A place for AGO volunteers to share, learn, and connect
On February 9 at 7pm fashion icons André Leon Talley and Diane von Furstenberg connect live via Zoom for a chat about Studio 54 style
Read more about these amazing fashion trailblazers in AGOinsider.
Register for the talk Studio 54 and the Art of Fashion, here.
Hello Everyone,
We are in the second month of 2021. There is more sunlight every day. In a couple more months, it will be spring. Day by day, month by month, we are getting closer to brighter, more hopeful days.
On Wednesday, I shared our upcoming exhibition schedule at the Board of Trustees meeting. There is a lot of excitement about shows like Warhol, Fragments of Epic Memory and Picasso to lift spirits and help the AGO lead the recovery in the cultural sector. It was also reported that the AGO remains on track to achieve a balanced budget by the end of March. Thank you to everyone for your focus on achieving financial equilibrium, one of our key institutional values.
This week’s D & I resource, provided by Curator of Indigenous Art, Wanda Nanibush, focuses on the purpose and significance of territorial acknowledgement including the Dish with One Spoon Wampum: https://facingcanada.facinghistory.org/the-dish-with-one-spoon-wampum. Please take a few moments to read and watch the video.
While closed, there is amazing Studio 54 programming available online. I am particularly excited about an upcoming talk on “Studio 54 on the Art of Fashion” featuring my friend André Leon Tally in conversation with Designer Diane von Furstenberg (February 9, 7pm via Zoom). André is an incredibly insightful and intelligent person with deep knowledge and passion for art history. He is a trailblazer. Some of you will remember when he spoke at the AGO in person two years ago. I look forward to welcoming André back, albiet online, next week. Here is the link in case you are interested in listening to the discussion: https://ago.ca/events/studio-54-and-art-fashion.
February is Black History Month. Hope you will find a way to celebrate and learn more about Black communities in this month and beyond. Next week we will share what we are doing to support these important conversations.
Take care,
Stephan
The Gallery’s virtual school programs are celebrating Black creatives all month! We spoke to I.M.F, a guest facilitator who will be using the power of spoken word to inspire students.
Happy Black History (Futures, Liberation) Month! This month presents a great opportunity to commemorate the past, acknowledge the present and envision the future. The AGO’s Virtual Schools Program is marking the occasion by celebrating Black creatives. Every Friday in February, students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 can gain a deeper understanding of art from the AGO Collection created by Black artists. These dynamic school sessions incorporate spoken word poetry and great music. The goal is to support teachers as they engage students in contemporary conversations about Black communities.
Led by spoken word/music tandem I.M.F (In My Feelings) and Raffiki, along with an AGO Art Educator, the sessions will include an introduction to the art of the spoken word and an exploration of the artwork in the AGO Collection through the use of critical analysis. The creative duo will also share their music and poetry during the session.
To learn more about I.M.F, to find out about her and Raffiki’s origin story and how they plan to approach their work with AGO Virtual School Programs, click HERE.
Hello Everyone,
Communicating with our members and public during the pandemic has been critical. We do this in many ways including through the weekly AGO Insider, which reaches nearly 250,000 people every Tuesday. Based on responses we receive, it is clear the AGO’s connection with our audience remains strong. Today I thought I would share a few:
“Hello. Just to say a big thank you for the AGO newsletters, which are such a brilliant and creative alternative to being able to visit the AGO itself. I am so proud to have such a wonderful institution in our midst, and proud that you have responded so creatively to the COVID crisis. Stay safe, everyone!”
“I just want to commend you and your team for the incredible job you have done staying in touch with the members…you have been very inclusive and informative in the fluid changes of our current pandemic life. When I bought my membership, I was so excited to come and visit and I still haven’t been which is disappointing……. I still feel a part of what you have created though. I just wanted to say thank you.”
“I MISS YOU and all the art. I can hardly wait until you are open again and full of art lovers. Thank you very much for the emails AGO.”
“One of the things I’ve been missing most, especially as we navigate the second lockdown in Toronto, is popping by the Art Gallery and spending time with favourite paintings and discovering new works of art. I was able to visit the gallery a few times in the fall of 2020 and was grateful for that.”
“I particularly like the experience of going to a museum. The quiet escape from a noisy city. And to be with others as well appreciating and being challenged by art. I have appreciated your revision of the white cis male art cirque and it has shown up powerfully in your curation. I think you as an organization have from the outside at least taken a hard look at equity issues in art and made visible steps to change that. I appreciate it a lot. It challenges me a lot. I have been lucky to have a full time job with benefits throughout the pandemic so my choices around programming would be that I want it to go back to what it was before if possible. I respect whatever choices you need to make and I’m sorry if we don’t all rise up to meet you. All the best.”
Thank you to our communications staff and everyone involved for keeping our public close to us and informed of AGO activities this past year.
Take care,
Stephan
Hello Everyone,
Our educators have been very busy with daily online school classes, which continue to grow to sizes of 1,000+ per class in some cases. Honestly, this is massive. As well, our AGO educators recently hosted an art-making workshop for Camp Ooch campers and their families. Camp Ooch is a privately funded, nonprofit oncology camp that brings laughter and joy to kids and families affected by childhood cancer.
With 44 families zooming in, artist-instructors Amanda Arcuri and Olia Mishchenko drew on K.M Graham’s artworks in our collection, https://ago.ca/collection/browse?keys=k.m.%20graham for inspiration. Families with children ages 5-10 learned how to make drawings. Check out some of the amazing work at #AGOmakes.
Art continues to bring joy and learning opportunities to those staying at home. At the AGO, I know that experiencing our first COVID-19 is stressful for everyone. It’s worth repeating that this is our first case in 10 months. We have good protocols in place. We will continue to follow guidance from our health provincials. We will open again soon to our public.
Julie Crooks shared this article with the IDEA Group earlier this week, which is especially timely as we prepare to welcome Cian Knights, our new Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, to the AGO on Monday. The key point here is that it is all of our responsibility to help make our museum more diverse and inclusive. The responsibility does not solely rest on Cian’s shoulders. We all have a role to play.
Take care,
Stephan
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to let you know that an employee at the AGO has tested positive for COVID-19. I am thinking of the employee and wishing them a quick recovery. I ask that everyone respect their privacy during this time.
I want to assure all of you that we have taken all the necessary measures to control any potential means of transmission. We have shut down certain areas and are doing deep cleaning through internal and external resources. We have notified any individuals who may have had any contact with this employee and have asked them to go and remain home. We are monitoring the situation closely and will send out further communication if needed.
I know that this news is concerning. It’s why we developed strict safety protocols and have limited access to the building to as few employees as possible. The COVID team has done everything that they can to ensure we have a safe work environment. We will not allow any work to re-commence until we are confident that there is no longer any risk of infection. It is also a reminder to us all to closely follow the strict protocols that we have put in place.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we have not had a positive case in 10 months. Our protocols are working. Let’s continue to be vigilant.
Sincerely,
Stephan
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Cian Knights will be joining the AGO on Monday, January 25th as our new Manager, Diversity and Inclusion. Cian will be part of the Director’s Office team and work closely with myself and Stephan, the Leadership Team, the People team, and others in the organization to advance our Diversity and Inclusion strategy throughout the museum.
This is very exciting news and I hope you will all join me in welcoming Cian to the AGO. We all have much to learn from Cian, and to share with her.
The Manager, Diversity and Inclusion position aligns with Cian’s professional experience, passion and commitment to developing and implementing strategic initiatives that explicitly address equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. Cian has a degree in Women’s Studies & Caribbean Studies and also a master’s in Business Administration. She has a background in healthcare, education and the arts, having worked at Unity Health Toronto (Hospital network of Providence, St. Joseph’s, St. Michael’s driving health equity strategies), Harmony Movement (building the capacity of Ontario school boards to address racial equity, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-oppression, and inclusive education and work environments) and Scarborough Arts (developing inclusive community arts programming). She also has vast stakeholder engagement, community and volunteer experience.
Thank you to the IDEA Group for their suggestions and support regarding this position along with Letecia Rose, who provided consultation and those who served on the hiring panel: Jessica Bright, Alain Graham, Audrey Hudson, Wanda Nanibush, Michelle Noel and Nathalie Sato.
Diversity and Inclusion is one of our key strategic drivers. Cian, the IDEA Group, the new Diversity and Inclusion Working Committee of the board – as well as all of us – will continue to work together to help make the AGO more inclusive, welcoming and reflective of the people who live in our city.
Cian’s email is [email protected]. She will report to me with a dotted line to Alain in People.
Thank you,
Erin
Erin Prendergast
Chief, Strategic Initiatives
Hello Everyone,
Earlier this week I spoke to managers about planning underway for our amazing upcoming exhibitions including Warhol, Fragments of Epic Memory and Picasso. We are well positioned to bounce back strongly once we can safely re-open again.
With the current stay-at-home order and school continuing virtually for kids, I know many of us are balancing a lot on the home front. There is quite a bit to cope with right now but don’t lose sight of where we are heading. We will get there one day at a time. Incorporate as much fun into your day as possible. Find those moments for levity and joy.
It really helps to talk to someone. Think of a colleague or friend you haven’t spoken to in a few weeks or months – reach out to them, see how they are doing.
One day at a time. Stay well and look after your own mental health needs.
Stephan
Art and learning can help lift our spirits and support our well-being.
Although we are currently closed to the public, online learning and virtual events continue at the AGO. Join us from home; be artful, creative and curious!
Wednesday, January 20, 6 pm via Zoom (Register, HERE)
Join Studio 54: Night Magic curator Matthew Yokobosky for a conversation with the AGO’s Paul Mathiesen and Julian Cox about the look, design and vibe of the legendary Manhattan nightclub. Hear behind the scenes stories from Paul Mathiesen, who worked at Studio 54 during its heyday.
Matthew Yokobosky is Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, Brooklyn Museum.
Paul Mathiesen is a lighting designer who works in Logistics and Gallery Services at the AGO.
Julian Cox is the Chief Curator of the AGO
Tuesday January 26, 4pm via Zoom (Register, HERE)
Join artist Martha Rosler in conversation with the AGO’s Sophie Hackett about Rosler’s five decades-long practice, including the foundational The Bowery in two inadequate descriptive systems (1974–75), currently on view at the AGO.
Martha Rosler works in video, photography, text, installation, and performance. Her work focuses on the public sphere, exploring issues from everyday life and the media to architecture and the built environment, especially as they affect women. Rosler has for many years produced works on war and the national security climate, connecting life at home with the conduct of war abroad, in which her photomontage series played a critical part. She has also published several books of photographs, texts, and commentary on public space, ranging from airports and roads to housing and gentrification. A retrospective of her work has been shown internationally, and her writing is published widely in publications such as Artforum, e-flux journal, and Texte zur Kunst. Rosler lives and works in Brooklyn.
Sophie Hackett has been a member of the AGO’s department of photography since 2006. She is currently an adjunct faculty member in Ryerson University’s Master’s degree program in Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management, and was a 2017 Fellow with the Center for Curatorial Leadership. Hackett’s areas of specialty include vernacular photographs; photography in relation to queerness; and photography in Canada from the1960s to the 1990s. Hackett’s curatorial projects include Barbara Kruger: Untitled (It) (2010); Max Dean: Album, A Public Project (2012); What It Means To be Seen: Photography and Queer Visibility and Fan the Flames: Queer Positions in Photography (2014); Introducing Suzy Lake (2014); Outsiders: American Photography and Film, 1950s–1980s (2016); Anthropocene (2018) and Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956–1971 (2020).
Friday, January 29, 11 am via Facebook Live
How can artists and designers create more multisensory experiences? OCADU Graduate Students in response to an Inclusive Design Multisensory Museum Course share their co-creative process of translating artworks in the AGO collection into multisensory objects. Students explore a wide variety of techniques to create an inclusive gallery experience in a series of Multisensory Museum Moments.
In this program, Japjot Singh presents an inclusive multisensory translation of Kazuo Nakamura’s Inner Structure (1956). For the translation, Japjot has made a 1:2 scale 3D prototype of the artwork which will let the user experience the pattern present in the artwork by using the sense of touch. Unravel the mystery of Kazuo Nakamura’s art by taking a multisensory dive into curiosity.
Would you like notice of all programs and events delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to the AGOinsider, here.
Hello Everyone,
As many of you have likely heard, yesterday Premier Ford declared a provincial state of emergency as well as additional measures aimed at addressing the spread of COVID-19. The intent is to get COVID numbers down so that our healthcare system and hospitals are not overwhelmed.
Leadership Team is looking into the details of how this will impact our situation at the AGO, if at all. We have taken many steps in recent weeks to accommodate the lockdown in our city and there is minimal activity currently happening on-site. We will communicate with everyone again later today regarding the stay-at-home order effective at 12:01am tomorrow. The situation is evolving and could shift quickly, depending on how the COVID numbers grow.
In the meantime, the AGO remains a very safe environment for those who are on-site. My priority above all is the health and safety and each of you.
I will be in touch again later today.
Stephan