Last night I attended the opening of the Kent Monkman installation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Kent has a large scale work on view in the Great Hall – below is a snap I took on my phone. It’s wonderful to see an Indigenous/Canadian artist represented in our collection receive this kind of profile.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Great Gingerbread Make-Off on Wednesday – especially to the winning Communications team! For those of you who missed it, here is a pic of their winning entry below. I was blown away by the creativity that went into the contest.
The upcoming holiday season is very busy at the AGO as we welcome our visiting public, Members and Passholders during the final days of the Rubens exhibit. Thank you to PSOs, front of house staff and volunteers here this weekend and in the coming days for ensuring a safe, memorable experience for all of our guests. Thank you to all of you who will be here to complete projects, accept year-end gifts, and plan ahead for exciting activities in 2020. Best holiday wishes to everyone!
Enjoy the weekend,
Stephan
P.S. You are all invited to the “This is the Future AGO Winter Party” on Thursday, January 23 from 5-8pm in Baillie Court. Mark your calendars!
The Adidas Group invites employees, volunteers, interns and friends and family of the AGO to take advantage of an exclusive offer for 50% off the regular retail price of Adidas and Reebok products.
When? November 15 to December 31, 2019
Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 10am-8pm | Sat 10am-6pm | Sun 11 am to 5 pm. Store will be closed for the holidays on December 25 & 26.
Where? Adidas & Reebok Woodbridge, 8100 Highway 27, Woodbridge ON
How? Visit the store as many times as you’d like this month to take advantage. Must bring a Valid Photo ID and 1) Security I.D. Badge or 2) Pay Stub
The AGO’s very own (and very popular) Kusama mirrored room just celebrated its six-month anniversary. We spoke with Art Services Technician Angelo about the four-week installation process that preceded the May 25 public opening.
The full Kusama show in 2018 had its own tech that showed the AGO team how all the pieces went together. With that experience, it was easier to figure out this next one – like putting together your first IKEA bookshelf, says Angelo. The new work, created in 2017, had been displayed once before at the David Shiner gallery in New York, but as it was going to become part of the AGO’s permanent collection and be on display indefinitely, a new approach was needed, as was a lot of team work and problem solving.
Part one was to level the floor so the mirrored walls would line up perfectly. This was done with the aid of a laser level. Next up were the walls themselves, which were very heavy and awkward to move. The metal rails they now sit on had to have their screw heads covered with tape so the walls balanced properly. Only the first three walls were installed so the rest of the items could be put in. Unlike the temporary exhibition, Let’s Survive Forever had to be built for a multi-year period, so the team reinforced the sides to keep them from moving when the heavy door swings open.
After the walls, the team put on a stretched ceiling with LED panels already installed. To hang the large balls from the ceiling, they mapped their positions first on the floor, then lasered up to spots on the ceiling. One worker would then balance on a beam on top of the unit while another one below would hand up the balls for him to tie on to an attachment grid.
Next was the carpet – it is dark and hides many sins, but does need to be vacuumed twice a day, as it pills and lots of the dust gets on the balls. It will replaced after winter. Before the final wall was installed, the team put in the central mirrored column, onto which the (very heavy) lid with its own attached mirrored balls was lowered.
Each installation project has its own unexpected quirks. For Angelo, working within the mirror room began to have an effect on his sense of depth perception, as he had to ignore the reflected image to stay focused on where the actual surface was. After several months of work, he can see all of the seams between the individual mirrors, though for most visitors they remain invisible during their one-minute visit.
In terms of maintenance, the balls are swiffered and the mirrors microfibred to get rid of finger and nose prints. Occasionally balls need to be restrung after visitors have pushed them to make them swing. There was originally a map of the floor balls but it now a bit more”organic” due to constantly shifting ball placement. One thing that can’t always be anticipated is visitor interaction with such a work. As with the Narcissus Garden, people often send the floor balls rolling (intentionally or not) so the team has started placing the balls on small rings, which visitors will often spy on the ground if a ball has shifted and bring to the staff as a lost “elastic”.
At the time of the interview Angelo had moved on to the next big challenge – the Hito Steyerl installation. With so many videos to install and synchronize it required a whole new set of skills – ones that his team is happy to leverage.
This week we hit the 110,000 mark in annual pass holders! And the number keeps growing. Did you know that before this year, we had an average of 6,000 young people (25 years and under) visiting us per month? Since the Annual Pass, we have been averaging over 18,000 visitors in this age group. That is an increase of 12,000 visitors!
At this week’s managers’ meeting, Deepak Chopra, General Manager, shopAGO, shared some great gift suggestions of specially sourced and custom items available in the shop. There are lots of options to choose from. Members’ Shopping Week returns today through to December 15 (including online). This is a great time to remind you that employees get an incredible 25% discount in shopAGO.
A big thanks to all employees and volunteers at this busy time of year. I appreciate everything you are doing to create amazing experiences for our visitors during the holiday season. Please join us to get your creative juices flowing and blow off some steam at the upcoming Gingerbread Make Off next Wednesday at 2pm in Seminar Room 1. I know there are some great competitors out there!
With the departure of Alicia Vandermeer, there is a need for the leadership of strategic initiatives including the AGO’s operational key drivers: Brand & Audience; Content & Program; Admission; and Diversity & Inclusion. All of these strategies are intertwined and will help the AGO achieve our vision of “leading global conversations from Toronto through extraordinary exhibitions, collections and programs and by reflecting the people who live here.” The Admission Strategy is well underway through the launch of the new Annual Pass and now we need to focus on the other drivers.
Thoughtful attention to these strategies and other institutional priorities is required in order to meet our ambition and best serve our public. For this reason, a new “Strategic Initiatives” team has been created in the Director’s Office to help guide this process and ensure that the AGO’s objectives are being met. This team will be comprised of:
Erin Prendergast, Chief, Strategic Initiatives (effective December 23, 2019)
Jessica Bright, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives (effective February 10, 2020)
Andrea Seaborn, Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives (effective December 23, 2019)
Erin, Jessica and Andrea will collaborate with the Leadership Team and others throughout the museum to lead the process of formulating and executing clearly defined and ambitious strategic initiatives that further the AGO’s vision and mission. Jessica and Andrea will report to Erin. Jessica will take on her new role upon the return of Christy Thompson (Chief, Exhibitions & Collections) in February when she is back from her maternity leave. Jessica will remain a member of the Leadership Team once Christy is back. With Erin’s expanded portfolio, Amanda Dench will become Corporate Secretary and Andrea Seaborn Deputy Corporate Secretary. Alicia’s position of Deputy Director & Chief Advancement Officer will not be replaced. Going forward, Lisa Clements, Kate Halpenny and Nan Oldroyd will report directly to Stephan. All Leadership Team members continue to be responsible and accountable for their respective areas.
This past spring during National Volunteer Week, volunteers were treated to a backstage view of the installation of Adrian Villar Rojas’s Today We Reboot the Planet by Conservator Sherry and Art Services Technicians Jason Laudadio and Angelo Pedari. For those of you who missed the talk, here is Sherry’s recap of some of the major challenges the team encountered.
One of the first tasks was to assess how the gallery space on the 4th floor would accommodate the contents of 32 cartons (some as big as 6’x4’x4′), including four multi-tiered display cases. Once it was decided to display the cases next to each other in a concentrated area, staff determined that it would be necessary to have a steel plate installed to help distribute the weight. As the artist was not keen to have a plate on display the next question was how to artificially cover it. The solution was to pour concrete to anchor the legs of the display cases. This was covered with a layer of Styrofoam, then a layer of brick veneer (brought in from Ohio). While the bricks are mortared, the give of the Styrofoam beneath has led to cracking of the mortar in some places.
The clay and other items were then installed. A few pieces broke and were replaced by the studio. At one point it was necessary to re-pot the upside down snake plant. Sherry undertook that herself. Her first attempt was rejected as being to smooth and perfect, so she created a second lumpy draft that was accepted by the artist. At one point one of pieces of toast was damaged; however, instead of making a new slice, she was able to find an adhesive to repair it.
The next major challenge was maintaining the living parts of the work – such as the sprouted potatoes. Sherry has become an expert on sprouting (within the AGO ecosystem, at least) and says she prefers Yukon gold for their stability and sproutability. Once sprouted, they remain in place until the artists’ studio decides it’s time to replace them (Sherry is in touch with the studio on a weekly basis!). Part of the challenge is to make the potatoes look they are struggling – the work is supposed to look like the future idea of a museum. While time-consuming, the work is critical to the meaning of the piece. Her favourite part of the work is in fact the tiny metal lid containing tiny potatoes with tiny swan-like sprouts – “I just love the potato energy!” she exclaimed.
Sherry notes that one thing she has raised with the artist is what is to happen to the work once both she and he are gone – a question artists may be reluctant to contemplate as it forces them to recognize their own mortality. Typically, older artists are often already think about it, while for younger ones it’s still an abstract concept. The answers for this particular piece are still a work in progress.
We don’t often post staff changes; but over the years Jane has supported AGO summer art camp, Family Sundays and now, the Hands-On Centre and art carts. Jane is a creative force! And we will really miss her in the volunteer program
– Holly, Volunteer Resources
After more than 19 years of service, Jane Lott, Curatorial Associate, Learning and Early Childhood has decided to retire, effective December 31. Her last day will be Sunday, December 15. Jane has been an integral part of the Public Programming & Learning team for over 19 years, shaping the AGO’s vision and connecting with our visitors in extraordinary ways. She has mentored many employees, providing guidance and sage advice over the years to the PP&L team and many others. Her incredible impact and legacy will remain for decades and she leaves very big shoes to fill. Please drop by to congratulate her on her successful AGO career.
Greetings from Miami where I am attending Art Basel, one of the largest modern and contemporary art fairs in the world. I am meeting with collectors, curators, artists and dealers and seeing as much art as possible. I’ll be back at the AGO on Monday.
Today we say good-bye to Alicia Vandermeer. Alicia, thank you again for your extraordinary leadership and contributions. You’ve made a huge impact at the AGO and we will all miss you very much – especially me.
Continuing through to Saturday, PP&L in a co-production with Elegoa Cultural Productions has put together a multifaceted event From Glissant Unfixed and Unbounded including AGO Live: Miho Hatori – Salon Mondialité. In her newest performance, artist, vocalist and producer Miho Hatori explores the work of Édouard Glissant, a French writer, poet, philosopher and literary critic widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in Caribbean thought.
It’s been a very busy fall season for everyone at the AGO with lots of change and effort. Before some of us start to slip away for holiday vacation time, the Internal Comms team is bringing us altogether for the “Great Gingerbread Make Off” – the date is December 18, 2-4pm in Seminar Room #1 (see blog post). Mark your calendars!
Holiday joy in each and every bite! AGO Employees and Volunteers are invited to pre-order exclusive sweets and treats during our annual Bake Sale. Let us do the work for you this year so you’ll have more time to spend with your family and friends!
AGO classics like French Canadian tourtière and mincemeat tarts are just a few of the treats you can expect.
Impress friends and family with our Assorted Cookie Set – perfect for gatherings and after dinner.
Or relax with our Afternoon Tea Bundle which includes a 3.5oz tin of Sloane Tea, house-made preserves, maple walnut shortbread, vanilla lemon sugar cookies, biscuits, and scones.
Ready to order? Click HERE to pre-order between November 5 – December 13. Please note that all orders must be received by December 13, 2019. Pick-up your items on Thursday, December 19. 11:30 am – 6:30 pm. Limited quantities are available and all orders are final. For more information, contact [email protected].
The most recent biannual National Docents Symposium (NDS) took place October 24-27 in Washington DC. This week attendee Margaret Johnston describes her experience.
I had not been to Washington
DC since I was a teenager so the National Docent Symposium was a great
opportunity for a return visit now that I have a lot more appreciation
for all of the amazing history, art and culture that the city offers.
In
was a nice surprise to see that our conference swag included hand
stenciled cotton tote bags made by some of the Smithsonian Museum
docents and an art piece from the Art-o-mat project, re-furbished
cigarette vending machines that now dispense art.
I took the afternoon out tour to the fabulous Library of Congress Jefferson Building – featuring allegorical murals, statues, mosaics, the Gutenberg Bible, recreation of Jefferson’s library and the spectacular domed Reading Room. The tour just scratched the surface of all the fantastic things to see there.
There were lots of wonderful, inspiring speakers at the conference meals. Kaywin Feldman, Director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC gave an excellent talk about trends in society affecting consumers, their impact on museums and how these impact the work of engaging our visitors. FYI She gave a (bit longer) very similar talk : “A Mandate for Art Museum Education in the Twenty-First Century” at the Frick in July that you can watch on YouTube.
Karleen Gardner, Director of Learning Innovation at the Minneapolis Institute of Art talked about using art as a catalyst to help foster understanding, connections, empathy, and creative thinking with our visitors. The message was to create experiences around art objects using storytelling and representing multiple narratives and perspectives. She suggested using questions that encourage visitors to take other perspectives and to think differently about issues that they come across every day. For instance, ask people to pick a colour that describes their mood right now or ask them to identify someone they can empathize with OR can’t relate to in an artwork.
Another technique mentioned was from Harvard University’s Project Zero Step in, step out, step back:
Choose: Identify a person in the art piece you are looking at
Step In: Given what you see and know at this time, what do you think this person might feel, believe, know, or experience?
Step out: What else would you like or need to learn to understand this person’s perspective better?
Step back: Given your exploration of this perspective so far, what do you notice about your own perspective and what it takes to take somebody else’s?
Joanna Marsh and Anne Showalter from the Smithsonian American Art Museum SAAM talked about their ReFrame web series where they use experts throughout the Smithsonian Museum family to interpret works in their collection in a new way. The fun, six episode series (including a Mickalene Thomas piece) is available to watch here (5-6 min. each).
There were also six breakout sessions / workshops where we had a choice of eight different presentations. My favourites were one by the National Portrait Gallery on Maximizing Your Permanent Collection by creating theme tours and Facilitating Interactive Adult Tours by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
The National Docent Symposium Council posts many of the workshop presentations and handouts on their website. There is also a National Docents Forum Facebook group you can join to connect with museum guides from around North America.
Ginevra de’Benci, the only Leonardo Da Vinci painting in North America
My husband met me in Washington and we spent Sunday and Monday visiting the State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms, The Capitol Building, The Canadian Embassy, The Phillips Collection, the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden and the National Gallery of Art. Of course there was so much more to see that we just could not fit in!. Luckily it is any easy trip from Toronto.
–Margaret Johnston
You can read the previous NDS post by Bev Biderman here.
