August 31st, 2011
On August 31 1911, steam yacht Gunilda sank beneath the waves of Lake Superior. Her wreckage was to become one of the most captivating intact freshwater wrecks in the world. Today, exactly 100 years on, we look back at the life of Gunilda and invite you to learn more about the intricate model ship we hold in the Gallery as part of the Thomson Collection of Ship Models.
August 30th, 2011
Challenge AbEx is a test of wit, skill and ingenuity. Four challenges will be set during the final three weeks of the Abstract Expressionist: New York exhibition. At each stage of the contest there are great prizes to be won, and one lucky player will also be crowned the Ultimate AbEx Challenge Champion. Find out more about Challenge AbEx
Oh no! It’s our final Challenge AbEx Challenge. We’re sad that it’s drawing to a close but it’s been loads of fun. The next challenge can be entered from the comfort of your own home – but it will test the limits of your artistic ability.
Ready? Here’s what you have to do…
To book your tickets to visit Abstract Expressionist: New York please visit our website.
Don’t forget that whoever performs the best across all four challenges will be crowned the Ultimate Abex Challenge Champion. The Champion will get a bumper prize pack including a family/dual AGO Membership, a night for two at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, AbEx goodies and more.
For more information or to see the terms and conditions please get in touch.
August 30th, 2011
Online public vote and AGO exhibition open today; FREE public launch party on September 7
(TORONTO/MONTREAL – August 30, 2011) Four photographers — two each from Canada and India — have been shortlisted for The Grange Prize 2011, Canada’s largest cash prize for photography. The winner of the $50,000 prize is chosen by public vote, which opens today and continues through October 23 at www.thegrangeprize.com. The winner will be announced at a gala reception hosted by presenting partners Aeroplan and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on November 1.
The finalists for The Grange Prize 2011 are:
The four finalists were selected by a nominating jury comprising AGO acting curator of Canadian art Michelle Jacques; Wayne Baerwaldt, the acting vice president of research and academic affairs at the Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary; Gayatri Sinha, a Delhi-based art critic and curator; and Sunil Gupta, a photographer, writer and curator born in India and living in New Delhi and London, UK.
Top Left: Gauri Gill (Indian), Balika Mela Portraits 12. Balika Mela Portrait series2003. Archival pigment print, 30 x 40 in. Courtesy of the artist. © 2011 Gauri Gill
Top Right: Elaine Stocki (Canadian), William, 2008, chromogenic print, 15 x 15 in. Courtesy of the artist. © 2011 Elaine Stocki
Bottom Left: Althea Thauberger (Canadian), Kandahar International Airport (detail), 2009. Digital c-print, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. © 2011 Althea Thauberger
Bottom Right: Nandini Valli Muthiah (Indian), Seated 1, 2006, Definitive Reincarnate series. Inkjet print on archival paper. 31 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist and Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai. © 2011 Nandini Valli Muthiah
August 23rd, 2011
Challenge AbEx is a test of wit, skill and ingenuity. Four challenges, each one more difficult than the last, will be set during the final three weeks of the Abstract Expressionist: New York exhibition. At each stage of the contest there are great prizes to be won, and one lucky player will also be crowned the Ultimate AbEx Challenge Champion. Find out more about Challenge AbEx
We’ve seen you show off your Facebook skills and witnessed some stunning Twitter work, but now it’s time to step out from behind your screens, put on your thinking caps and head out in to the Gallery. Follow the instructions below carefully – the winner will be the person who completes the most questions before the Gallery closes on Sunday August 28. In the event of a tie, the winner will be selected at random. Up for grabs is a $50 gift card to spend at Frank*, our fantastic Gallery restaurant.
Ready? Here’s what you have to do…
To book your tickets to visit Abstract Expressionist: New York please visit our website.
Don’t forget that whoever performs the best across all four challenges will be crowned the Ultimate Abex Challenge Champion. The Champion will get a bumper prize pack including a family/dual AGO Membership, a night for two at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, AbEx goodies and more.
For more information or to see the terms and conditions please get in touch.
*Voucher must be used before the expiry date printed on the certificate. Voucher not redeemable during public holidays. Full Ts & Cs on certificate.
Follow the AGO on Twitter
Join us on Facebook
August 22nd, 2011
On Saturday August 13 2011 over 60 people took part in ‘A Heart to Art Chat at the AGO’. It was a special event for people to listen, learn and co-create ideas for the Gallery.
The event took place in our new Weston Family Learning Centre –a first chance for most of the attendees to spend time in the space. Taking part were members, casual visitors and even people who had never visited the Gallery before, people from a wide range of ages and from a diverse mix of backgrounds. Those who wanted to join in the conversation online were able to take part on Twitter using the #AGOChat hashtag.
The day was structured like an Unconference – an event that lets the people taking part decide what should be talked about. We asked people what community groups they identified themselves with and what they would like to see at the gallery. They shared their answers on brightly coloured sticky notes which were then sorted to identify common themes.
The following sessions covered a wide range of themes including:
People talked passionately about their ideas for their AGO. From date nights and reality TV shows to longer opening hours and more events for adults the ideas flowed thick and fast all day. We also managed to get #AGOChat trending in Canada, so a big thank you to everyone that tweeted throughout the day.
What happens next?
We are grateful to everyone who came out and shared their ideas with us. Thanks also needs to go to Celina Agaton who organized the event and all of the facilitators who ran the sessions: Marisa Gelfusa; Marco Campana ; Aerin Guy; Darcy Higgins and Ramy Nassar.
August 18th, 2011
Challenge AbEx is a test of wit, skill and ingenuity. Four challenges, each one more difficult than the last, will be set during the final three weeks of the Abstract Expressionist: New York exhibition. At each stage of the contest there are great prizes to be won, and one lucky player will also be crowned the Ultimate AbEx Challenge Champion. Find out more about Challenge AbEx
Challenge One was all about Facebook. For Challenge Two it’s all about Twitter, and your ability to solve tough questions about abstract expressionism in lightening-quick time. Up for the challenge? Here’s how to take part:
Don’t forget that whoever performs the best across all four challenges will be crowned the Ultimate Abex Challenge Champion. The Champion will get a bumper prize pack including a family/dual AGO Membership, a night for two at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, AbEx goodies and more.
For more information or to see the terms and conditions please get in touch.
Follow the AGO on Twitter
Join us on Facebook
August 17th, 2011
The Grange Prize is Canada’s largest cash prize for photography and the only major Canadian art prize whose winner is chosen by a public vote. Each year, The Grange Prize Nominating Jury selects a shortlist of four extraordinary photographic artists – two from Canada and two from a partner country. Their work goes on view at the AGO and online at thegrangeprize.com, and then it’s up to you to decide which photographer should win the $50,000 prize. The 2011 shortlist will be announced August 30, the same day that public voting begins. Find out more about The Grange Prize
The Grange Prize recognizes that contemporary photography includes a broad range of diverse practices and places no limitations on approach, subject matter, technology, or presentation. Artists are selected for excellence in the medium. Watch a clip of last year’s winner, Kristan Horton, talking about The Grange Prize.
How to get involved:
Step One
Join us on the The Grange Prize Facebook page. We’ll give you access to ‘behind-the-scenes’ updates, exclusive contests and great content about this year’s nominees.
Step Two
Celebrate the arrival of The Grange Prize 2011 at an amazing free launch party at the AGO on Wednesday September 7. The celebration will feature drinks, snacks and a set by DJ Jaime Sin in the AGO’s Walker Court, along with video interviews and live advocates highlighting each of the four shortlisted artists. You’ll also get a chance to meet the artists in person and view their work inside The Grange Prize 2011 Exhibition. Don’t forget to save the date.
Step Three
Cast your vote! Voting opens on August 30 and you can vote in person at the AGO or by visiting thegrangeprize.com. You have until October 29 to make your choice, and the artist who receives the most votes will receive the $50,000 prize at a gala reception at the AGO on November 1. Send me a reminder when voting opens
The Grange Prize is a unique partnership between the Art Gallery of Ontario and Aeroplan, The Grange Prize aims to engage the public in a vital discourse about the power and prevalence of photography in our world today through public exhibitions, voting and online dialogue.
August 17th, 2011
“Oh the song of the future has been sung / All the battles have been won
On the mountain tops we stand / All the world at our command
We have opened up her soil / With our teardrops and our toil”
— Gordon Lightfoot, “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”
(TORONTO – August 17, 2011) A new exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario traces the history of Canada’s changing industrial landscape through the lens of some of the country’s most extraordinary photographers from the past 150 years. Songs of the Future: Canadian Industrial Photographs, 1858 to Today opens August 20 and includes more than 100 photographs by such artists as Alexander Henderson, William Notman, John Vanderpant, E. Haanel Cassidy, Ralph Greenhill, George Hunter and Edward Burtynsky.
Depicting railway and bridge building, quarries and mines, and the lumber, pulp and paper, and concrete industries in Canada, Songs of the Future traces the shifting perspectives on industry and the Canadian landscape from the Industrial Revolution to today. The exhibition highlights the ways in which the photographers’ perspectives on industry have shifted along with those of society at large, as celebratory images of human domination over nature give way to more critical views of industrial impact.
The exhibition is curated by Sophie Hackett, the AGO’s assistant curator of photography, who integrates works from various periods into thematic concentrations, including images featuring: the construction of the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence River in the late 1850s; the building of the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company, a pulp-and-paper mill located in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, in 1912; and the development of the railroad in Canada.
August 16th, 2011
Challenge AbEx is a test of wit, skill and ingenuity. Four challenges, each one more difficult than the last, will be set during the final three weeks of the Abstract Expressionist: New York exhibition. At each stage of the contest there are great prizes to be won, and one lucky player will also be crowned the Ultimate AbEx Challenge Champion. Find out more about Challenge AbEx
We’re making Challenge One nice and easy for you. We’re easing you in gradually. Playing nicely. It’s so unchallenging; it’s barely a challenge at all. The winner of the first Challenge AbEx Challenge will receive a fantastic AbEx prize pack and a pair of free tickets to come and experience the show and the rest of the Gallery. Ready? Here’s what you have to do…
*To tag us use the “@” key immediately followed by Art Gallery of Ontario (@Art…) You should be able to select Art Gallery Of Ontario from a list once you begin typing.
Easy, right?
Competition closes at 12:00 Wednesday 17 August & we’ll be announcing the winner later that day. The winner will be picked at random from those who successfully tag us. Good luck to everyone taking part!
Don’t forget that whoever performs the best across all four challenges will be crowned the Ultimate Abex Challenge Champion. The Champion will get a bumper prize pack including a family/dual AGO Membership, a night for two at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, AbEx goodies and more.
For more information or to see the terms and conditions please get in touch.
August 16th, 2011
Head down the first staircase you see as you enter the AGO and you’ll uncover a collection with some incredible stories to tell. You might feel like you’re descending into darkness, but the dim lighting is just to protect the 130 incredibly detailed ship models housed there, part of the Thomson Collection.
Unique in Canada and considered to be one of the finest private collections of ship models in the world, the Thomson Collection of Ship Models is part of one of the most significant acts of philanthropy in Canadian history. The models span 350 years, combining exquisite craftsmanship and maritime technological and cultural history.
This series delves into the stories behind the ship models, the ships that inspired them and the people that created them. To find more about visiting the gallery, please visit http://www.ago.net
The sinking of Gunilda: 100th Anniversary
On August 1911 the steam yacht Gunilda sank beneath the surface of Lake Superior in Northern Ontario. Today, the wreck is famous amongst divers as being one of the world’s most intact and interesting freshwater wrecks. View fascinating dive photos, explore the Gunilda model and learn more about America’s Gilded Age. Story coming soon
From steam power to steampunk: The history of steam
The invention of the steam-powered engine changed life forever, triggering the industrial revolution and giving people the power to travel previously unimaginable distances. Trace a path from ‘father of the steam engine’ James Watt to steam engines and steam ships and on to the Hollywood depictions of the steamboat era using objects in the Thomson Collection as your guide. Story coming soon
Tintin on the high seas
Hergé’s classic character from children’s literature, Tintin, gets a new lease of life this Christmas when The Adventure of Tintin: The Mystery of the Unicorn is released in cinemas. Central to the plot of is mysterious model ship The Unicorn. Learn about the significance of model ships like these and see examples from the collection from the same era. Story coming soon
The Tale of Mimi and Toutou
During World War One an eccentric British naval officer called Geoffrey Spicer-Simpson was tasked with seizing Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa from German control. He was given command of two small gunboats, which he named Mimi and Toutou (“cat” and “dog” in French). Read about their incredible journey and then come to the gallery to see our scale model of Mimi. Story coming soon
To find out more about The Thomson Collection of Ship Models you can listen to our podcast, narrated by National Maritime Museum Curator Simon Stephens. Click here to book your tickets and visit the AGO.