Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to share with you the wonderful news that our dear colleague Adelina Vlas has accepted the position of Head of Exhibitions and Publications at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. It is an exciting opportunity and truly reflects her curatorial and professional excellence. We will miss Adelina immensely not only because of how much she has done for the AGO, but also how much of a genuine, dedicated, and collaborative colleague she is to work with. In our short time spent together at the AGO, I have grown to be an admirer of hers. 

Adelina joined the AGO in 2014 as the Associate Curator, Contemporary Art, and has left an indelible mark on the Modern and Contemporary Art Department and the AGO during her seven-and-a-half-year tenure. Her scholarship, commitment, and determination have led to the creation of many successful and innovative exhibitions.

Most recently, Adelina has curated two large career-survey exhibitions of artists Haegue Yang and Hito Steyerl, and commissioned Yang’s monumental-scale installation Woven Currents – Confluence of Parallels, currently on view in the Tannenbaum Sculpture Atrium. Both exhibitions featured works that were shown in Canada for the first time and accompanied by comprehensive catalogues. Adelina has spearheaded many solo presentations for the Iskowitz Prize including Liz Magor, Sandra Meigs, and Valérie Blass. She was the in-house curator of the successful exhibition Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors and has also curated two editions of the AIMIA/AGO Photography Prize. Besides organizing special exhibitions, Adelina has contributed significantly to the building of the contemporary art collection and has curated many collection-based displays among them: As If Sand Were Stone: Contemporary Latin American Art from the AGO Collection and Arte Povera. Since 2018, she has also coordinated gallery rotations on the fourth floor including an ambitious installation of Adrian Villar Rojas’s Today We Reboot the Planet. Additionally, Adelina has worked closely with many other departments at the AGO to advance our mission as a collecting institution to care for the artworks we acquire, most notably as the lead curator working with the cross-divisional Time-Based Media Working Group.

The opportunity at the Power Plant will allow Adelina to continue shaping the contemporary art scene in Toronto and Canada at large. I have no doubt that her work will create a lasting impact on the contemporary art community internationally. Her last day at the AGO is February 1, and she begins work at The Power Plant on February 14. Adelina will continue to work towards the completion of the publication on the major commission by artist Brain Jungen.

Please join me in congratulating Adelina on her numerous accomplishments at the AGO, and on this new adventure in her career. It is bittersweet to say goodbye, but we will certainly look forward to continuing conversations and collaborations with her in the future.

Warmly,

Xiaoyu Weng 翁笑雨

Carol and Morton Rapp Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art

Hello Everyone,

We are ending the week on a high note. It is very positive news that we will be re-opening on Tuesday, February 1st. This means that we will have three incredible exhibitions on view for our public: Fragments of Epic Memory; Robert Houle: Red Is Beautiful; and Matthew Wong: Blue View.

New banners have been installed outside the building promoting Houle and internally, we’ll have signage directing our visitors to both Fragments and Matthew Wong. 

I am very pleased that we will be re-opening. I really look forward to seeing more of you onsite, including the Visitor Welcome team. For the time being, those who can work from home will continue to do so. We have followed the direction from the Province and health officials throughout COVID and we will focus on keeping each other and our public safe. That remains my greatest priority.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

P.S. This weekend I will be eating cake and celebrating my birthday – 53!!

Dear Everyone,

I’m sure you have seen the news, but I am delighted to share that the Ontario government announced that as of January 31st, in the absence of concerning trends in public health and health care indicators, Ontario will follow a phased approach to public health measures with 21 days between each step.

This means that we can re-open the building at 50% capacity on Tuesday, February 1st. Leadership Team is reviewing what this means operationally for some of the onsite work that has been paused or delayed, but we know we will be welcoming back our visitors to our galleries, shopAGO and AGO Bistro. This also means active employees who serve our visitors onsite will not be served layoff notices. This is excellent news!

Thank you and take care,

Stephan

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, the AGO’s 10-year vision is to lead global conversations from Toronto through extraordinary collections, exhibitions and programs and by reflecting the people who live here.

There are four key elements to the vision, with three elements already in process:

• Collection – we will strengthen our Collection through donations and increased acquisition and endowment funds.
  • Exhibitions & Programs – we will export Canadian content and perspectives to inform global conversations, and import culture to be the partner of choice for the world’s leading art museums.
  • Audience – we will grow and diversify our audiences and remain vibrant and relevant to them today and in the future.

Planning for the fourth element is underway. We are in the planning stage of an exciting new expansion project – AGO Global Contemporary – to create additional exhibition space for our growing Modern & Contemporary collection. The Board of Trustees has approved the preliminary stage of the project – to begin the design process and create a fundraising strategy for this project.

There is a lot of work to be done, and this is not public information, but something to be excited about. More to come.

Stephan

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