As many of you may have read in the news,and/or seen in an informational picket at the Gallery, the AGO is facing a potential labour disruption. We want to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on our current situation.
The collective bargaining negotiations between AGO Management and OPSEU (the union representing many of our employees who work across the gallery) are ongoing.
A strike deadline has been set by OPSEU for Monday, March 25th, 12:01am (one minute after midnight). A negotiation meeting is planned for Sunday, March 24th as a means to avoid a potential strike/lockout. Both sides, Labour and Management, are committed to reaching a resolution, but in the event that a strike/lockout cannot be averted, plans are being developed.
On Monday, March 25th, we will provide all volunteers with an update, via email.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
One of my mandates as Volunteer President is to build connection and community. With Holly’s help, I look forward to planning outings to sister arts and cultural sites, with the intention of helping us meet and get acquainted with each other socially, outside of our various shifts and placements, and enjoy enrichment activities, together!
Installation view. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid, Courtesy Gardiner Museum.
I’m excited to share our first excursion will be to the Gardiner Museum with an exclusive, Gardiner-volunteer led tour of the Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects exhibition, linked HERE.
DATE: Monday March 25
TIME: 10:45am – 11:45am (please meet at Gardiner Museum, not AGO)
NOTE: Option to join Barbara and fellow volunteers for lunch – see details, below!
This is a great opportunity for us to meet fellow volunteers, learn from and get-to-know a “partner institution.” (The Gardiner Museum is a member of the Reciprocal Agreement, and as such, volunteer admission is free).
Important details to note:
Space for this outing is limited, and on a first come basis – to register your attendance, please RSVP to [email protected](Final registration date is end of day Monday March 18, but please reply early to ensure your spot)
Barbara will keep a cancellation waitlist should the tour fill entirely, so please be in touch (and don’t panic – this is the first in a series of outings we are planning)
Make sure to bring your AGO volunteer badge to the outing, as you will need your badge for reciprocal admission.
OPTIONAL LUNCH: After the tour, and for those interested, there will also be the opportunity to gather together for lunch (at volunteers’ own expense)- details to be discussed. If you would like to be included in lunch plans please let Barbara know when you RSVP, so that details can be arranged.
To be clear on that final point – in your RSVP, please indicate if you are interested in just the tour, or the tour + lunch
I hope you can join us!
This event kicks off volunteer appreciation in advance of National Volunteer Week, April 14 – 20, with more details about various planned events in April to come.
Outings like these are organized in gratitude for all you do as volunteers for the AGO, and we certainly couldn’t be thriving without all of you, what you do and engaging with our visitors. Thank you!
The Jackman Hall staff & volunteer entrance will be CLOSED beginning March 18
The Gallery is beginning to see building adjustments as we prepare for the beginnings of construction for the Dani Reiss Modern & Contemporary Tower. Here on the volunteer blog, we’ll keep you updated with construction notices of particular interest/impact to volunteers:
Beginning Monday March 18:
The McCaul street/ Jackman Hall staff & volunteer entrance is CLOSED. All staff and volunteers should use Dundas Street (MAIN ENTRANCE).
The Annex (old cafe space) is also CLOSED
Beginning Wednesday March 20:
The South Entrance will be set up with additional casual seating
Jackman Hall will host its last public event, and remain closed until late 2026
It’s all happening! As always construction notices/ timelines are posted to the best of our ability. We’ll continue to keep you informed of any additional impacts/ changes on the volunteer blog. Thank you for your support and patience – volunteer resources.
Wednesday evening’s public talk featuring Bill T. Jones was a memorable highlight. The room was packed and he was incredibly generous and engaging, as was curator Georgiana Uhlyarik. Next week is the final week to see the Keith Haring exhibition – if you’re waiting till the last moment to view the works, now is the time.
I hope everyone who is taking vacation during March Break has a restful holiday. I know many of you will be busy at the AGO coordinating March Break activities for families and kids – everything from play to artmaking to sing-alongs, it will be a lot of fun for our public. Thank you to everyone who is helping to create these special experiences for kids visiting the AGO.
The South Entrance will now be open to staff and volunteers from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday.
From Saturday to Sunday, the South Entrance will remain open to staff and volunteers from 9 am to 5 pm.
Security Reminders for Using the South Entrance:
This entrance is open to staff and volunteers only.
Be diligent in ensuring the entrance is closed after you use it.
If a visitor happens to approach you by the entrance, please encourage and redirect them to use the front entrance on Dundas Street to enter and exit the Gallery.
Remain aware of your safety and surroundings when using the entrance and while travelling through Grange Park.
Questions?
Please reach out to Adam Vaillancourt, Deputy Director, Protection Services, at [email protected]
In anticipation of the April 8th total solar eclipse (https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/This), volunteers are invited to attend a talk (via Zoom) that will feature works from the Print, Drawings, and Photography collections that depict artists’ interpretations of eclipses, moons, and the sun.
Henry Draper, Full Moon, stereograph: albumen print
Join Alexa Greist, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings and Emily Miller, Research & Collections Assistant, as they share insights about works that will be on display in the Study Centre during March Break (March 11 – 15).
We’re breathing new life into an exhibition this week.
You may have noticed that new KAWS works were installed throughout the museum. If you haven’t yet noticed them, as always, I encourage you to take a break in the galleries. There are three in total. Look high and low!
In addition to the newly installed works, artist KAWS (aka Brian Donnelly) is back at the AGO tonight from 7-9pm for a one-night-only KAWS: Family Book Signing. We expect the museum to be buzzy. Thank you to Julian Cox, Jim Shedden, and our Publishing team for their hard work on the publication. It was worth the wait.
Last Family Day weekend, nearly 15,400 people visited the AGO – which is amazing! Overall, our attendance is tracking well – as of the end of January, compared to last fiscal year, we have increased our attendance by 43%. All of you have worked hard to make this possible.
In what may seem like we’re walking in two different directions, at the same time, we continue to face very significant financial challenges. The broader economic climate and especially inflation have impacted our operations such that we are running a significant deficit. In planning for next fiscal year, it is imperative we achieve financial equilibrium. I acknowledge this won’t be easy. I appreciate everyone’s efforts in the budgeting process.
We recently opened a new exhibit on the main floor featuring a selection of 17th century Dutch paintings. Right now, 6 of the 8 Rembrandts held in Canada are on view, shown together for the first time. Pretty impressive – do take a moment to check out the installation.
Over two weeks in the summer of 1991, two best friends sat with each other in Toronto sharing quality time. Though they were both artists, in this instance, one played the role of creator, and the other of muse, resulting in the arresting large-scale portrait, June (1991), on view now at the AGO.
Renowned portrait painter Lynn Donoghue was known for creating depictions of friends and prominent figures in Toronto’s arts community. That summer, her sitter was another renowned Toronto-based artist and her best friend June Clark. Though the two had been friends for years, this marked their first artistic collaboration.
Later that year in December, Clark turned 50 and to mark this milestone her husband purchased the portrait from Donoghue as a surprise gift. It has been hanging proudly on the wall in Clark’s home ever since until recently loaned to the AGO in conjunction with her solo exhibition, Unrequited Love. On view now, in the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous and Canadian Art on Level 2 (via FOYER – full article, linked HERE)
Thank you to all of the volunteers who joined us for last Monday’s Behind-the-Scenes Brand talk, exclusively for volunteers. For those that missed it, we’re happy to share this video, recorded at an earlier meeting – there may even be some new insights in here for those volunteers that attended our in-person talk.
A special note:You’ll note that Stephan welcomes us to the meeting, followed by some other Gallery updates – all of which I’m sure you will find interesting. If you’d like to fast forward straight to Brand, Louis and Kimber begin talking about the 21 minute mark. Cheers, – Holly
Kimber Slater, Director, Brand Marketing
Louis Cohen, Creative Director
To watch a recorded video of the new AGO Branding, please click on the link below:
As Kimber and Louis shared in their presentation, branding is already appearing around the building (note our new Coat Check and Bistro signage!) This will be a soft launch, meaning the brand will roll out slowly, with public and front-facing areas being updated first – this includes volunteers! Your new faceplates (which will attach to your current badges) are being prepared now. When we get them, you’ll get them!
