The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has collaborated with the Ontario College of Art (OCAD) on a unique curatorial project and exhibition. The Matter of Loss, which runs from April 15 to July 19, was organized by five OCAD student curators are from its new MFA program, Criticism and Curatorial Studies.
The new program offers the course “Inside the AGO,” which provides an in-depth look at the Gallery’s curatorial process from start to finish. Students are guided in both theory and practice by the AGO’s Michelle Jacques, associate curator of Contemporary Art; Kelly McKinley, director of Education and Public Programming; and Judy Koke, deputy director of Education and Public Programming.
“Inside the AGO has been an amazing opportunity to curate with one of the most significant collections of art in Canada,” said Rose Bouthillier, curator from OCAD’s MFA program. “Navigating the layout of such a large institution has been an invaluable learning experience.”
Inspired by artist Jane Martin’s drawing series “Something Happened,” which documents the terminal illness of her husband, The Matter of Loss explores how artists have responded to loss in terms of memory, history, and physical absence. The exhibition features works by Canadian artists Greg Curnoe, Spring Hurlbut, Martha Issumatarjuak, Brian Kipping, and Jane Martin, as well as international artists Christian Boltanski, Eric Fischl, and Dena DeCola & Karin E. Wandner – most from the AGO’s permanent collection.
Student curators of The Matter of Loss are Rose Bouthillier, Sky Goodden, Amber Landgraff, Deborah Wang and Lauren Wetmore. A public reception with the curators was held last night, Wednesday, April 15, from 6 to 8:30 pm.