Wednesday, December 16, 2020 – Wednesday, March 31, 2021 via Instagram
Distance Dress Up invites everyone to dress up in their favourite party outfit, take a selfie of themselves and post on Instagram (you must have an Instagram account to participate) with the tag #distancedressup! This participatory photo project is inspired by the exhibition Studio 54: Night Magicand the social restrictions that are currently in place due to Covid.
We’ll launched our new Distance Dress-Up project on Wednesday December 16 at 11 am with curator Geneviève Wallen, who offered a personalized take on playing dress-up at home and gave us the details of her look, in conversation with Sarah Febbraro, AGO’s Assistant Curator, Youth & Engagement. Watch (via the facebook launch) here.
Now through March 31 2021, everyone is invited to share their distance dress-up look with us on AGO Youth Instagram using #distancedressup.
Geneviève Wallen is a Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal and Tkaronto/Toronto based independent curator and writer. Wallen’s practice is informed by diasporic narratives, intersectional feminism, intergenerational dialogues, BIPOC alternative futures and healing platforms. Her ongoing research focuses on the notion of longevity as a methodology of ongoing resistance and care work in the arts.
She is an Exhibition Coordinator at FOFA Gallery, a member of YTB (Younger than Beyoncé), is the co-initiator (with Marsya Maharani) of Souped Up, a thematic dinner series conceived to carve spaces for care and support building among BIPOC curators and cultural workers, a member of the Black Curators Forum, and an advisory member for the BLACK PORTRAITURE[S]: Toronto, Absent/ed Presence conference (BPTO).
Due to the continued rise in the number of COVID-19 infections, this afternoon Premier Ford announced that the City of Toronto will remain under lockdown and restrictions will not be lifted on Monday, December 21. The Premier will make an announcement on Monday at 1pm about further restrictions as we head into the holiday season. This means that the AGO will continue to be closed to the public until further notice. We anticipate that this will extend into January.
I know that
this uncertainty is hard. We must follow the directive of our public health
professionals and the government as the health, safety and well-being of our
visitors, employees, volunteers and our extended AGO community is always our
top priority.
I will provide an update on Monday as soon as we hear more.
2020 has been a year that none of us will soon forget. With the second closure of our beloved AGO due to Covid-19, we are reminded that we are still in the midst of a serious global pandemic and that everyone’s health & safety remains #1 priority.
During a Volunteer Connector call in August, Stephan told volunteers how much we are missed in the gallery and was transparent that it will be some time before we return. As we look ahead to an uncertain 2021, we do our best to plan knowing that we must stay flexible and adapt. Our primary focus from a learning and development perspective will be rolling out Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) training and subsequent discussion groups (more on that in the New Year!)
Resources of interest to volunteers including: online programs, events, talks and links
Stay up-to-date with what’s happening at the AGO by signing up for the AGO Insider and by following the AGO on social media (@agotoronto) on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
We encourage everyone to stay connected during this time and to reach out to one another directly, as many of you have been doing since early March.
The second installment of the AGO’s online Senior Social premiered on November 20, featuring Tuesday GGs Laurie Herd and Carolyn Roth. We asked them about their experience making the video with staff members Doris Purchase, Art Educator, and Lauren McKinley Renzetti, Art Instructor. You can watch the three-part video featuring works by Mary Hiester Reid and Helen Galloway McNicoll here
What inspired you to sign up for the Senior Social online video?
Laurie: I was inspired to volunteer for the Zoom Senior Social because I thought it would be a good way to stay connected to the AGO while we are not able to do in-person tours. It feels good to do something to make life more interesting for people who are isolated or unable to get out. Hopefully it will encourage people to experiment with art-making. It is an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Carolyn: Yes I have to agree with Laurie about the willingness to take on the Senior Social. Although it took courage to attempt something new, I thought it would be a way to keep in touch with people and appreciate art together. The people in our Tuesday Group at the AGO all miss doing their tours and this seemed to be a way for me to communicate my love for art differently. The Zoom experience was relatively new but at times one would forget that the chatting was on screen.
Did you have any previous experience with art interpretation or art making? What was it like to do it over Zoom?
Carolyn: Art has been central to my life always. I studied Fine Arts at university and taught Visual Arts throughout my career at different levels. Being at the AGO has allowed me to continue my vocation. Experiences ‘making art’ have suffered in the last few years in that I had let time slip away with other things to do. However both my husband and I have resolved to make a new start once again. It is a way to lose oneself and create.
Laurie: I am a Tuesday Gallery Guide and I have had many years of experience talking about art so the conversation part of the Senior Social felt easy and relaxed. I have had very little experience making art and I was nervous about creating art while being recorded. While I have become used to being on Zoom over the last several months, I did find it difficult to talk and make art at the same time. I found I was working away while the others were chatting. I almost forgot that we were being recorded.
Doris discusses A Garden in September by Mary Hiester Reid and Picking Flowers by Helen Galloway McNicoll
What surprised you (good or bad) about the experience?
Laurie: I am surprised that my work looks better than I thought it would. I enjoyed working with Doris, Lauren and my Tuesday colleague Carolyn because they are very professional and fun. I would encourage others to consider volunteering for the Senior Social even if they have limited or no art making experience. It is an enjoyable way to stay involved with the AGO and our volunteer role.
Is there anything you would change about it?
Carolyn: Would I change anything? Well perhaps the art making could be a more spontaneous exploration of techniques. Lauren did a great job of talking us through various ways of doing the composition, the application of colours etc., but I was nervous about having to have a product at the end. Maybe puddling in paint and chalks together would lessen the tension. I hope that someone who watches these videos about discussing and making art would feel emboldened and jump right into exploring. It is so good for the soul!
What would you like people watching online to take away from the video?
Carolyn: I think the Senior Socials might just encourage the people watching to explore art making as it is a way to feel that one can make a contribution and feel good about newly found ability, no matter what level of expertise. I have a very close friend who in her senior years has taken up painting in acrylics which at times escapes from the canvas to making ‘rock paintings’ which are left along the trails when walking. She is ecstatic!
I really enjoyed working with Doris and Lauren and of course my friend, Laurie, from our Tuesday Group of Gallery Guides. It was SO much fun!
Lauren leads the group in inspired art making
You can read about the first Seniors Social session here. The next ones are scheduled for December 18, January 15, February 19 and March 19. More info here.
“All of my art is about lived experiences—mine and my community’s.” – Gloria Swain
Toronto artist Gloria C. Swain is living a full life. She is a multidisciplinary artist and social justice advocate who’s been creating for the better part of 50 years with installation, painting, performance, writing and photography. Her work examines ongoing colonial violence and centres her own experience as Black feminist artist, with invisible disabilities, navigating through unwelcoming spaces. Her most recent exhibition of abstract paintings, A Burst of Colour, was on view (before the recent lockdown) at 401 Richmond in Toronto.
And in an installment of AGO Art in the Spotlight, Adelina Vlas, AGO Associate Curator, Contemporary Art, connected with Swain to find out more about her impactful work in both the art and community spheres. It’s a wonderful conversation! Watch now, here.
Stay tuned for more from AGO Art in the Spotlight series featuring local artists throughout 2021. While you’re at it, take a look at some of this year’s past installments, including features with Rajni Perera, Tanya Talaga and Charles Officer.
The multitalented Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham join us for a conversation about their new book, Black Futures.
Photo of Jenna Wortham by Naima Green. Photo of Kimberly Drew by Tyler Mitchell.
What does it mean to be Black and alive right now? That’s the question Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham were seeking to answer when they teamed up to compile Black Futures—a powerful collection of images, photos, essays, memes, dialogues, poetry and more, aimed at telling the story of the radical and imaginative world Black creators are bringing forth today.
On December 15, you can join Drew and Wortham for a conversation with Madelyne Beckles, AGO Curatorial Assistant, Youth, about the book. Sign up, here.
Want to be the first to hear about AGO talks? Make sure you’re an AGOinsider subscriber. Join, here.
We are awaiting word from the Provincial Government on what will happen once the 28 lockdown period is over (December 21). We have been focused on being as prepared as possible for the inevitability of opening. The coat check is currently undergoing some final touches of a renovation to provide a safer environment for staff and visitors. The Studio 54: Night Magic installation should be near completion and we are also training staff via Zoom so we can pivot to a gallery setting once it is determined we can return. That being said, we are appropriately skeptical that we will re-open once these 28 days are over, with covid -19 cases being on the rise. Patience is a virtue and time will tell.
We all want to wish you Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! We know these holidays will look drastically different for so many of us, but we hope that you are able to enjoy simple pleasures of the season. For some added festive cheer, please enjoy Cornelius Kreighoff’s winter scene Breaking up of a Country Ball in Canada, Early Morning (1887), below:
Read on:
Mary Hiester Reid and Helen McNicoll
Join author Molly Peacock and curator Renée van der Avoird as they discuss historical Canadian artists Mary Hiester Reid and Helen McNicoll, linked here. Two of the first women to achieve success as professional artists in Canada, Hiester Reid and McNicoll radically broadened traditional concepts of femininity, domesticity and the potential for women to pursue careers as artists. This Close Looking talk accompanies the exhibition The Open Door: Mary Hiester Reid and Helen McNicoll. I have included some interesting highlights from the talk below:
Mary Hiester Reid made a big move from “ladies painting” (which generally involved watercolours) to “real” painiting (oils)
Helen McNicoll was Canada’s most wildly acclaimed Impressionists
McNicoll grew up in Montreal and lost her hearing at a young age due to scarlet fever
Before McNicoll died at the age of 36, she was on the verge of major artistic recognition
Both artists where considered to be radical (by living radical lives) back in the day
I also wanted to highlight another interesting talk, Close Looking: Georgiana Uhlyarik on Bertram Brooker, on Monday, December 14th at 11am (view here).
Studio 54 The Documentary
While we are in lockdown, I’m going to suggest a great documentary, Studio 54 The Documentary (2018) which serves as a primer for our upcoming special exhibition, Studio 54: Night Magic. The Documentary which is directed by Matt Tyrnauer, follows the incredbile rise and fall of the greatest night club ever! (Watch the trailer, here). You may think you know the story of the club, but this documentary reveals how little we truly knew. Ian Schrager (the quieter of the two partners) had never previously spoken on Studio 54 out of shame but now gives compelling interviews on those 33 months when Studio 54 was the most famous club ever until it’s collapse in 1980. Filled with great visuals and story, this documentary will give you a solid base of information for when the special exhibition eventually opens! The film is available on Netflix and Kanopy – which is a free streaming platform through the Toronto Public Library.
Stress Relievers: Kiko Sounds
Today I am sharing one of our Friday Night programing from back in June which features Curator, sound bath conductor and healing practitioner Kiko Sounds, to help ease us into the ongoing lockdown and holiday season. Before the performance starts, the artist will be in conversation with Bojana Stancic, Assistant Curator, Live Projects & Performance at the Art Gallery of Ontario (click here to view).
Kiko Sounds shares deep listening experiences through the subtle energetics of sound, meditation, plant medicine and restorative practices. With over a decade collaborating with artists to produce exhibitions, installations and publications through her art projects, Magic Pony and Narwhal, Kiko now combines her experiences in contemporary culture with holistic modalities. In doing so, she offers ephemeral, immersive and vibrational experiences that promote extended latitudes of mental and physical union. Through creating sensitive settings for connection and self-discovery, Kiko opens opportunities for individuals to access the infinite potential that exists within and with each other.
Earlier this week, the Auditor General’s “Value for Money” audits were published. I’d like to reiterate my thanks to everyone who was involved over the course of the past year. A lot of time and effort was devoted to auditors’ requests, which resulted in 19 recommendations, similar in size and scope to the ROM and McMichael Canadian Art Collection (the other two museums audited). All of the recommendations can be achieved within the next six months – some are even helpful! I am glad we can put the audit behind us and focus on continuing to make our museum as efficient and excellent as possible. You can read the full audit, here.
The AGO Bake Sale is back! Let us do the work for you this year so you’ll have more time to enjoy the season. As we’re not in the Gallery, we’ve put everything you need to know, online.
You’re invited to stock up on delicious holiday sweets and treats, created in-house by our culinary team. The hard work is already done so all you have to do is pop these treats in the oven.
Click HERE to read more, including all the frequently asked questions re: pick up, co-vid protocals etc.
You need to scroll down the page and
answer the questions in order to be taken to the order page and actually make
your selections. You should see this question on the page:
“These goods come ready to bake, do you have an oven? *”
You also have to input your pick up date,
And then you’ll be asked to identify if you are staff or volunteer
You will be asked to input your “AGO
membership # or staff #” – in this box enter: 1234567
Pre-order and pick up baked goods Wednesday – Saturday between December 3 and 24.
All items included in your total include HST.
QUESTIONS: Please reach out to us by email at [email protected] or from Thursday to Sunday between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. by phone at 416-979-6688.
I’m sure you all join me in acknowledging
that it’s not a bad thing that we are almost at the end of 2020. What a year it
has been! Usually at this time of year we are planning for a staff and
volunteer party to come together and celebrate the holiday season and the many
successes we have accomplished together. Alas, we will not be doing so this
year. However, I can guarantee festivities are in order once we are advised by
health authorities that a massive party is safe! In the meantime, we must
continue to limit gatherings, practice social distancing, wear masks and wash
hands frequently. Here is the AGO’s annual holiday card, which this year
features a Studio 54 theme: http://happyholidays.ago.ca.
Please feel free to use this card to extend year-end wishes to your contacts.
I am very excited about Studio 54. The installation is
in full steam and is looking fantastic. Thank you to all the exhibitions staff
and others who are on-site putting it all together. I think this is something
our public will really enjoy once we can re-open. The themes of music, fashion,
art and celebrity culture – and disco! – are a welcome tonic as we begin 2021.
For this week’s D&I resource, continuing with a
focus on Indigenous perspectives, here is a video of artist, writer and curator
Rick Hill discussing the intersection of Indigenous and Western knowledge and
how treaties were developed based on an Indigenous philosophy of conservation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sp0aR7UHdI.
