behalf of the volunteer community.

Millie’s obituary, shared here , mentions that a personal message on the website condolence book would be especially welcomed at this time.

All volunteers are invited to attend the next Gallery Guide program meeting – Thursday, November 10 at 6 – 7 PM, where Deputy Director and Chief Curator Julian Cox, will share his insights about the upcoming Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows exhibition which opens at the AGO on December 7. We’re excited to learn more about the show and we hope you are too!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88555238601

Meeting ID: 885 5523 8601

Note that we will be recording this session for later viewing and reviewing. We will follow up after the meeting with a link to the recording, which will be posted on the AGO volunteer blog.

Hello everyone,

Earlier this week I attended the Association of Art Museum Directors conference in Washington, DC, which was the first time we’ve gathered in person in a couple of years. It was good to see people again! We chatted about a bunch of topics and noted that a lot of things are shifting in our sector. I have to say, the AGO is part of more successful group of museums that have adapted well to these shifts. The changes we have made to our exhibitions, collections and programs, the launch of the Annual Pass, our visitor experience, have all helped position us very well. Thank you – all of you – for your help with these changes.

I saw the poster and I heard from Paul Ayers, President, OPSEU Local 535, about the union party. It is really important for us to re-connect, enjoy life and have a party occasionally.

The party for OPSEU members is Tuesday, November 15^th at 6pm at the Amsterdam Brew House, located at 245 Queens Quay West. Hope you can attend!

Take care,

Stephan

Celebrating its highest attendance to date, Art Toronto makes its triumphant in-person return

Art Toronto marked a triumphant return to in-person festivities this past weekend, welcoming galleries, artists, curators and collectors from across Canada, the United States and Korea. In addition to the more than 90 galleries showcasing artworks, there was a focus exhibition, curated by Marie-Charlotte Carrier, featuring a mix of contemporary and historical artworks, in addition to many talks and tours. 

The fair also provided AGO Curators with an exceptional opportunity to acquire new art and bring new voices into the museum. Of the 17 works acquired across four collecting areas, eight are by artists new to the AGO Collection.

Read about all the new acquisitions, in this week’s AGOinsider.

We spoke to two Chicago-based retirees on an epic journey to see the works in the book 1001 Paintings to See Before You Die.

Twelve years ago, Chicago-based retirees Ray and Sue Wynn took a trip to the National Gallery of London that would change the course of their lives forever. While in the gift shop they stumbled upon a copy of the 2006 book 1001 Paintings to See Before You Die and were intrigued. After scrolling through its pages – and realizing they had already seen several of the works – they became curious about attempting to see the rest. 

Fast forward to the present day, and the ambitious couple have been globetrotting each year, visiting art museums and even some private collections, in hopes of completing the list. We recently caught up with Ray and Sue when their quest brought them to the AGO, in search of 19th century painter Cornelius Krieghoff’s Habitants Sleighing. We asked Ray a few questions about the epic journey, how it began, and which works have been the most memorable thus far. 

AGOinsider: Can you share the inception story of your journey? 

Wynn: We were in the gift shop at the National Gallery in London about 12 years ago when we saw the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die.  We have always enjoyed going to art museums, and paging through the book we saw many paintings that we had already seen. So we thought it would be pretty easy, and fun to see the paintings in the book.  Boy were we in for a surprise.

AGOinsider: How many of the 1001 have you been able to see thus far? Can you share some of the global destinations your quest has taken you to?

Wynn: We have seen 720, including the two paintings at the AGO. This number includes 56 substitutes for paintings that are in private collections. I do get to make the rules. Don’t get me started on the 130-plus paintings in the book that are in private collections.  Sue is very tired of hearing all this.

Globally, we’ve been to Central Europe, Sicily, Malta, Israel, Moscow and St. Petersburg.  Not sure we will ever get to Australia, South America, Africa or Asia, but you never know …

Read all about it, in this week’s AGOinsider.

We spoke to AGO Assistant Conservator, Paintings, Christina McLean about re-stretching some of the massive works in Denyse Thomasos: just beyond – on view now at the AGO.

For the last three weeks, visitors have been experiencing the magnificence of Denyse Thomasos: just beyond at the AGO. This landmark exhibition explores the full scope of Thomasos’s career, featuring more than 70 paintings and works on paper by the late Trinidadian-Canadian contemporary artist. 

just beyond is co-curated by Renée van der Avoird, Assistant Curator, Canadian Art, AGO; Sally Frater, Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Guelph; and Michelle Jacques, Head of Exhibitions and Collections / Chief Curator, Remai Modern, but the list of AGO staff members who contributed to the exhibition is much longer. 

Critical to the logistical success of just beyond is the AGO’s Conservation Department. Numerous paintings in the exhibition were transported to the AGO rolled up, due to their massive scale. They needed to be carefully re-stretched and mounted before they were hung in the space. This intricate and time-consuming task requires teams of conservation staff to assess the condition of the works, and often make small repairs to them before beginning the complicated stretching procedure. 

We spoke with Christina McLean, AGO Assistant Conservator, Paintings, who led re-stretching efforts for the exhibition. She enlightened us on the details of preparing massive, rolled-up paintings for installation.          

AGOinsider: Some of the Denyse Thomasos works are massive. What goes into stretching and mounting works of that size? Can you share some of the details?

McLean: Many of the large canvases in this exhibition are of a scale where they are transported and stored rolled, with their strainers fully disassembled. We assemble the strainers and make sure they are structurally sound enough to support the large canvases. The paintings have previously been stretched many times and we first ensure that they are strong enough to be stretched once again. Often this necessitates repairing tears in the tacking edges or reinforcing the edges with strip linings. Sometimes when a painting that is supposed to be under tension spends time unstretched it relaxes and creates deformations. Prior to stretching we address these deformations locally with controlled treatments. Finally, we stretch the paintings in teams to achieve even and consistent tension.

Read more in this week’s AGOinsider.

In case you missed it in July, AGOinsider spoke to Matt Ryle, a project manager at Walla Walla Foundry, about the intricacies of casting artist Brian Jungen’s massive public artwork, Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch’ill, in bronze.

Since its installation, renowned contemporary artist Brian Jungen’s massive public artwork – Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch’ill – has dramatically changed the corner of Dundas and McCaul Streets. Every day, the impressive four-metre-tall bronze elephant sculpture becomes an object of interest and reflection for hundreds of passersby. 

Jungen’s towering creation began as a full-size prototype made from salvaged couches and chairs. It was completed at his studio in British Columbia in March 2020 and then shipped to Walla Walla Foundry, a contemporary sculpture fabrication facility in Washington State, to be bronze cast – one week before the first Canada/U.S. COVID border closure! Over the following months, Jungen communicated virtually with staff at the Foundry to oversee the intricate casting process needed to create Couch Monster. 

We recently connected with Matt Ryle, a project manager at Walla Walla Foundry, to learn more about the detailed work required to bronze cast a massive elephant made of sofas.    

AGOinsider: Can you describe the range of services the Foundry offers contemporary artists? 

Ryle: We work with artists to bring their vision to life from creative conception through installation. We make works of art using both traditional methods (lost wax casting) and cutting-edge technology (3-D scanning/3-D printing).  

AGOinsider: Can you describe your collaborative process with Brian Jungen when working on Couch Monster? What was it like working on the project via remote communication with the artist during the pandemic?  

Ryle: Brian and his studio team built the original using salvaged couches and chairs. The full-scale model was shipped to Walla Walla Foundry the week before the Canadian/American border was closed due to COVID.  Brian had planned on visiting to finalize the model, but the border closure made this impossible. We communicated over the next months using photos and Brian’s sketches to manipulate the form, add the ball and finalize the trunk. It was a fun dialogue getting to the final form.  The pandemic delay allowed for several possibilities to be explored. 

AGOinsider: Can you walk us through the steps of bronze casting such a massive object?

Ryle: To create the Couch Monster, first a silicone rubber mold was made of the entire work.  This negative mold was used to capture the detail of the original leather surfaces. Wax is then poured into the molds, cooled until solid and then pulled from the mold, producing a positive. These wax positives are then dipped in a ceramic material which hardens around the wax.  Once this ceramic shell hardens the wax is melted out, leaving behind a negative, ceramic mold into which molten bronze can be poured.  The resulting 175 cast bronze parts are then welded together around an engineered stainless steel armature. The welds are then tooled back to match the original continuous surface texture. Lastly, a patina is applied to the bronze and it is all sealed with wax.  

Read the full article in AGOinsider.

Hello Everyone,

This week at the AGO we hosted a couple of events for the Toronto community.

On Tuesday, the AGO hosted “Art with Heart,” a fundraiser in support of Casey House, a specialty hospital in our city that cares for people living with HIV. It felt amazing to gather again with Casey House supporters after a two-year hiatus.

On Wednesday, we hosted a private event in partnership with The UN Refugee Agency and Henriquez Architects, which relates to the installation on view in The Annex. One of the panelists was Maxine Bailey, Executive Director, Canadian Film Centre. Below is a list of films that she recommends everyone see.

Take care,

Stephan

Films About the Refugee Crisis and Experience

• Human Flow (2017, dir. Ai Weiwei)
• Beasts of No Nation (2015, dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga)
• Capernaum (2018, dir. Nadina Labaki)
• Flee (2021, dir. Jonas Pher Rasmussen)
• Thank You For The Rain (2017 dir. Kisilu Masya/Julia Dahr)
• Climate Refugees (2010 dir. Michael Nash / Justin Hogan)
• Simple as Water (2021, dir. Megan Mylan)
• Stateless (2020, dir. Michèle Stephenson)
• Born in Syria (2016, dir. Hernán Zin)
• Peace by Chocolate (2021, dir. Jonathan Keijser)
• There’s No Place Like This Place, Anyplace (2020, dir. Lulu Wei)
• The Swimmers (2022, dir. Sally El Hosaini)