Good afternoon,

I am writing to let you know that – after 7 years of extraordinary achievement – Kate Halpenny, Chief Development Officer, has decided to leave the AGO. Her last day is February 5th.

I say this with some sadness, as I have personally enjoyed working with Kate, but at the same time I understand her desire to achieve more balance in life, and to seek other adventures.

She joined the AGO in the summer of 2019 and since then her list of accomplishments is amazing:

• With a team of professionals largely built during Kate’s tenure, more than $150M+ has been raised in support of AGO 2028, including the Dani Reiss Modern & Contemporary Gallery
• The Power of Art philanthropic campaign to support the AGO’s financial resiliency during the pandemic
• $12M raised for the Free Annual Pass
• Funds raised to support public commissions – Brian Jungen’s Couch Monster and Thomas J. Price’s Moments Contained – as well as works of art acquisitions supported by the Women’s Art Initiative
• Launched the International Art Circle and developed Art Bash into an epic fundraising event earning a record $1.4M+ for the AGO’s 125th anniversary gala
• Strengthened and expanded the AGO’s corporate partnerships such as RBC’s Signature Partnership, $2.5M sponsorship from BMO, TD’s support of the Art of Global Africa and the Diaspora department, among others
• Worked with all 3 AGO boards (AGO; The AGO Foundation; American Friends of the AGO), 4 fundraising committees, and supported the donor membership program of 6 curatorial committees
• Helped facilitate more than $150M donations of works of art

Kate has been a great leader of her team, leading through strategic intent, kindness, and connectivity. She was also an integral member of the Joint Working Committee this past year, helping to establish the AGO’s new values.

I am deeply grateful for Kate’s many contributions to the AGO, including on the Leadership Team, where she has applied thoughtful, strategic, and invaluable input into the AGO’s campaign and operational priorities.

The Chief Development Officer is a key partner for the Director & CEO. I truly enjoyed our partnership, and I admire Kate’s professionalism, integrity, and kindness. Her commitment to culture is profound.

In the new year, we will share next steps for development leadership that continues to build on the AGO’s strong philanthropic work.

Stephan

Hello everyone,

I was giving a tour of the AGO to guests new to the museum when I learned that Frank Gehry passed away. A tour of this type usually starts with the architecture of the building and inevitably highlights the ways in which Gehry literally transformed the AGO into the architectural masterpiece it is today. This tour was no exception.

Gehry was not only the most important architect of the last half century, he was also a great Canadian icon. He had many personal relationships throughout the AGO and Toronto. I cannot help but feel emotional about his passing. My deepest sympathies go out to his family.

The attached photo was taken in 2014 when Gehry and I were together in Hawaii. 

Take care,

Stephan

An upcoming performance on January 4 (free with Gallery admission/ no tickets required) imagines the late artist experiencing her own retrospective 

What would it be like for the late artist Joyce Wieland (1930–1998) to experience the first retrospective of her work in almost 40 years?  

This is the question at the centre of a performance series taking place in the exhibition Joyce Wieland: Heart On. Currently on view at the AGO, Heart On, brings together over five decades of Wieland’s work, showcasing how she engaged with ecological devastation, the complexities of nationhood, female sexuality and feminism, among many more topics, across media. 

Commissioned for Heart On, A Fairytale for Joyce is the brainchild of Kristen Thomson, actor and playwright, and Tanja Jacobs, actress and director. In this 20-minute performance, the duo imagines Wieland’s experience visiting her exhibition, drawing from the artist’s relationship to her legacy, her work and herself. The next performance of A Fairytale for Joyce is on Sunday, January 4, 2026 (mark your new year’s calendar!)

From the initial announcement of Heart On, Jacobs and Thomson were keen to learn more about Wieland’s life; they attended dedicated study days on Wieland at the AGO and travelled to Montreal for the exhibition’s debut at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA). Intimately studying Wieland’s life and art, they were struck by how she maintained her creativity and softness despite the many trials she faced throughout her life.  

“We found ourselves very moved by the amount of loss and hardship in Wieland’s life alongside her vivacious, witty, and passionate output,” Thomson remembered. “She seemed light as a feather while navigating the vicissitudes of many calamities.” 

Created through improvisation, Thomson and Jacobs spent countless conversations, improvisation sessions, and spontaneous writing prompts exploring Wieland’s works and personal life for A Fairytale for Joyce. While they explored different characters and angles, eventually they landed on the performance centring on Wieland exploring her own exhibition. They decided to frame the performance around the idea of fairytales after Jacobs created a fantastical notion of Wieland dreaming about having a small fairy daughter that could fit into one of the teacups in the work Cooling Room II (1964), which is on view in Heart On. 

The inaugural performance of A Fairytale for Joyce took place this past September. Reflecting on this performance, Thomson was pleasantly surprised at how she and Jacobs created an impactful performance despite working at a shorter length than they are typically used to.   

“The first performance of the piece was very exciting. By the time we presented the piece, we felt excited that we had a genuine offering for people attending the exhibition,” she said. “The challenge was to create something fresh that feels fully expressed and satisfying in 20 minutes. The pleasure of the piece is performing something lighthearted, playful, and short and sweet in the midst of Wieland’s work. It comes alive for us, and hopefully for audiences.” 

Join Kristen Thomson and Tanja Jacobs in paying tribute to Wieland’s art, life, and love by attending the final performance of A Fairytale for Joyce, which takes place on Sunday, January 4, on Level 5 of the AGO. This performance is free with general admission. The commission of A Fairytale for Joyce was led by Bojana Stancic, Program Curator, Performance and Live, with generous support from the Richard and Beryl Ivey Canadian Art Fund. 

Toronto collectors Carol and Morton Rapp generously donate more than 450 artworks to the Gallery

The AGO has announced a landmark gift from the late Carol and Morton Rapp: more than 450 artworks by 203 artists. This gift, including artworks by esteemed artists such as Jasper Johns, David Hockney, William Kentridge, Robert Rauschenberg, Kara Walker, Andy Warhol and Rachel Whiteread, is one of the most significant in the AGO’s recent history.  

The gift arrives at a transformative moment, as the AGO continues to build the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery, adding 40,000 square feet of gallery space. This donation will strengthen the Gallery’s Prints and Drawings Collection, enabling it to tell the full story of the medium’s renaissance in the late 1960s and 1970s and its ongoing evolution throughout the early 21st century.  

The gift also underscores the Rapp’s enduring commitment to the AGO, which has spanned over six decades. The couple began donating works to the Gallery in 1966, contributing nearly 1,000 works, including this latest gift.  

“More than collectors, Carol and Morton Rapp were stewards of great art, eager to share and preserve the things that brought them pleasure, beauty, and insight,” says Stephan Jost, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario. “During their lifetimes, they contributed immensely to the cultural fabric of Toronto and the AGO, and this gift by their family is a heartfelt expression of their enduring commitment to this place.”   

“Carol and Morton Rapp were passionate collectors and supported major artists for more than 60 years,” says Jay Smith, AGO Trustee and son-in-law.  “They were globally connected and committed to building collections at the AGO and MoMA. One of the distinct legacies of this gift is that they worked closely with living artists and this shared energy is alive in the gift.”

See more of the works, in last week’s Foyer online magazine (scroll to the bottom of the page for a more extensive carousel of images, HERE.)

Hello everyone,

There is nothing like the brain fog and fatigue of jet lag to humble you during a busy week. It is good to be back in Toronto after a successful AGO trip to Seoul.

A highlight of this week was celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Department of the Arts of Global Africa and the Diaspora with Committee members and the Curatorial team. This collecting area was established in 2020 to celebrate the creativity and excellence of artists from Africa and its diasporas. There have been many wonderful additions to the collection, including Moments Contained by Thomas J Price, Moko Jumbie by Zak Ové, Union des Esprits Sirenes by Myrlande Constant, and Written in the Sky by Naudline Pierre, to name a few.

Also this week, we continued our celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Photography Department with a Supporters Event for Collective Visions in Walker Court. With some 70,000 objects, the photography collection is central to the AGO collection and mission.   

Finally, I got a sneak peek of Ranbir Sidhu: No Limits, opening December 11. It will be amazing.

Take care,

In 1995, artist Faye HeavyShield first exhibited her multimedia installation Venus as Torpedo (1995/2025). 30 years later, HeavyShield returns to this work, which has both evolved and stayed the same. 

Venus as Torpedo has been restaged as part of the artist’s solo exhibition at the AGO, Faye HeavyShield: Issokawo’taan. The three works featured in this exhibition draw from HeavyShield’s personal experiences, revealing a deep relationship with the land, in particular the Kainai (Blood) Nation in Southern Alberta, where she grew up and still lives.   

 Venus as Torpedo emerges from the gallery wall, cresting above the wooden floor. Clothing covers this protruding appendage, hand-dyed in various shades of blood-red using ochre. Voices of women in conversation, speaking in both English and Blackfoot, softly emanate from the sculpture, beckoning visitors to come closer. Textured by clothing once worn by its owners and holding stories told by the women inside, HeavyShield speaks to many personal stories through Venus as Torpedo. 

Reflecting on the initial installation of Venus as Torpedo, HeavyShield shared that work came together intrinsically. 

“At the time that I was working on this, I was being fed these images of strength but also vulnerability and blood. It was one of those times where the title, the idea, the material – I just had to let them use my hands, and then it comes together.” 

Three decades later, much of Venus as Torpedo remains the same for HeavyShield, who doesn’t see time as linear. Small details were changed to restage the installation: new voices were recorded, and new clothing was sourced from HeavyShield’s loved ones. While the original installation only incorporated women’s clothing, the installation now includes garments from HeavyShield’s son. 

One substantial change evoked by this restaging is HeavyShield’s new perspective on the shape of Venus as Torpedo. After revisiting this shape in other works, HeavyShield came to understand Venus as Torpedo’s shape as a reflection of the coulees in Southern Alberta that she grew up with. 

 “So much of [Venus as Torpedo] is still the same, and so much of it is different, just like anybody who is 30 years older,” HeavyShield reflected. 

 Faye HeavyShield: Issokawo’taan, is on view now on Level 2 in the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art in the Bennet (229), Ungerman (230), Jennings Young (231) galleries.

Hello everyone,

This week has been dynamic.

On Monday, a small group of leadership team members, trustees and I visited Woodland Cultural Centre to continue our discussions and partnership with Six Nations of the Grand River. We toured the newly unveiled Interpretive Historic Site in the former Mohawk Institute Residential School. I highly encourage you to visit. It is deeply moving and a difficult part of our history.

On Wednesday night, we hosted a Growing the AGO Collection event for a large group of AGO supporters. These events are an opportunity for our Curatorial team to announce and educate on recent acquisitions in their curatorial areas. 

On Thursday, we announced the Rapp gift of more than 450 artworks by 203 artists to the public. This is a very special gift by very special people, Carol and Morton Rapp, and the press release has received the attention it deserves. The name might be familiar as there is a Rapp Gallery on the 5th Floor, and there will be another in the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery. Their love of the AGO was profound.

This weekend I travel to Seoul with members of our International Art Circle. I look forward to seeing you all around the Gallery, soon.

Take care,

Stephan

Hello everyone,

A unique exhibition curated with input from over 80 artists, collectors, donors, curators, community leaders, and scholars opens to Members today. Collective Visions is a celebration of our growing photography collection which now accounts for approximately 70,000 of the AGO’s 120,000 artworks. It took a community to build both the collection and the exhibition that celebrates it, and I am grateful to the many contributors to the Photography department’s success. I hope you grab an Exhibition Guide on your way into the exhibition to experience it fully. Sophie Hackett and her team did a great job.

Which artwork from our photography collection would you have selected for this exhibition?

Take care,

Stephan

Reimagining a Baroque artwork at the AGO 

Fracture (2024) by Jesse Mockrin is a reimagination of Nicolas Tournier’s The Judgement of Solomon (c.1625), a Baroque painting also on view at the Gallery. Fracture marks the first work by Mockrin acquired by the AGO. Fracture is on view outside the main exhibition space in the E.R. Wood Gallery (121).     

Mockrin re-envisions works by European Old Masters through a radical, contemporary feminist lens. Her approach often involves cropping, fragmenting, and recombining the portrayal of familiar historical figures and stories to reveal the unsettling and uncanny dramas buried in the art historical canon. 

For this exhibition, Mockrin created 17 new large-scale paintings based on Baroque works at the AGO. To create Fracture (above), Mockrin spent two research visits to the AGO closely studying The Judgement of Solomon alongside other seventeenth-century paintings of the same subject. The biblical tale recounts the arrival of two mothers at the court of King Solomon, with a dead and living newborn between them. The women petition Solomon, both claiming the living newborn is theirs. Solomon suggests the newborn should be cut in half, and one of the women quickly withdraws her claim on the infant. Solomon rules that this woman, who puts the well-being of the baby before her happiness, must be the true mother.  

Nicolas Tournier. The Judgement of Solomon, c. 1625. Oil on canvas, Overall: 156 x 209 cm. On loan from a private collection. Photo © AGO.

Many of Mockrin’s works in Echo examine how gender-based violence is at the core of biblical and mythological stories and their depictions. This is exemplified in Fracture, where Mockrin frames her depiction of this tale to focus on the threat of violence towards the vulnerable mothers. Mockrin omits both the newborns and Solomon—the only suggestion of the king’s presence is an ominous hand floating in the top-right corner. While Fracture shifts focus to the two mothers, it maintains a dense web of gestures and gazes.  

Mockrin shares in the exhibition catalogue: “I like revisiting these stories and the way they’ve been depicted because I think a lot of narrative details are lost on the general public today. And when I was making these paintings, I was really interested in the experience of the two women. So, I cropped parts of the composition and removed the men’s faces. The woman who lost her baby and is claiming another woman’s baby is suffering this horrific loss. Why doesn’t this story—that is about celebrating male wisdom—acknowledge that it’s at the expense of women’s suffering?” 

Unlike the works of European Old Masters, Mockrin chooses to omit a background setting in Fracture. By rejecting background details, Mockrin draws the viewer’s attention solely towards what is occurring in the scene before them. These bare backgrounds, alongside Mockrin’s unique visual language of uncanny flatness, also place these historical stories within a contemporary setting, a reminder that these systems of violence persist into the present.  

Echo is curated by Adam Harris Levine, the AGO’s Associate Curator of European Art. Learn more about Mockrin’s process this coming week in our Curator’s Talk organized exclusive for AGO volunteers. Join us on Wednesday October 29, at 6pm in-gallery. No need to register, just drop-in! We hope to see you there!

Hello everyone,

It is the Friday before the Thanksgiving long weekend. It is a good moment to reflect on what we are grateful for. For me, sometimes it is a small thing – like a bright red leaf that falls from a tree. Other times it is about looking forward to seeing friends and/or family. One thing I am particularly grateful for is the dedication of the AGO staff and volunteers. Some of you will be welcoming visitors over the long weekend – to you a special thank you.

There is a small group of staff who have worked at the AGO so long that it is nothing short of humbling. There are seniority lists in the D Corridor (by the People department) which I encourage you to check out. If you take the years served by Maria Ansari, Roman Baran, Tiffany Chau, Terry Cheung, Wendy Hebditch, Karin Hollesen, Ruth Jones, Dale Mahar, Mike Ronco, and David Thai alone, it adds up to over 381 years!

Take care,

Stephan