Hello volunteers; you’ve no doubt noticed more construction activity on the corner of Dundas and McCaul this week. Soon, the former staff & volunteer entrance (Jackman Hall entrance) will be formerly used as our new shipping dock.
Most staff and volunteers have adjusted well to using the main entrance for entry/exit. Thank you! But there are still a few folks who walk into the Annex (formerly cafeAGO) area, and up the Jackman Hall ramp – to look for masks, etc. You have been seen on camera! This area is now a formal construction site and you cannot enter these areas, for your own health and safety.
Just this week, our friends in Facilities added a dedicated mask dispenser to the volunteer lounge. We really need to stop foot traffic, both up the concourse stairs to the shop, anywhere in the Annex (formerly cafeAGO) and the Jackman Hall entrance). Thank you for your cooperation and support! – Holly
Thank you to everyone who cast their vote for this year’s Volunteer Endowment Trust project. It was a tight race! The Distribution Committee of the Board formerly meets next week and all will be revealed in next week’s blog post. Stay tuned!
And happy post-long weekend. We hope you enjoyed the sunshine! We’re emailing to let you know you have until Tuesday May 22 at midnight to cast your vote to support this year’s Volunteer Endowment Trust project. It’s a tight race so far, so every vote counts! (Thank you to everyone who has voted so far – if that’s you, you can disregard this message).
For those who were unable to attend, we’re happy to share a video recording, of our meeting with Erin Thadani, Associate Director, Philanthropy and Planned Giving, who explained each of the 4 projects for support in more detail. You can watch at your leisure, HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rO-L8kg1Sx9fwu6dLhDs13NGRjftCLMC/view?usp=sharing
As part of our ongoing mission to demonstrate transparency in decision-making, every AGO volunteer has the opportunity to cast an individual vote for the project they want to support, most. We tabulate everyone’s votes to determine which project wins the support of this year’s volunteer endowment trust funds. A reminder: you won’t be ranking the projects, you can just choose ONE to support. Your vote matters! PLEASE VOTE VIA THIS LINK:https://forms.gle/zbwPXNoGoPGhEATE8
Want to know more about the Volunteer Endowment Trust?
The VET was established in 2001 with a Letter of Agreement between the AGO, The AGO Foundation and the Volunteers of the AGO. The value of the Volunteer Endowment Trust grows by reinvesting a portion of the earned income each year, and as new gifts are added to the principal of the fund. The fund is held in perpetuity, meaning the principal of the fund cannot be used. However, each year the income earned from the fund (roughly $50,000 – $75,000 depending on returns) supports a Gallery project/ initiative, which is voted on by volunteers. Initiatives for support are selected based on the strategic and highest funding priorities determined by the AGO’s Leadership Team, in consultation with the Development Team and the Volunteer President.
With thanks to all the Volunteers for your participation in this important vote and process! Look forward to the results revealed in early June!
It feels like spring is finally here. I hope you take a moment to enjoy the sunshine this weekend.
This evening, we have a tribute to the exhibition, Making Her Mark, with a musical performance of Tafelmusik: Making Herself Heardin Walker Court. The performance will celebrate the creativity and artistry of women in the 17th and 18th centuries.
We are open throughout the Victoria Day long weekend. A special thank you to everyone who will be on-site welcoming our public and to everyone who maintains our spaces for that welcome.
It is great to see our public enjoy the AGO. Again, thank you to everyone who helped make last weekend a tremendous success. With more than 24,000 people attending, it was the perfect way to get the word out about the AGO and what we have to offer our public. Do take time to see Making Her Mark when you have a moment – it is a quiet and ambitious exhibition.
Join Volunteer President Barbara Glaser; Coordinator, Volunteers Holly Procktor; and Special Guest Erin Thadani, Senior Manager, Philanthropy & Planned Giving; as we share this year’s projects especially selected for AGO volunteers as projects for support for this year’s disbursement of volunteer funds.
Get a sneak-peek of 4, especially selected upcoming projects, including upcoming exhibitions, yet to be announced – with visuals!
Learn the history of the Volunteer Endowment Trust, and how funds are used to support the Gallery
Volunteer Voting – we’ll share how all volunteers have a say in how funds are distributed
Question and Answer Period
Following this Zoom presentation, we’ll launch this year’s vote. (All volunteers can vote by email). We look forward to announcing this year’s “winning” project in June.
A recording of the presentation will be shared for those who can’t attend.
For 10 years Toronto’s Youngplace at 180 Shaw St. has been a crucial community hub for artists, arts groups, and engaged audiences. DECADE: 10 Years of Creation at Youngplace celebrates the role the building’s tenants have played within the cultural ecology of Toronto.
The exhibition features eight contemporary artists currently or recently working in the building and whose work offers an exciting range of media from painting, textiles and sculptural installation to video and photography: Ruth Adler, Barbara Astman, Shabnam K. Ghazi, Vid Ingelevics, Gillian Iles, Carolyn Murphy, Midi Onodera, and Matthew Schofield.
Join Volunteer President Barbara Glaser and your fellow volunteers for an informative tour with exhibition Curator David Liss at 1pm, followed by an opportunity to gather locally for coffee, snacks and good company!
DATE: Monday May 13th, 1pm
ADDRESS: Artscape Youngplace – 180 Shaw Street, Suite 104-105
Duration: One hour, plus questions
RSVP/ Registration is required: Please email [email protected] to sign up. In your reply, please additionally indicate if you plan to join the group for coffee/snacks so that reservations can be made.
Site mobilization for the Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery is starting soon.
Construction Safety Reminders
As site mobilization begins, the laneway between the AGO and OCAD U (the driveway to the AGO’s Shipping Dock) and the Jackman Hall Entrance will become congested with EllisDon construction and AGO delivery vehicles. Staff and volunteers are reminded to continue to use the Dundas Street (main entrance to enter and exit the building, as the Jackman Hall/ McCaul Street entrance remains closed)>
For safety reasons, staff and volunteers are encouraged to:
Observe all signs and safety perimeters established around the construction site.
Use designated travel paths during construction.
Pay attention when walking, running, or cycling near the construction zone entry on McCaul St.
Pause headphones and device use while walking, running, or cycling near the construction site entrance.
Use alternate routes when entering the main doors on Dundas St. W.
Questions? Reach out to Lenore McMillan, Project Coordinator, Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery at [email protected]
This week, we re-opened to the public and will be free all weekend. It is clear our audiences are happy to be back. It was a huge effort to get things ready by Tuesday and I want to thank all of you for helping make this happen.
I am especially thrilled that we can now welcome visitors to Making Her Mark. A special thanks to those who finalized the installation in time for Tuesday’s opening. Congratulations to curator Alexa Griest and others for bringing the exhibition thesis to life – there are many, many incredible objects and art works in the show. A big congratulations to Alexa and the publishing team on the beautiful publication, which won a Canadian Museum Association Award of Outstanding Achievement for excellence in research.
While it is exciting to have people back in the building, I do acknowledge, again, that the last several weeks were very difficult for everyone, especially OPSEU members. The strike was hard. It will take time to feel like everything is back to normal.
This weekend, we are free. A big thanks to those staff and volunteers who will be on-site greeting and welcoming people back to the AGO. Having our public back is one big step towards normalcy and re-engaging with our mission. Word of mouth through our visitors is the best way to get more visitors. This weekend will jump start the buzz.
Coming together: Exclusive tour for AGO Volunteers May 13th 1pm
One of my mandates as Volunteer President is I firmly believe in supporting our Volunteer community, crossing over with various volunteer groups to connect initiatives and even outside gallery walls socially with our cultural partners and personal artistic connections. This also falls under the umbrella of Volunteer Recognition and Appreciation in support for all you do, and we are so appreciative. Holly and I are working hard on this initiative. The 2024 theme for Volunteer Appreciation week is “Every Moment Matters” which we will carry through the year. Making new memories, coming together and creating connections with moments in our rich volunteer history.
On that note, I’m very pleased to share the exciting news that we will have the opportunity to have an exclusive tour of the DECADE: 10 Years of Creation at Youngplace (see details below) with Curator David Liss, on Monday May 13, at 1pm. They are opening their doors one more time- after the public closure – just for our AGO Volunteers group, which we are most grateful for! This is truly an exclusive opportunity that we hope you can join us in!
Afterwards there will also be an optional social component (following the format of our recent outing to the Gardiner). We will come together at one of the many eateries in the Queen West /Ossington area – please feel free to let me know any choices on that as well. Including any other excursion’s that are on your dream list, look out for further details on that coming up. Many thanks to the volunteers that have contributed those ideas. Stay tuned for further updates!
Date: Monday May 13th, at 1pm
Address: Artscape Youngplace. 180 Shaw St., Suite 104-105
Duration: one hour plus with questions
RSVP / Registration is required: Please email [email protected] to sign up. Additionally, in your reply, please indicate if you also plan to join us in coffee, snack after to make reservations.
Capacity: 50 volunteers, first come. (Note: they have portable chairs for 25 that can be taken around on the tour if you require seating)
Photo courtesy of kofflerarts.org
Given three short months to organize the exhibition, Curator David Liss researched and met with each of the artists, discussed their past and current work, and selected recent artworks that highlight their various media, methods and meanings. Participants will learn more about each of the artists’ works and have the opportunity to ask probing questions.
David Liss (photo: Art Toronto)
David Liss is an independent curator, writer and artist currently living in Toronto. From 2000 to 2020 he was Director, Curator and Artistic Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto. From 1995 to 2000 he was Director and Curator of the Gallery of the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts in Montreal. During the early 1990s he contributed art and music reviews to the Montreal Gazette, Vice, Canadian Art, and other publications. Since the late 1980s he has organized, curated, written texts and essays, published books and developed interdisciplinary programs for numerous exhibitions and projects in Toronto, Montreal, and venues across Canada and internationally.
