Dawoud Bey (born 1953), John Edmonds (born 1989), and Wardell Milan (born 1977) — contemporary African-American artists from three generations — all consider how photographs continue to shape Black American experiences.

In these works, from series made between 2017 and 2019, the artists grapple with African-American visual representations over time. They are driven by various questions: What can photographs actually document? Can they evoke experiences of the past? Can their contexts be reinvented? Using a range of aesthetic strategies, Bey, Edmonds, and Milan each transform histories of violence and present complex and poetic visions of Blackness.

The works were all recently acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Presented in collaboration with the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. On now until December 5.

In the 1960s and 1970s, documentary photography took on new power and meanings. In the aftermath of the Second World War, interactions shifted between citizens and their governments, between colonizers and the newly independent, and between other groups as new sociocultural dynamics evolved. This exhibition looks at how photographers around the world—from Bamako to Mumbai, Pretoria to Toronto—used their medium to celebrate, to witness, and to critique their worlds in new ways during a time of change.

Be it through sharply recorded detail or dynamic blurring, in the photography studio or on the street, in single images or in deliberate sequences, the artists chose a range of aesthetic approaches to bring the personal and the political into dialogue. On now until December 5.

Hello Everyone,

There is some amazing programming for Fragments coming up and if you’re onsite this weekend, check out AGO Live: Sonic Saturdays Steel Pan.

Our events section of the website https://ago.ca/events/browse has more details about this performance and other talks including an Art in the Spotlight talk with Georgiana Uhlyarik on the work of Mary Hiester Reid next Tuesday at 4pm (register, HERE) Mary Hiester Reid is the first woman artist to have a retrospective at the AGO – albeit posthumous – in 1922.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

PS – A reminder that next Thursday, September 30^th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I encourage you to wear orange shirts to honour the experiences of Indigenous Peoples including the effects of residential schools and their legacy.

Hello everyone,

I am enjoying hosting guests at the Bistro patio outside along Dundas. The Development team is doing a wonderful job bringing donors onsite. They are in action every day and it’s great to see them deepening relationships with AGO supporters. If you haven’t had a chance to enjoy lunch at the patio, do it soon while the weather is still glorious. Thank you to the Bistro servers who are creating a welcoming and safe dining experience for our public.

September 30^th carries additional significance this year. In June, the Federal Government of Canada announced this date as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is deeply important to engage in learning and acknowledgement of the history of the country from an Indigenous perspective. The AGO will be open on this date and will invite visitors to be in reflection. Educational resources will be provided to our employees and volunteers as well as our public. Stay tuned for further details.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

In case you missed it, in January we took a glimpse into the gardens of Gustave Caillebotte. AGO curator Dr. Caroline Shields led a Close Looking examining the master Impressionist’s signature style

Since 2019, Blue Irises, Garden at Petit Gennevilliers (1892) by French Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) has been part of the AGO Collection. Dr. Caroline Shields, AGO Associate Curator and Head of European Art, discussed this painting at length in an AGO Close Looking Facebook Live talk in early January 2021.

This seemingly simplistic painting of blossoming blue irises offers a deeper insight into garden painting and its influence on late 19th century art history.

Watch Dr. Shields’ Facebook Live talk “Close Looking: Gustave Caillebotte” in full, linked HERE (via AGOinsider)

Andy Warhol was paid nearly $1 million to produce a portrait series featuring Black and Latinx trans women and drag queens in 1975. What can this body of work tell us about the representation of transgender and racialized people in art?

What does it mean to be increasingly visible in a world that both celebrates and targets you based on your identity? In 1974, Italian art dealer Luciano Anselmino commissioned Andy Warhol for a new series of artworks, after the two spent an evening at a seedy New York nightclub named the Gilded Grape. Fascinated by the spectacle of what he perceived to be men crudely attempting to “pass” as women, Anselmino asked Warhol to create portraits of drag queens and trans women of colour. After much negotiation, Warhol agreed and sent three collaborators to scout New York’s queer nightlife and cruising spots for potential sitters. 

The sitters, who did not initially know they would be photographed by Warhol, each received $50 per half-hour to pose, while one of Warhol’s recruiters, Corey Tippin, was paid $75. Warhol was paid $900,000 to produce 100 paintings and 10 prints, each in an edition of 100. In the end, he took over 500 photographs of 14 Black and Latinx drag queens and trans women, titled Ladies and Gentlemen (a series).

In conjunction with the major exhibition now open at the AGO, we hosted a virtual panel discussion to dive into the Ladies and Gentlemen series and its many implications. Artist and activist Ravyn Wngz and art historian Kirstin Ringelberg were joined in conversation by AGO Curator Kenneth Brummel and Interpretive Planner Gillian McIntyre, linked HERE (via AGOinsider)

Hello Everyone,

Since our re-opening two months ago, I have been very impressed with our Visitor Welcome staff and the ways they have pivoted to provide a welcoming and safe point-of-entrance for our visitors, especially those who are working the lines outside of the front doors. They are simply providing a wonderful and positive atmosphere for those waiting to enter the museum. Thank you to Trish Hopkins, Manager of Visitor Welcome, and everyone on the team for the great job you are all doing.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

Hello everyone,

I have to say, the quality of extraordinary content on view right now at the AGO is truly amazing. Having Warhol, Wong and Fragments of Epic Memory installed at the same time is literally an art feast for our public. I love it! Congratulations to Julian and the curatorial team. Congratulations also to the Marketing & Comms team – our messages are resonating with visitors, and attendance is strong.

A bit of good news to share – Moko Jumbie, the sculpture in Walker Court by Zak Ové commissioned by the AGO, has been acquired for our collection. This was made possible by lead support from David W. Binet, an AGO trustee, and generous support from Ray and Georgina Williams. A picture of the work is at the bottom this email.

At the AGO, we strive to provide a welcoming and safe environment. We are a public institution, and our work revolves around people. Right now, we need to help protect one other and our public from COVID. As I mentioned last week, Leadership Team is developing a vaccine policy to be announced in the coming days. Again, if you haven’t already been vaccinated, I encourage you to get your shots. You should anticipate that this will be a requirement for all staff and volunteers as well as our public.

Labour Day weekend is often filled with much excitement and a little bit of nerves for the back-to-school folks, both parents/guardians and children. I wish everyone well.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan

We were happy to see many of you on last night’s zoom call, celebrating the opening of Fragments of Epic Memory, with Stephan and Curator, Julie Crooks. Below, you’ll find a photo that our friends in Development snapped earlier last year, when the Volunteer Council met to officially “sign off” on the Volunteer Endowment Trust Fund’s support of initial research into the Montgomery Collection of Caribbean photographs, many of which are included in the exhibition. How wonderful to see something come into fruition in a challenging year!

Previous to this, in 2019, a large group of donors came together to acquire this large collection of historical photographs of the Caribbean for the Gallery. Julie describes the selection process, in this week’s AGOinsider (linked here).

Hello Everyone,

Earlier this week, I visited the Fragments of Epic Memory installation on the 5^th floor. Congratulations to Dr. Julie Crooks and everyone involved, it is a very special exhibition. The picture below is of an art work by Sandra Brewster, commissioned by the AGO. It is indicative of the originality and quality of works in the show.

As I mentioned in my message last week, we will slowly and carefully be bringing more people back onsite beginning mid-September, starting with LT, who will be onsite for a minimum of three days a week. All LT members are fully vaccinated. Again, if you are not fully vaccinated, I encourage you to get your shots. We are developing a vaccine policy for the AGO and more information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Take care and stay safe,

Stephan