Hello Volunteers,

Sharing this post from my colleague through Volunteer Toronto and the Toronto Association of Volunteer Administrators, Ambrose Fan. – Holly

I’m currently looking for participants for my new research study at U of T. We’d like to speak with people who volunteer to meet strong needs. For example, people who:

– Volunteer as an employment-related activity for Ontario Works.
– Volunteer to gain ‘Canadian experience’ because they are refugees or newcomers to Canada.
– Volunteer to support recovery from an illness (including mental illness.)
– Volunteer because they have low or no income, and the experience could help them find a paid job.
– Volunteer because they have a disability that makes participating in the community a challenge.
– Volunteer as a way to access services at an organization (For example, the organization gives you a transit subsidy to volunteer, and that helps you get there to access services.)

Participants will be asked to take part in a 1 hour phone interview, and will receive a $30 honorarium for their time.

Full details are available at this link

A little background about me and this project: I am a volunteer management professional, my most recent position was Manager of Volunteer Services at Shelter Movers (please see page 5)<https://issuu.com/volunteerto/docs/vt_annualreport2019-issuu_pages>. I began my career in the non-profit sector as a volunteer, doing front line work at a food bank. Over time, I became very interested in volunteerism, particularly the experience of volunteers with strong needs, versus/in addition to generally understood “altruistic” motivations for volunteering.

This study is funded by a grant for community-led research projects from the University of Toronto, Scarborough. My advisor is Dr. Bettina von Lieres<https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/ccds/person/bettina-von-lieres>, Assistant Professor at The Centre for Critical Development Studies. I met Bettina when I was a panel discussion guest speaker in one of her classes. The purpose of this study is to develop scoping questions for a larger, future research study.

Thank you! – Ambrose

We continue an occasional series of volunteer profiles. This week Shelagh Barrington catches up with long time volunteer Barb Keilhauer, a 27-year Gallery Guide.

What brought you to the AGO as a volunteer?

I was born in Brooklyn, NY of proud Dutch heritage. I have always enjoyed music, singing. I met and married a Canadian and moved to Toronto where I went back to school and received my B.Ed, with a minor in art history and then began teaching music. After children entered my life, I was interested in getting out and volunteering. I heard about the AGO Docent (now Gallery Guide) program and met with Elizabeth Topp, an AGO Education Officer who became my first mentor. Elizabeth had a wonderful ability to share her love of art education and bring out the best in our group of eight trainees. Our group included the wonderful Jack Carr, a docent who played the role of Mr. Chin, the butler to the Bolton family in The Grange. (The Bolton family owned and eventually bequeathed The Grange to the city as the first art gallery).

What were some of your memorable experiences as a volunteer?

Our visitors have always been my favourite aspect of volunteering. I absolutely love meeting the public, chatting and getting to know them as best I can during our tours. My goal has remained the same over the years: to share insights and art history with our visitors through welcoming, friendly conversation.

In 1993, the year I joined, AGO Director Glen Lowry (currently Director at MOMA) snagged the Barnes Exhibit. The Philadelphia Barnes Gallery had been looking for an additional stop before bringing the exhibition home, as their building renovations were far behind schedule. The AGO jumped in and on exceptionally short notice brought the exhibition successfully to Toronto. The AGO and the City of Toronto worked in concert to promote the exhibition. It became quite the cause celebre in the Toronto community, and it would put the AGO on a different footing in the art world. Over the years there have been many more memorable exhibits. Some of my favourites have been Yoko Ono, Edvard Munch, Barbara Hepworth, Helen McNicoll, Liz Magor…. Hmm, there seems to be a female theme here!

How has volunteering changed in the AGO Docent/ Gallery Guide program?

Being a Gallery Guide is just too good a gig. It is heaven, with all the great lectures and practicing our tours among peers. Over my 26 years as a Gallery Guide, volunteering has changed and adapted. Today I am much more aware of the importance of our role in our visitors’ experience. Also, Gallery Guides are now grouped into days and I am part of what has become a group of good friends in “Thursday Rocks.”

Covid-19 and the pandemic has temporarily changed how Thursday Rocks meets up. We use Zoom to continue our self education. We check in, catch up, and then one of us does a 10 minute educational dot on either art from the AGO collection or our own personal collections!

What do you do when you are not volunteering at the AGO?

Outside of the Gallery, I have worked with a private school doing archiving and design. I love to sing in my church choir, participate in amateur theatre, and I continue with my 30 year enjoyment of yoga. I have two grown children who join me on my tours, when they can and are now members of the AGO themselves.

I have been fortunate to attend several National Docent Symposiums: St. Louis, San Francisco, Cincinnati, and most recently, Washington DC, where I led a tutorial on the topic of Visual Thinking Strategies. The biennial Symposium, held in different cities around North America (the AGO hosted in 2009) is a fabulous opportunity to meet Docents / Gallery Guides from all over North America and take home ideas for sharing.

Thanks, Barbara, for sharing your story !

–Shelagh Barrington, Gallery Guide

Thank you to those who filled out our Engagement Survey to let us know how you’d like to stay connected while we are all at home.

Here’s what we learned:

• Many of you are already connecting virtually with your shiftmates through weekly zoom calls – that’s great! We’re so happy you took the initiative to set those up
• More than 50% of you have some free time on your hands and would be interested in getting more involved 
• Almost 60 volunteers have already joined the AGO Volunteer group on Facebook, where we have been sharing articles, virtual museum tours, favourite artworks and MORE!
• Many of you expressed interest in 1 or more of the initiatives we proposed in the survey including: 

Activity	# of interested volunteers
Take a free online course/workshop with a group of volunteers	43
Literary Club – meet virtually with volunteers to discuss books, magazines or articles of interest	21
Meditation/Mindfulness sessions – get together virtually with volunteers for breathing exercises, meditation	17
The Art I Live With – Participate in a “Show and Tell” online with fellow volunteers to talk about favourite artwork in your home	16
Movie Club – meet virtually with volunteers to discuss movies of interest	15
Recipe Exchange – trade recipes, get the dish on AGO chef favourites and maybe even enjoy a virtual meal together	15
Virtual Random Coffee – connect with 1 or more volunteers virtually over Zoom for a coffee (or other beverage of choice)	12
Craft Club – share ideas for craft creations you can make at home	11

The Volunteer Council and your staff coordinators are figuring out next steps. If you didn’t have a chance to fill out the survey, you still have 1 week to let us know how you’d like to get involved! You can click on the survey link here: https://forms.gle/U8fMrqKwRxAYEavg7

If you’re interested in joining the AGO Volunteer Group on Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/256671058703278/

If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to Holly Procktor, Volunteer Coordinator, ([email protected]) or Maya Kotlarenko, Volunteer President, ([email protected]).

Hello everybody!

This week we are moving forward by focussing on more artists of colour in the newsletter to more accurately reflect and celebrate the diversity that exists in our city and to give more of a platform to people of colour. Please read on!

Sandra Brewster

We have all seen Sandra Brewster’s mural Untitled (Blur) that greets visitors as they enter the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous and Canadian Art on the second floor. Learn more about the artist, her influences of growing up in Toronto to Guyanese parents and about her artistic process in this in-depth Art Talk that took place last October which is linked here.

Learn about how Sandra Brewster uses a photography technique of “blurring” of the subject that encourages the viewer to step closer and ponder what they are actually seeing in front of them. She also discusses her technique of using gel overlays (the process used in the piece above) – and how even when this exhibition is closed and “taken down” that some of the art will still remain forever within the fabric of the wall! 

AGO From Home

The AGO hosted another AGO from Home event on Thursday. Stephan interviewed Anne Pasternak, Director of the Brooklyn Museum. If you missed the talk, you can click on the YouTube video at the bottom. Here are some highlights from the discussion: 

-Social change is built into the fabric of the Brooklyn Museum
-Anne discusses the future of the Brooklyn Museum and looks towards contributing to meaningful social change
-Brooklyn is the only museum in NYC that is pay what you wish, which continues to attract younger audiences
-Encouraging younger more diverse audiences, museums need to consider what kinds of shows and what kinds of conversations they are having and if the audience feels seen and engaged
-Making the museum experience more joyous will encourage younger audiences to come as well
-Advancing structural change – Brooklyn Museum has very far to go still – certain exhibitions they invite community members to advise but they don’t always do this and they need to do this more consistently 
-Museums are accountable to the public
-Central Brooklyn is one of the hardest hit areas in NYC and in the USA – that tells us that Covid-19 it is hitting Black and Brown communities – reflection of systemic racism with high levels of death, housing anxiety, job insecurity, food insecurity 
-Brooklyn museum is currently partnering with Campaign Against Hunger and providing fresh produce for approximately 300 families per week
-Anne was previously involved with Creative Time, which is a public arts organization that commissions artist projects in public spaces and helps artists realize their dream projects

The next AGO from Home has yet to be announced at the time of writing, there are many talks and events going on that you can find out about by clicking here.

Armchair Traveller – Let’s visit the Pérez Art Museum Miami! 

This week we travel to sunny Miami’s Pérez Art Museum of Miami (PAMN). Did you catch the talk last week between Stephan and Franklin Sirmans, Director of PAMN? Linked here. Then you may have learned that PAMN has one of the largest Caribbean and Latin American modern and contemporary art collections in the world. Started in 1984, PAMN aspires to reflect the diversity of the city of Miami while embracing the power of art and creativity. Here are some highlights of the museum that you can explore from the convenience of your own home:

• Go on a Live Virtual Local View at PAMN with artist T. Eliott Mansa on Tuesday, June 16th at 6pm 
• Explore all the past, current and permanent collections 
• Take a peak at the incredible sculpture-garden
• Make some kid friendly art!

Be well and stay healthy. 

Jonathan, Christine, Trish and Nicole

Hello Everyone,

I have heard from many of you this week regarding the AGO’s statement on anti-Black racism and the work we need to do to be a more diverse and inclusive museum. I acknowledge there is much to do. I continue to listen and consider action we must take to remove systemic racism.

This topic was discussed at the recent AGO board meeting. At the suggestion of trustee Dr. Kenneth Montague, the article below was circulated to all board members. Going forward, I will include an article in each of my weekly messages so that we can all learn more about about systemic racism and its deep, sad impact.

Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge<https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-05-30/dont-understand-the-protests-what-youre-seeing-is-people-pushed-to-the-edge>

Enjoy the weekend,

Stephan

Hello everyone,

As we continue to stay focused on our audience, manage through this pandemic and deliver on our financials, I have made the difficult decision to restructure the LT Team and make changes to the role of Deputy Director & Chief of Education and Programs. This position is currently held by Heidi Reitmaier who will be leaving the AGO as of June 16, 2020.

In her time at the AGO, Heidi has been a key member of AGO’s Leadership Team. In addition to leading the Public Programming & Learning division, she has represented the AGO in the wider museum field and worked to cultivate corporate and major gift supporters of the Gallery. Her strategic thinking has been important to shaping the direction of the AGO.

Her energy and creativity have contributed to work that she and her team have accomplished with internal colleagues and community partners including:  delivering on commitments to TD and RBC; securing support for programming for Illusions: The Art of Magic and Hito Steyerl: This is the Future; and leading the renewal of the AGO’s 3-year school commitment with TDSB. Heidi and her team have also been committed to reflecting our community through employing eight new Indigenous Education Officers; supporting the artist-in-residence program with Toronto artists creating socially engaging experiences in Walker Court; and the commissioning of a forthcoming wall work for AGO’s new Blue Lounge with Rajni Perea. While the AGO has been closed due to the pandemic, Heidi and her team have worked with colleagues cross-functionally to develop AGOU and to design virtual content and conversations that are meaningful to our audience.

The position will be replaced with a new Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief of Education and Programs. I am eliminating the Deputy Director aspect of this role.

I would like to consult with members of the PP&L team before making any decisions.

Please join me in thanking Heidi and in wishing her the best of luck and success in the future,

Stephan

• Wednesday June 10
• 1:00pm – 2:00pm
• Via Zoom (register, here)

Join Dr. Audrey Hudson for a round table discussion on how to talk about anti-Black racism, using art in the AGO Collection as a guide.

Broaching the subject of anti-Black racism can be challenging, but it is vitally important as we try to dismantle the systems of violence and oppression that continue to impact the lives of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) people in our community. 

To spark the discussion, Dr. Audrey Hudson, AGO Associate Curator, Schools & Early Learning Programs, will host a virtual roundtable, Wednesday June 10th, on how to speak about anti-Black racism, with art from the AGO Collection as an entry point. The panel will include community members, artist educators, teachers and activists. 

This discussion is meant for teachers, parents and anyone who wants to have these conversations with the people in their life.  Read more

Hello Volunteers! As our time apart continues, I hope you’ve all been checking the AGO website for all the information and links to the various talks that the Gallery is offering now that our content has shifted online. New talks, tours and links are added daily. So bookmark the site and check back often! Also – if you can’t attend a zoom talk at the scheduled time, all talks end up back here on the site, (usually with a link to youtube, for you to access at your leisure).  That’s good to know!

Volunteers, if you’ve been following social media, you know the AGO posted a James Baldwin quote on Instagram and the Gallery homepage, (June 1) in solidarity with those who were protesting anti-black racism around the world. Accompanying a black square image, the quote read: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Followers asked the AGO to do more, and the Gallery issued the following communication on all of its social media channels (and website), June 5. Sharing these important updated commitments, here.

We hear you. We know we haven’t done enough and we will do more. We’ve been silent as we reflect. But that silence speaks volumes.

We were devastated by the most-recent anti-Black racism. We believe strongly that Black lives matter. We acknowledge that words alone cannot address the many injustices and discrimination that Black, Indigenous and other marginalized communities continue to face.

We are engaged in conversations with our peers and the community and internally, from each department to our Leadership Team and the Board. We have not done enough either inside or outside our walls. We are committed to change – learning, listening and growing with our communities, and are committed to better reflecting the diversity of the community we belong to. We know that words are not enough and we are committed to action.

We will:
– Use our communication channels to support the voices of change in our culture
– Use our mission to ensure that the Collections, exhibitions and programs reflect the people who live here in Toronto
– Develop a specific plan to ensure that our Leadership, staff, volunteers and audience become more inclusive and diverse
– Hold ourselves publicly accountable to these goals

We are committed to sharing our progress with you moving forward and promise to be open and transparent. This is only the beginning.

Hello everyone,

This is a very difficult time. Know that we are thinking of you. We are pausing our regular content this week so we can take time to reflect and to start having important conversations that will lead to meaningful change.

We’ve linked a talk between Julie Crooks, Associate Curator at the AGO, and Amanda Hunt, Director of Education at MOCA LA, here. They discussed the importance of museums sustaining the anti-racist movement. The AGO will also be hosting a talk on Wednesday, June 10^th at 1pm with Audrey Hudson, Associate Curator, Schools & Early Learning Programs as she engages a round table discussion on how to speak about anti-black racism with the art in the AGO’s collection as an entry point. You can register for this talk by clicking here.

We welcome any feedback and resources you wish to share. We are committed to doing better. 

Black Lives Matter.

Sincerely,
Trish, Jonathan, Christine and Nicole