2007 / 2008

Blue Soup Series For Emerging Arts Professionals
Bringing Art to the Streets:
Visual Arts Programmers and Municipalities
Monday, March 31, 2008, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Gallery 1313, Toronto
Registration Fees: $45 OAAG Members / $55 General (Lunch not included)
Coordinated by Scott Sawtell for the Ontario Association of Art Galleries
The Blue Soup Series is supported in part by the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada

Program Description:
This symposium will explore the role of the curator in taking visual art out of the gallery and into the municipal arena. Topics will include:

- Successful projects & how they started: curators from Dyan Marie Projects, UrbanVisions and Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener & Area (CAFKA)
- Issues regarding working with municipalities beyond the gallery doors
- Integration Strategies
- Involving the community / Revitalization through art
- Promotional Strategies
- Benefits / Obstacles
- The Municipal Perspective: A representative from the progressive City of Kitchener will discuss the city's relationship with CAFKA and how the arts vitalize the City of Kitchener.

A kit will accompany the series.

Bringing Art to the Streets is useful for graduate students, emerging curators, visual arts administrators, municipal representatives and emerging arts professionals who want to gain insight and perspective into the possibilities of partnerships between arts organizations and municipalities.

Agenda

10:00 am - Introductions

10:10 am - Presenter - Sarah Beveridge, Curator, The MacLaren Arts Centre

11:00 am - Presenter - Dyan Marie, Director and Curator, Dyan Marie Projects
Initiating Artist - Nuit Blanche '"Bloor Nightlight", 2007

12:00 pm - Lunch Break

1:00 pm - Presenter - Rob Ring, Artistic Director, CAFKA

2:00 pm - Presenter - Brian Scott, Economic Development Officer, City of Kitchener

3 - 4:00 pm - Plenary

To register please complete the registration form available for download here and fax or email it to:

Ontario Association of Art Galleries
111 Peter Street, Suite 617
Toronto ON M5V 2H1
Tel: 9415) 598-0714
Fax: (416) 598-4128
Email: members@oaag.org

Registration fees are non-refundable.
Contact: Shay Gibson, Membership and Publications Coordinator
Tel: (416) 598-0714 Email: members@oaag.org

Audience Development and Evaluating Audience Experience
A one-day working session for professional outreach and gallery programmers in Ontario public art galleries
Facilitated by Barbara Soren Ph.D.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008, 10 am to 4 pm
Conference Suite, 111 Peter Street, Toronto, ON

Participation Fee: $150 OAAG Members (Lunch included); $200 General
Register by Friday February 29, 2008: Contact Shay Gibson, Membership and Publications Coordinator, members@oaag.org
Funded in part by the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage

The key to the participation cycle is the arts experience….The key to this participation model, for all types of participants, is the intensity of engagement—mental, emotional, and social—in the arts experience. Only those that are capable of high levels of engagement in the arts experience become frequent participants. The implication of this insight is that occasional participants must be introduced to compelling arts experiences if they are to be converted into frequent arts participants.

McCarthy/Ondaatje/Zakaras/Brooks, Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate about the Benefits of the Arts. The Rand Corporation: Santa Monica, 2004. pp. 62-63

Program Description:

This one-day session facilitated by museum consultant Barbara Soren will bring together up to 20 professional outreach and programmers from a range of gallery models across Ontario. Together we will define and capture what each participant sees as critical issues of audience development and participation facing gallery programming today.

The day will have both a workshop & working-group structure. Using a template on how to develop audience-based measures of success, participants will develop a plan for evaluating an exhibition or gallery program in their own institution. We will ask participants to bring with them materials that they currently use to help them to develop this plan. Roundtable discussions will contribute to a report that the consultant will write with quantitative and qualitative approaches already in use by programmers to describe their audiences. The report will recommend strategies for broadening, diversifying, and deepening audience participation in public art galleries. In addition to providing examples from the work undertaken in this area by the galleries participating in the project, the report will also recommend next steps for research in this important area.

Agenda

10:00-10:30 am
Introductions
Model for broadening, diversifying, and deepening audience participation
Audience-based measures of success template

10:30-11:30 am
Working groups
Mission/Mandate of Gallery
Aims/Goals of exhibit, education or public program
Description of exhibit, education or public program
Target audiences
Web presence

11:30-12:00 am
Large group
Reports, issues, questions from working groups

12:00-1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 to 1:30 pm
Objectives and Outcomes for audiences
Evaluation strategies and Success indicators

1:30-2:30 pm
Working groups
Objectives and Outcomes to ensure your exhibit, education or program
broadens, diversifies, and deepens audience participation
Developing Evaluation strategies and Audience-based measures of success

2:30-3:00 pm Break

3:00-4:00 pm
Large group
Reports, issues, questions from working groups
Personal action plan: next steps for developing audiences and evaluating audience experience at your Gallery

How to prepare for the Audience Development and Evaluating Audience Experience working session …

1. Think about audiences you want to develop and evaluate for one of your exhibits, education or public programs.

2. Gather the following materials to bring with you to the OAAG working session (if they are available):

- Your Gallery ’s mission or mandate
- Aims or goals for audiences visiting the exhibit or participating in the education or public program
- A written description of the exhibit or program and related images
- A Web page describing the exhibit or program
- Target audiences that are attending or you expect to attend or use the website
- Evaluation tools or strategies that you currently use to evaluate audiences who
attend exhibits or participate in programs (e.g., attendance forms, surveys, program
evaluation forms, web metrics)
- Approaches you use to measure the success of your exhibits or programs for audiences who attend.
- Anything else that you think would be important to bring with you.

Consultant
Barbara J. Soren is an independent consultant who specializes in working with cultural and community organizations. As an educator, she has been working with museums and science centres, performing arts organizations, community organizations and health care facilities, and schools since the mid-1970s. Her work focuses on how people grow and learn throughout their lives in rich and meaningful contexts. Her consulting work, research, and teaching have focused on lifelong learning, how individuals develop and grow throughout their lives, and developing or building audiences across the arts. She has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Science in Teaching from McMaster University. Both graduate degrees have focused on Arts/Museum Education. Barbara Soren also teaches a course called Museums and their Publics in Museum Studies/Faculty of Information Studies and is Coordinator of the Knowledge Media Design (KMD) Collaborative Program at University of Toronto.

To register please contact Shay Gibson, Membership and Publications Coordinator, by telephone at (416) 598-0714 or through email at members@oaag.org.

Blue Soup Series For Emerging Arts Professionals
Agents of Change: Talks with Gallery Directors
Two days: February 20 and March 13, 2008
Two guided one-day walking tours
Registration Fees, Two days: OAAG Members/Students $50; General $60
Registration Fees, One day: OAAG Members/Students $25; General $30
The Blue Soup Series is supported in part by the Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada.

Program Description:
A series of six talks will be presented by Toronto art gallery directors in their working environments over two days in February. Responding to the question, "How has your art gallery changed and where is it going?", the talks will reflect on gallery histories, their changing positions, and the challenges directors face today. Tours of current exhibitions will be provided (as available) and a kit will accompany the series.

Agents of Change is useful for graduate students, emerging curators, visual arts administrators, and emerging arts professionals who want to gain insight and perspective into the public art gallery sector in Ontario.

Agenda

Day 1- Wednesday, February 20, 2008

10:00 am - Vtape, 401 Richmond St. West, Suite 452
Presenter - Lisa Steele, Creative Director

11:30 am - Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, 401 Richmond St., Suite 124
Presenter - Scott McLeod, Director/Curator

12:45 pm - Lunch Break (The Grange - Lunch is not included in registration)

2:00 pm - Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas Street West
Presenter - Matthew Teitelbaum, The Michael and Sonja Koerner Director & CEO

Day 2- Thursday, March 13, 2008

10:00 am - Susan Hobbs Gallery, 137 Tecumseth Street
Presenter - Susan Hobbs, Director & Principle

11:30 am - Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, 952 Queen St. West
Presenter - David Liss, Director/Curator

12:45 pm - Lunch Break (Participants can break for lunch at the Golden Turtle - Lunch is not included in registration)

2:00 pm - Gallery TPW, 56 Ossington Avenue
Presenter - Gary Hall, Executive Director

To register please complete the registration form available for download here and fax or email it to:

Ontario Association of Art Galleries
111 Peter Street, Suite 617
Toronto ON M5V 2H1
Tel: 9415) 598-0714
Fax: (416) 598-4128
Email: members@oaag.org

Registration fees are non-refundable.
Contact: Shay Gibson, Membership and Publications Coordinator
Tel: (416) 598-0714 Email: members@oaag.org

Atelier
Jeudi 17 janvier et vendredi 18 janvier 2008
De la genèse à l’aboutissement : la planification des projets d’infrastructures - 1re et 2e partie
Hôtel Chimo (1199, rue Joseph-Cyr, Ottawa, Ontario, K1J 7T4)
Membres de l’AOGA : pour vous inscrire, contacter Shay Gibson, coordonnateur des membres et des publications, members@oaag.org
Frais d’inscription : 95,00 $ (maximum de 10 personnes)
Date limite : le mardi 8 janvier 2008

Présenté en partenariat par Réseau Ontario, l’Association ontarienne des galeries d’art (AOGA) et ArtsBuild Ontario.
L’atelier aura lieu en français.
Cet atelier bénéficie du soutien de Patrimoine canadien, dans le cadre du Programme d’aide aux musées.

Pour les diffuseurs pluridisciplinaires et spécialisés
Jeudi 17 Janvier, 14 h à 16 h 45 (1re partie)
Salle Baffin-Cabot ­ Hôtel CHIMO
Vendredi 18 Janvier, 8 h 30 à 11 h 15 (2e partie)
Salle Baffin-Cabot

Présenté en partenariat avec ArtsBuild Ontario et Ontario Association of Arts Galleries, De la genèse à l’aboutissement est conçu à l’intention des petits et moyens organismes qui envisagent d’entreprendre un projet d’amélioration de leurs infrastructures. Les présentations et les discussions aborderont des questions telles que: Votre organisme est-il prêt à entreprendre un tel projet? Quels en seront les effets sur la programmation et les opérations? Quelles décisions clés devront être prises en relation au projet? L’atelier présentera également un survol du rôle des études de faisabilité, abordera les questions liées à l'immobilier et au code du bâtiment tout en se penchant sur les sources de soutien, la gestion des bénévoles et le recours aux consultants. Les participants y seront appelés à faire part de leurs expériences et de leurs principaux objectifs d’apprentissage.

L’hébergement à l’hôtel Chimo est disponible au tarif spécial de 99,00 $ par nuit (plus taxes). Pour obtenir ce tarif, les réservations doivent être faites avant le 10 janvier 2008, sous le nom de groupe « Contact ontarois », en composant le 1-800-387-9779.

Cet atelier est présenté dans le cadre de Contact ontarois.

Présentateurs

François Morrison, Trizart Alliance
Depuis 2000, François dirige l’équipe multidisciplinaire de Trizart Alliance dont le portfolio inclus le design, la construction et la réhabilitation de plus de 200 salles et lieux d’assemblées publiques, répartis sur 3 continents. Diplômé de l’Université McGill, François a œuvré dans le monde corporatif pendant plus de 15 ans, à titre de premier responsable des fonctions de gestion des ressources humaines, des relations de travail ainsi que de l’amélioration continue. Musicien et passionné de culture, François change de cap et devient entrepreneur en 2000. Chez Trizart, il est responsable de la stratégie d’entreprise, des relations avec les clients et partenaires, de l’administration ainsi que des modèles d’affaires des projets.

Louise Poulin, ArtExpert.ca
Expert-conseil en analyse stratégique, gestion organisationnelle et études de faisabilité, Louise Poulin possède plus de vingt cinq ans de carrière dans la gestion des arts et des industries culturelles. Elle a dirigé plus d’une vingtaine d’études et de projets d’implantation et conduit plusieurs exercices sur les états de situation, analyses et projets d’infrastructure. Elle est détentrice d’une formation sur l'orientation de programmation à Disney University à Orlando. Elle a assumé la direction d'événements culturels majeurs tels le Festival de théâtre des Amériques, le Festival international de mime, le congrès annuel sur l'industrie du disque et la programmation des arts au 350e anniversaire de Montréal. Pour la Société des casinos du Québec, elle a vu à l'implantation du divertissement dans les trois casinos. Louise Poulin est présidente du groupe de travail sur le Mentorat culturel à Montréal, membre fondatrice du Arts Canadian Consultant, membre des conseils d’administration de la Conférence canadienne des arts et de Culture Montréal.

2007 Fall Focus Session
Vital Engagement:
The Public Art Gallery and Effective Change in the Visual Arts
Monday October 22, 2007 and Tuesday October 23, 2007
W132, Schulich School for Business and Executive Learning Centre
York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario click here for map

Four intuitive conversations over two days for gallery directors, curators, educators, artists, independent visual arts professionals, and people who care about exhibiting visual art in public institutions.

Full Registration $195 OAAG Institutional Members; $260 General; $140 Professional Independents; $75 Students
Daily Registration $100/day OAAG Institutional Members; $135/day General; $75/day Professional Independents; $40/day Students
All registration fees include delegate resource kit, lunch and health breaks.
Register by Friday October 19: Shay Gibson, Membership and Publications Coordinator, members@oaag.org
Project Coordination Pamila Matharu

Monday October 22, 2007

9 am – 10:45 am
The Public Gallery and the Public Sphere
Kevin Dowler, Graduate Program of Communication & Culture, York University
Dax Morrison, Visual Artist, Details of Canada’s Public Art Galleries
Stuart Reid, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, on New Performance Measures for the Public Gallery

Welcome to New Canada: A critic, artist, and gallery director/curator evaluate how the public art gallery nourishes and negotiates its core mission (and serves its burgeoning multivalent audiences) in an ever-changing climate of variable funding paradigms, regulatory intervention, new patronage, and shape-shifting public and private interests.

11 am
Susan Bloch-Nevitte, Public Relations, Art Gallery of Ontario

Over the summer of 2006, the Art Gallery of Ontario encountered first-hand the impact of regulatory language in Ontario’s re-instated Film Classification Act (2005). Susan Bloch-Nevitte shares how the gallery managed the process, their subsequent research on museum practice concerning the exhibition of moving image works of art, and potential next steps for OAAG members.

11:45 am
OAAG Annual General Meeting of Members (Free admission)

12:30 pm
Lunch Break

1:30 – 4:30 pm
Community in Focus: Part One
Mary-Ellen Heiman, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, on A Sense of Space: The Blind Culture
Allyson Adley, Art Gallery of York University, & Sandeep Kler, Team Leader, The Spot, Jane-Finch Community Centre
Dana Samuel, Media artist/curator/writer, on The Networked City

Developing new initiatives, reaching out in new partnerships beyond visible limits: three thought-provoking projects undertaken in the past year by Ontario public art galleries.

Tuesday October 23, 2007

9 – 10:45 am
Change Makers: Fire from Ice
Ryan Rice, independent artist and curator
Haema Sivanesan, SAVAC
Christina Zeidler, Gladstone Hotel

Three arts producers—recognized catalysts for effective change in the visual arts—talk about how they made something new happen in Ontario: working outside of the institution, creating new possibilities of interaction, experience and collaboration.

11 am – 12:30 pm
Community in Focus: Part Two
Bonnie Devine, visual artist/curator, & Celeste Scopelites, Art Gallery of Sudbury, on Daphne Odjig
Colin Wiginton, Community Programs, Art Gallery of Ontario, on Arts Access
Deborah Barndt, Community Arts Practice, York University

Three programs that signal major institutional shifts: opening doors, re-aligning traditional relationships, making space for the new.

12:30 pm
Lunch Break

1:30 -3:00 pm
New World Order: The Independent Life
Kim Fullerton, Curator/ Akimbo Art Promotions
Clara Hargittay, Curator
Carla Garnet, Curator / Art Historian / Former Art Dealer

Career-shifting visual art professionals share their independent points of view: building a new professional life, unveiling a new calling, how to nourish body and soul (and save for retirement) in the New World Order.

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Curating in a New World Order: City / University
Suzanne Carte-Blanchenot, Art Gallery of Mississauga / Blackwood Gallery, UTM

You’ve been hired to make new art happen in an established super-system. Now go!

4:30 pm
Exhibition Tour
The 2007 OAAG Fall Focus Session concludes with a tour by Philip Monk, Art Gallery of York University, of the exhibition FASTWÜRMS DONKY@NINJA@WITCH.

Followed by

5:30 pm
The 30th Anniversary OAAG Awards
Art Gallery of York University
Free Admission

Please join us for the 2007 OAAG Awards, our annual province-wide juried awards that recognize and celebrate excellence and achievement in exhibitions, curatorial writing, education programs and community partnership in Ontario’s dynamic public art galleries. This year, ten peer jurors recognize 18 galleries from 11 cities across the province with 21 Awards of Excellence. A complimentary Awards shuttle bus departs downtown Toronto from 100 McCaul Street at 4:30 pm. The return bus departs AGYU at approximately 8 pm for the Awards after-party at the Beaver Café, 1192 Queen Street West at Dufferin.

Media Contact Pamila Matharu, Coordinator, programs@oaag.org, (416) 598-0714

2006 / 2007

March 20th, 2007, 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Troublemaking and Troubleshooting:
Exhibition Organization for Emerging Curators
Multimedia Studio Theatre (MiST), Ground Floor, CCIT Building
University of Toronto at Mississauga
3359 Mississauga Road
Mississauga ON L5L 1C6
Registration fee - OAAG Members & University of Toronto students: $40
Registration fee - General: $45

Through case studies and presentations by established professionals, the Blue Soup series creates professional development and network opportunities for recently graduated and underemployed emerging arts professionals. Troublemaking and Troubleshooting is a half-day workshop that will introduce the main components of exhibition organization, by identifying the resources, tools and methods of contemporary curatorial practice. Professional visual art curators Rhonda Corvese and Alissa Firth-Eagland will share expertise and provide insight into how to make curatorial projects happen from the ground up.

Rhonda Corvese will address:

The Artist Curator relationship
Negotiation and communication
Production as a curatorial model
Research strategies
Networking: local, national and international

Alissa Firth-Eagland will address:

Pitching proposals and Calls For Submissions
The Artist/Curator model
Funding opportunities, partnerships and grants
Making contact with galleries, artist-run centres and alternative venues
Cultivating impact: promotion, publication, documentation

Getting There:

Participants are responsible for their own travel to and from Mississauga. Tickets for the intercampus shuttle bus can be purchased by non-students at Hart House, University of Toronto 7 Hart House Circle. Shuttle schedule available at www.utm.utoronto.ca/shuttle.

Rhonda Corvese is a Toronto-based independent curator and an Assistant Curator at the Art Gallery of York University (AGYU). Her curatorial projects often evolve in response to situations, where she strives to challenge the role of the curator, artist and audience in the presentation and engagement of contemporary art. She is fundamentally interested in exploring the dialogue between curator and artist in the creation of new work that exists beyond the gallery space and in the examination of contemporary Canadian art within an international framework. Recent projects include: The Idea of North, a sound art group exhibition in Norway, Iceland and Halifax (2005/2006); Iris Haeussler’s site-specific installation The Legacy of Joseph Wagenbach (2006); a special project Berlin booth Berlin Constructions: Emergent Practices Today at the Toronto International Art Fair (2004); and the Berlin/Toronto Gallery Exchange (2004/2005). Three upcoming Toronto projects include: British artist Shona Illingworth’s The Watch Man, a video and sound installation at InterAccess (April 6-May 12, 2007) as part of Images Festival 2007; 25sec.-Toronto a video portrait of cultural mediators by Berlin-based German artists Angelika Middendorf and Andreas Schimanski at Prefix ICA (June/July 2007); and an AGYU project "in there", a one-night performance event on April 4/2007 in the Accolade East Building (AGYU), a series of process-based collaborative projects between Diane Borsato, Daniel Cockburn, Kristan Horton and the dance, music and theatre students at York University.

Toronto-based curator Alissa Firth-Eagland publishes, produces events, curates exhibitions and programs time-based works. Her multi-faceted approach sparks projects across a range of communities, institutions, and disciplines: single-evening performances, video screenings, multiple location shows; interventions in public spaces; and gallery exhibitions. She has coordinated projects for organizations like the TRANZ �‡ TECH 2003 Toronto International Media Biennial, Cultural Human Resources Canada, the Banff Centre, the Toronto Alternative Arts Fair International 2004, YYZ Artists Outlet and MUU Gallery (Helsinki, Finland). Through her practice, she champions creative experimentation with media. In 2005 she commissioned video artists who use their own presence in their works to perform live for the first time with her project, Feats, might. In 2006 she was awarded an Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Fellowship for independent research into print as a distinct forum for contemporary art. The inaugural issue of her curatorial publication project ALMANAC exhibited in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Melbourne, Australia; Stockholm, Sweden; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and in Cambridge, UK. In summer 2006 she was curator-in-residence at the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art where she researched Nordic artists creating works that defy traditional artistic categories. In 2008 she will be presenting the first solo exhibition of Canadian video artist Gareth Long’s work at Oakville Galleries. Currently she’s commissioning new works for Sleepwalker Projects, her experimental window gallery on Queen St West in Toronto.

Finance for the Arts is a two-day workshop that will introduce emerging and mid-career arts administrators to bookkeeping, accounting and financial principles. Using case studies, break out sessions, and step-by-step workshops, this session will equally serve as a learning tool for senior staff members to brush up on best practices and financial management with emphasis on budgeting.

Learning Objectives:

- Review of standard accounting principles
- Prepare and analyze financial statements
- Acquire budgeting tools
- Identify direct and indirect costs for project budgets
- Clarify financial roles and responsibilities
- Overview of the financial planning cycle: organizing your fiscal agenda
- Managing cash flow

Presenter Heather Clara Young has worked in the field of arts management for close to twenty years. Her experience includes leadership roles with a variety of arts service organizations, theatre and dance producing companies, facilities, festivals and community organizations, in both professional and volunteer capacities.

Heather teaches accounting and financial management to diploma and continuing education students in Humber College’s Arts Administration programs. Heather was a 2004 recipient of Humber College’s Continuing Education Award of Excellence for Outstanding Academic Contribution.

Her company, Young Associates, founded in 1992, provides consulting, financial management and bookkeeping services to both not-for-profit and commercial arts and cultural organizations.

*This two-day workshop will also include a tour of the Gardiner Museum’s recently re-installed Permanent Collections.

In collaboration with The Centre for Cultural Management

Human Resources for Cultural Managers workshop is aimed at mid-career professionals in management positions to address the need for human resources information and training. In collaboration with the University of Waterloo’s The Centre of Cultural Management. Part One of the course requires the completion of an online interactive tutorial learning experience for a certificate in Conflict Management for Creative Organizations. The second part of the workshop will be a peer-to-peer discussion focusing on retaining and rewarding staff, human resource policies, training development and managing staff performance. It can be used as a learning tool to improve communication, refine staff relationships and create functional job descriptions.

Learning Objectives:
- Managing workplace change;
- Addressing changing positions with the staffing structure;
- Re-evaluating job descriptions;
- How to give critical and supportive feedback;
- Coaching and Mentoring in the cultural sector;
- Performance management.

University of Waterloo Manageculture.com
Managing Conflict in Creative Organizations
www.manageculture.com

Many cultural organizations experience difficulty in meeting some of their goals because of internal conflict. In this course you will learn that, if managed properly, conflict can be a healthy and creative force in the organization. Sources of conflict are explored, as well different conflict styles. The role and guidelines for effective communication in managing conflict are explored in depth.

November 8, 2006 6:00 - 9:00 pm
The Art of Getting Published
University of Toronto Art Centre
15 King’s College Circle, Toronto
Registration fee: $20

Content Contributors: Brian Joseph Davis, Terence Dick

FOCUS This session will be devoted to understanding the key elements of publishing reviews and critical texts on visual art and culture. Whether it is curatorial research or cultural analysis this workshop will explore the opportunities for print. By supplying an extensive list of magazine and periodical profiles, registrants will learn how to build relationships with managing editors, connect with the correct audience and the fine art of getting published.

Learning Objectives:
- Making contact;
- Pitching reviews;
- Understanding submission formats;
- Working with editors;
- Studying the market;
- Marketing your writing
- What’s on the Web: Learning about e-publishing.

Brian Joseph Davis is an artist and writer from Toronto. He was called a "genius" by Alex Ross for turning the writings of philosopher Theodor Adorno into a punk 7inch. Frieze Magazine also deemed the same project "serious hilarity...joyous and thoughtful."

In 2005 Coach House Books published Portable Altamont, his first collection of writings, which has garnered praise from Spin Magazine for its "elegant, wise-ass rush of truth [and] hiding riotous social commentary in slanderous jokes." Davis is also a columnist for Eye Weekly and recently wrote about the death of the cassette for the Utne Reader.

His other projects have included Ten Banned Albums Burned Then Played ( music made out of charred vinyl), Voice Over ( a text composed from a list of 5,000 film "taglines" which was then read by a professional voiceover artist) and Yesterduh (recordings of people trying to remember the words to Yesterday).

Terence Dick is a writer living in Toronto. His art criticism has appeared in BorderCrossings, Canadian Art, Camera Austria, Fuse, Mix, Parachute, C Magazine, Prefix Photo, and The Globe and Mail. He has written catalogue and exhibition essays for Stan Douglas, Lee Goreas, Peter McCallum, Matt Crookshank, Jennifer Murphy and Chris Rogers. He is also the editor of the online art review Akimblog (www.akimbo.biz) and music editor for Broken Pencil magazine. Terence has a Master’s Degree in Philosophy and Cultural Studies from Trent University and worked for eight years in education and public programs at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. He has given lectures and conducted workshops at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Music Gallery and Oakville Galleries.

Presented in partnership by the University of Toronto Art Centre and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.

Monday, September 18 - Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Two-Day Workshop Environmental Agents: Strategic Preservation of the Collection
Registration fee: $195 (OAAG Members & Students), $250 (General)
Bilingual Presentation
Museum London, 421 Ridout Street North, London ON

This is an introduction to the strategic preservation of the collection against agents of deterioration, especially those environmental ones, such as light, relative humidity and atmospheric pollutants. The module will be in the form of a traditional presentation, group exercise, visit to a storage facility and/or exhibit and exercises using computerized equipment.

Learning Outcomes:
- Understand preservation principles;
- Understand the effects of relative humidity, temperature, light and pollutants on objects;
- Quantify the degree of preservation of objects in a given environment;
- Implement a preservation strategy based on an analysis of priorities, costs and benefits.

Agenda:

Preservation principles and assessment
Background and examination of the notion of standards versus guidelines. Preservation parameters such as object integrity, its current access (visibility) and its future access (preservation).Notion of preservation target and assessment of the degree of preservation of collections by using risk management concepts.

Light
Sensitivity of objects to light and UV rays. Notion of dose. Preservation assessment of objects against radiation. Guidelines on lighting levels. Reflection and glare problems.

Relative humidity and temperature
Sensitivity of objects to humidity and temperature fluctuations. Preservation assessment of objects against humidity. Guidelines. Control strategies.

Pollutants
Sensitivity of objects to various airborne pollutants in buildings. Preservation assessment of objects against pollutants. Guidelines. Control strategies. Preservation assessment of a collection. Preservation assessment using a simple computer program. Introduction to preservation indexes.

Improved preservation through a costs and benefits analysis.
Set action priorities based on preservation assessment results. Select strategic options based on a costs and benefits analysis. Prepare a preservation plan.

Visits to a collection storage room and/or an exhibit gallery
Application of concepts learned in class. Assessment of a site’s basic environment.

Target Audience: Staff and volunteers involved in collection management including its storage and access.

Facilitators:

Jean Tétreault studied at the University of Montreal, where he received a Masters Degree in Science (analytical chemistry). In 1989, he joined the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), where he is currently working as an adviser and researcher on environmental condition directives, pollutants, exhibit and storage products and strategy on the preservation assessment of collections. Mr. Tétreault was the President of the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property from 1995 to 1997 and the principal author of directives on pollutant concentrations in museums and archives included in the "Museums, Libraries, and Archives" chapter of the 2003 ASHRAE Application Handbook. He has also presented numerous papers in Canada and Europe on exhibit and storage products. He is currently the acting manager of the Preventive Conservation Services Division of the CCI.

Clifford Cook received a Chemical Engineering Technology Diploma from Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Sciences in Ottawa. He joined CCI in 1978 and researched methods to preserve waterlogged wood and wood/metal composites. In 1987 he moved to the Historic Resource Conservation Branch of Parks Canada as an archaeological conservator. Cliff has recently returned to CCI as a Project Development Advisor in the Preventive Conservation Services. His teaching experience includes CCI workshops and college and university courses. He has presented and published papers on a variety of conservation topics.

Thursday June 15 & Friday June 16, 2006
OAAG Spring Focus Session Ottawa ON
Register now $150 OAAG/CMA members, $175 general

Please join us for the OAAG Spring Focus Session (followed by the 2006 OAAG Awards) in Ottawa this year, presented in conjunction with three OAAG member galleries, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada, and Carleton University Art Gallery.

Agenda:

Thursday, June 15, 2006
Ottawa Art Gallery
2 Daly Avenue, Arts Court, Ottawa ON

4:00 pm
Annual General Meeting
Ontario Association of Art Galleries
Chair Mela Constantinidi, Director, Ottawa Art Gallery, 2005-2006 OAAG President
This meeting includes the election of the 2006-2007 OAAG Board of Directors. Those members in voting categories in good standing with the Association (2005-2006 membership fees due March 31, 2006 paid in full) are eligible to vote.

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Opening Reception
6pm Minister's Remarks
The Ottawa Art Gallery hosts a reception for OAAG members and the Ottawa community to meet the Honourable Caroline Di Cocco, Minister of Culture, Government of Ontario.

Friday, June 16, 2006
National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa ON

9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Workshop: Effective Government Advocacy & Communication
Lecture Hall, National Gallery of Canada
Content Provider Jim Everson, Director of Government Relations, Canadian Museums Association

FOCUS This information workshop identifies tools for effective advocacy and communication. From distinguishing the key politicians and public service representatives to identifying and determining policy priorities, participants will discuss governmental structures and decision-making analysis. Through defining advocacy governance, coordination and roles and responsibilities, staff and board will be able to concentrate on best practices. Presented with the assistance of the Canadian Museums Association and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

12:00 noon - 1:30 pm
Lunch with Keynote Address
Restaurant des Beaux-Arts, National Gallery of Canada
Speaking through Silence 2
Jan Allen, Curator of Contemporary Art, Agnes Etherington Art Centre

1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Status of the Artist and Ontario Public Art Galleries
Lecture Hall, National Gallery of Canada
Moderator Diana Nemiroff, Director, Carleton University Art Gallery
Content Contributors: Pat Durr, Artist, Lorraine Farkas, Director, Planning, Research and Communications, Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal (CAPPRT) and Michel Perron, Director Général, Société des musées québécois (SMQ).

This session will provide an important update for OAAG members on the development of Status of the Artist in Ontario and how it affects Ontario’s public art galleries.

Background On October 17, 2005, OAAG was invited to contribute to an Ontario Ministry of Culture roundtable consultation with other Ontario non-profit arts producers on the topic of Enhancing the Socio-Economic Conditions of Artists. This was the fourth such consultation on this topic conducted by the sub-committee of the Ontario Minister of Culture’s Advisory Council for Art and Culture charged with Status of the Artist, one of the government’s stated deliverables arising from the 2003 election.

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Curator’s Tour
Emily Carr: New Perspectives
Charles Hill, Curator of Canadian Art, National Gallery of Canada

followed by

2006 OAAG Awards
Please join us in our 29th annual presentation of the OAAG Awards, a province-wide juried awards celebration that recognizes excellence and achievement in Ontario public art galleries in seven categories: Exhibition of the Year, Curatorial Writing, Design, Exhibition Design and Installation, Education Programs, Partnerships and Volunteerism.

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Reception
Water Court Foyer, National Gallery of Canada

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
2006 OAAG Awards
Auditorium, National Gallery of Canada

followed by

8:30 pm - midnight
Awards After-Party
Galerie SAW Gallery
67 Nicholas Street, Ottawa

2005 / 2006

October 20 - 22, 2005
Art Gallery of Ontario, Jackman Hall & University of Toronto Art Centre, Toronto.

Group of Seven Roadshow: Art and Public Culture. 1920 -> 2005

This three-day symposium for educators, curators, artists and fans will explore the Group of Seven’s role in securing a place for art in Canadian public culture. From Arthur Lismer's leading work in arts education to the establishment of public galleries across the country, the Group of Seven defined and enriched notions of Canadian identity. The symposium will bring G7 educators, historians and fans together for a multi-disciplinary round-up addressing the Group’s ideas about art in the public realm -- then and now.

The Group of Seven Project 1920->2005 celebrates the 85th anniversary of the first art exhibition of paintings by the Group of Seven in 1920, and has been organized in collaboration by 29 public art galleries, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, with the assistance of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.

Presenters and Panelists:
David Aurandt, Emily Falvey, Simon Frank, Janna Graham, Lise Hosein, Anna Hudson, Andrew Hunter, Lynda Jessup, Ivan Jurakic, Rachel Kalpana James, Kent Monkman, Dennis Reid, Stuart Reid, Seth Scriver, Anna Stanisz, Georgina Uhlyarik, Brandon Vickered, Peter Vietgen, Colin Wiginton, Douglas Worts, Liz Wylie, Joyce Zemans.

For more detailed information visit the G7 Roadshow Symposium Website @ www.oaag.org/groupofseven/symposium/index.html

May 27, 2005, 12 noon - 5:30 pm
Art Gallery of Hamilton, 123 King Street West, Hamilton

Building Now for the Future: Collections and their Facilities
2005 OAAG Spring Focus Session
Registration: $75 OAAG Members, $110 General (includes lunch)

Building Now for the Future: Collections and Their Facilities is a peer-to-peer opportunity to exchange information on public art gallery collections and their facilities.

Our guests have been invited to speak to the following questions:
How and where does your institution house your permanent collection? What strategies do you use to meet the recommended environmental and handling standards for visual art? What are the financial and physical advantages and restraints of your current location and architecture? What do these mean for your institution's future direction? How does your organization plan for and implement acquisition strategies? How much of your collection is on exhibition and how much is rotating storage?

Speakers:
- Rhona Wenger, Director, The Grimsby Public Art Gallery
- Katherine Carleton, Project Manager, ArtsBuild Ontario
- Mary-Ellen Heiman, Executive Director, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant
- Gary Essar, Curator, Riverbrink - Home of the Weir Collection
- Celeste Scopelites, Director/Curator, Art Gallery of Sudbury
- Margaret Haugt, Head of Conservation, Art Gallery of Ontario

This will be an extended conversation of directors, curators, and conservators including case studies and direct experiences in the housing, care and handling of permanent collections throughout Ontario.

Participants will get an understanding of the excitement and costs of effecting physical change to the gallery space.

AGENDA:

12:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm Opening Address
- Louise Dompierre, President & C.E.O., Art Gallery of Hamilton

1:15 pm Building Now for the Future: Collections and Their Facilities
- Slam Session

4:00 pm Presentation of the 2003 OAAG Data Exchange
- Kelly Hill, Principle, Hill Strategies Research Inc.

4:30 pm Curator's Tours:
Heaven & Earth Unveiled: European Treasures from the Tanenbaum Collection
- Patrick Shaw Cable, Curator of European Art, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Lasting Impressions: Celebrated works from the Art Gallery of Hamilton
- Tobi Bruce, Senior Curator, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Contemporary Works from the AGH Collection: installations by John Massey, An Whitlock, Richard Serra and Arnaud Maggs
- Shirley Madill, Vice President & C.O.O., Director of Programs, Art Gallery of
Hamilton

The Spring Focus Session will be preceded by OAAG's Annual General Meeting and followed by the 2005 OAAG Awards.

April 18, 2005
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto

In Print: Art Book Distribution and Retail Sales for the Visual Art Gallery
Registration: OAAG Members $95 / General $120

Due to the overwhelming request for a professional development learning opportunity to focus on the distribution of art gallery publications this one-day workshop will serve as a follow-up workshop for the In Print workshop held at Hart House, University of Toronto in September of 2004. The workshop will be geared to mid-career and senior gallery professionals and will feature publishers and distributors. It is being designed to meet the skill development needs of art galleries and other visual art professionals who want to know more about distributing their catalogues, alternative publications and artist books.

AGENDA:
Keynote Address: Distribution Challenges for the Art Gallery Publishers
Robert Labossiere, Managing Editor, YYZ Artists Outlet

Co-Publishing; A Case Study of Rodney Graham: A little thought:
Lisa Mark, Director of Publications, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Creative Sales & Marketing:
Denise Schon, Program Coordinator Book & Magazine Publishing, Centennial College

Appealing to Your Local Bookstore:
Marc Glassman, Proprietor, Pages Books and Magazines
Judy Wolfe, Management Consultant, Hot House

Curator's Tour:
Xandra Eden, Assistant Curator, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening

Learning Objectives
Appealing to your local book store;
Alternative forms of publishing;
Dealing with Distribution Companies: Contracts & Progress;
Publishers: The Benefits of Distribution;
Self-Distribution: Effectiveness & Costs;
Marketing: Identifying your audience;
Co-publishers / Partners; Case Studies: Successful Distribution

2004 / 2005

Tuesday, March 29, 2005, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Studio Theatre
3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga

Making It Big: Coordinating Touring and International Exhibitions

Description:
Co-Presented with InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre. Making It Big was a one-day workshop that provided mid-career curators/producers and senior staff with the tools and checklists necessary to organize successful large-scale and multi-venue exhibitions, both nationally and internationally. Participants heard from experienced producers about factors relating to exporting exhibitions internationally and bringing large-scale artworks into Canada. A case study of the award winning soundtracks exhibitions provided participants with information about funding options, partnerships, curatorial themes, and how to publicize exhibitions successfully. Through panel discussions, participants gained a better understanding of the various aspects of organizing large-scale projects including; coordinating events, setting realistic timeframes, and making it big. This workshop was a must for cultural workers and curators who wished to learn the necessary skills to expand their repertoire to include successful international and large-scale exhibitions.

Leaders / Presenters:
Cindy Hubert, Touring Exhibitions Coordinator, Art Gallery of Ontario
Christine Braun, Registrar, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Scott Berry, Installations Coordinator, Images Festival
Natalie De Vito, Co-Director, Mercer Union
Christy Thompson, Exhibition Coordinator, The Power Plant Contemporary Art
Gallery
Catherine Crowston, Chief Curator & Director of Exhibitions and Programs, The Edmonton Art Gallery
Barbara Fischer, Director/Curator, Blackwood Gallery, University of Toronto at
Mississauga

Monday, February 21, 2005, 12:00 to 4:30 pm
Cambridge Galleries

Exhibition Organization for Emerging Curators
OAAG Blue Soup Series

Description:
This event is a plenary workshop for emerging curatorial practitioners. The workshop will cover every aspect of organizing exhibitions. Registrants will leave with a checklist of requirements and understanding best practices. The instructors "case studies" will explore an exhibition from beginning to end, including partnerships, fees, timelines, and administrative needs.

Leaders / Presenters:
Alissa Firth-Eagland, Independant Curator
Ivan Jurakicis, Artist, Writer and Curator
Jooyeon June Rhee, Independent Curator

Tuesday, February 1 & 2, 2005
Burlington Art Centre

Financing for the Arts

Description:
Financing for the Arts was a two-day workshop that provided emerging to mid-career arts administrators with an introduction to bookkeeping, accounting, funding, and financial principles. It could be used as a learning tool for senior staff members to brush up on best practices and financial management with an emphasis on budgeting. Grant budget step-by-step information session accompanied the second day with the Ontario Arts Council to go through the operational grant requirements. Registration fee included a copy of "Finance for the Arts in Canada".

Leaders / Presenters:
Heather Clara Young
Carolyn Vesely, Visual & Media Arts Officer, Ontario Arts Council
Jonathan Smith, Curator of Collection, Burlington Art Centre

Tuesday, November 23, 2004, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Ontario College of Art and Design, Room 284 Level 2

Information Exchange and Roundtable Meeting for OAAG Gallery Directors with John Brotman and Carolyn Vesely, Ontario Arts Council

Description:
OAAG Member Gallery Directors were each invited to present a five-minute update to the roundtable on their recent gallery programming and activities, successes and challenges. Then, John Brotman and Carolyn Vesely presented an update on the Ontario Arts Council and funding for public art galleries. The last roundtable meeting of OAAG gallery directors with the Ontario Arts Council was held June 18, 2003 at the University of Toronto Art Centre.

Leaders / Presenters:
John Brotman, Executive Director, Ontario Arts Council
Carolyn Vesely, Visual and Media Arts Officer, Ontario Arts Council

September 27 & 28, 2004, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto, Toronto

In Print: Art Books, Catalogues and Alternative Publications in the Visual Art Gallery
Coordinated by Bridget Indelicato with the Ontario Association of Art Galleries
Registration Fees (includes lunch): $195 OAAG members, $250 general

Description:
This workshop was a two-day professional development learning opportunity for emerging and mid-career art gallery professionals that featured art gallery curators, book designers, editors, and gallery publishers from the Canadian visual art book publishing world, and an on-site tour of CJ Graphics, one of Canada's leading art book printers. This workshop was designed to meet the skills development needs of art gallery and other visual art professionals who want to know more about publishing visual art books.

This intensive learning opportunity was timed to coincide with Toronto's book festival Word on the Street (Sunday, September 26) and the Toronto International Art Fair (September 30 to October 4).

Learning Objectives:
• How to publish in collaboration with other institutions
• When to bring in contract editors, writers, designers and translators
• How to set and maximize publication budgets
• How to budget for different types of publications, from high-end productions to budget-friendly alternatives
• Key components of a production schedule, including proofing stages
• How to maximize the shelf life of art books
• Approaches to publication inserts (CDs, DVDs)
• Design alternatives for materials and bindings
• How a printing house operates

Publications discussed included:
Greg Staats: Animose (2002)
General Idea Editions 1965-1995 (2003)
Susan Kealey: Ordinary Marvel (2003)

Leaders / Presenters:
Keynote Speaker
Jessica Bradley

Presenters
Andrew di Rosa, SMALL design
Julie Bronson, Special Projects Coordinator, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Xandra Eden, Assistant Curator, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
Lisa Kiss, Principal, Lisa Kiss Design
Barbara Fischer, Director/Curator, Blackwood Gallery
Greg Staats, Artist
Jennifer Rudder, Executive Director, Gallery Stratford
Petra Chevrier, Executive Director, Images Festival
Kerri Embrey, Managing Editor, YYZ Books
Maia-Mari Sutnik, Associate Curator of Photography, Art Gallery of Ontario
Syvalya Elchen, Copyright Administrator, Art Gallery of Ontario
Jay Mandarino, President and Founder, CJ Graphics Inc.
Jeremy Martin, Print Consultant, CJ Graphics Inc.

Friday, May 28, 2004
The Atrium, Oakville Town Hall
1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville

Sound / Resound: Visual, Media and Craft Artists Speak To Public Art Galleries
OAAG Spring Focus Session

Description:
Artists tell you what they need, want, and expect from Ontario's public art galleries. Professional visual, media and craft artists who have made their careers in Ontario were invited to the stage in free-flowing extended conversations or "soundings" to speak about their career experiences and to tell our plenary audience exactly what they need, want and expect from Ontario's public art galleries. What gallery activities meet artists' contemporary needs? How and what could and should public art galleries be doing to better address the needs of professional visual artists through the course of their careers?

Leaders / Presenters:
Mary Anne Barkhouse
Lyn Carter
Sarindar Dhaliwal
Mary Green
Susan Warner Keene
Tim Whiten
John Greyson
Marnie Fleming, Curator of Contemporary Art, Oakville Galleries

2003 / 2004

March 22, 2004
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, Toronto

Hyperlink: Creating and Developing Websites for Visual Arts Organizations
Coordinated by Bridget Indelicato for OAAG
Registration Fees: $115 OAAG members, $150 general

Description:
Hyperlink is a one-day interactive workshop that will inspire arts organizations to maximize the content and presentation of their websites. The workshop is intended for novice and experienced staff responsible for their gallery websites and is ideal for both organizations seeking to revamp their current sites and those starting from scath. Participants can expect to learn the key elements of successful sites in the visual arts arts sector and have a chance to get their current sites critiques by professionals.

Presenters:
Simon Abel, Principle, lab403, web designer and developer
Patrick Côté, Freelance web and print designer
John Dalrymple, Development Manager at the Textile Museum of Canada
Bill Kirby, Founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art (www.ccca.ca)
Michelle Teran, multi-disciplinary artist and designer

Agenda
9:00 - 9:30 Registration and coffee
9:30 - 12:45 Show and Tell: Web designers and developers discuss their successful visual arts organizations websites
1:30 - 2:30 Inspiring and Demystifying: Professionals share favourite websites and show you how to approach yours
2:45 - 4:45 Deconstructing your website: Critique session of arts organization websites

February 2 & 3, 2004
Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, Owen Sound

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Cultural Institutions
A Canadian Conservation Institute workshop hosted by OAAG

Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Toronto

Crafting Your Career as a Curatorial Writer
Blue Soup Series

Leaders / Presenters:
Kathleen Pirrie Adams, Program Director, InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre
Catherine Osborne

Monday, December 8, 2003
YYZ Artists' Outlet, Toronto

Self Promotion and Publicity
Blue Soup Series

Leaders / Presenters:
Tina Marano, Publicist, Canadian Film Centre
Jessica Goldman

Friday, November 21, 2003
Lecture Hall, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Breaking Out: The Changing Educational Role of the Art Museum

Leaders / Presenters:
Key Note Speaker
Sarah Schultz, Director, Education and Community Programs, Walker Arts Centre
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Monday, November 3, 2003
Gallery 1313, Toronto

Setting Your Career Path or Inventing Your Business Practice in Visual Arts Administration
Blue Soup Series

Leaders / Presenters:
Kim Fullerton, AKIMBO Art Promotions and Consulting
Zoe Klein, Accountant, Zoe Klein and Company

October 1, 2003
Woodstock Art Gallery, Woodstock

Public Art Galleries and Their Municipalities
OAAG Peer-to-Peer Member Roundtable
Gallery Reports and Discussion 10:30 - 12:30
Ontario Municipal Act Information Session 1:30 - 2:30
Gallery Reports and Discussion 2:45 - 4:30

Description:
This roundtable session will bring together a diverse group of gallery (and municipal) professionals from around the province to discuss their experiences with their municipalities. Pertinent questions will be raised during the keynote presentation, to be followed up by the panel of 3 speakers and a discussion by all participants.

Program content audio-taped; kits produced.

Leaders / Presenters:
Peter-John Sidebottom, Ministry of Municipal Affaires and Housing

September 2003
Gibraltar Point, Toronto

Annual Board Retreat

Description:
The new Board (elected June 17, 2003) and Staff will meet for a one-day session to assess progress on objectives set out February 10, 2003* and to establish goals and objectives for 2004-2005.

On February 10, 2003, at our first Board/Staff Retreat since 1999, five short-term objectives were established with a view to the organization's stabilization: re-tooling OAAG's Committee structure; actively expanding membership; revitalizing OAAG's publications program; serving member needs; and developing the Web site.

Participants:
2003-2004 Board of Directors
OAAG Secretariat Staff

June 17, 2003, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto

Making Contact: Curatorial Strategies / New Collaborations
OAAG Spring Focus Session

Description:
Ten visual art curators and programmers from public art galleries, independent galleries and artist collectives were invited to consider and discuss the following questions in succinct ten-minute presentations: How do you make contact with artists? Stay in touch? Where do you get new information about artists? How do you see your role with your gallery or organization in connection with your art community? How do you define and manage your role?

Program content audio-taped; kit produced.

Leaders / Presenters:
Jan Allen, Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston
Renée Baert, Ottawa Art Gallery
Alissa Firth-Eagland, Vtape, Toronto
Richard Hill, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Kineko Ivic, Greener Pastures, Toronto
Allan McKay, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
Jenifer Papararo, Mercer Union and Instant Coffee, Toronto
Zack Pospieszynski, Peak Gallery, Toronto
Ben Portis, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Sarah Quinton, Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto

May 26, 2003
Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto

Bench Press: Building Media Relations and Effective Publicity Outreach for Visual Arts Organizations
Workshop and Plenary Session

Description:
Two professional development sessions for visual arts organizations were presented on one day. This workshop and plenary session provided strategies for building media relations and creating effective publicity outreach for organizations. These sessions were designed for small to mid-sized organizations without publicity departments.
Workshop Sixteen registrants discussed three diverse and challenging case models for institutional publicity with publicist Kim Fullerton.
Keynote Talk Gary Michael Dault spoke about how he as an arts writer takes on and researches his weekly column reviews.

Panels and Discussion
• Developing intelligent and creative story angles
• Targeting pitches to local and national press
• Building media contact lists
• Follow-up techniques
• Using email and the Web to disseminate information

Leaders / Presenters:
Topic Coordinator - Bridget Indelicato for OAAG
Workshop Presenter - Kim Fullerton, Akimbo Art Promotions

Keynote Speaker and Presenters
Gary Michael Dault, writer, Globe and Mail
David Giddens, senior producer, Media TV
Tina Marano, publicist
Catherine Osborne, Lola
Dara Rowland, publicist

April 7 & 8, 2003
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
University of Toronto Art Centre, Toronto
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto
Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto
City of Toronto Archives
Ontario Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre
Multicultural History Society of Ontario

Curatorial Perspectives on Historical Research and Writing
Study Tour (Offered in partnership with the Ontario Museums Association)

Description:
This two-day session, designed as a study tour focused on researching historical collections and writing for publication, and paralleled the investigation of this focus for contemporary curators at OAAG's 2001 Fall Focus Session, Current Curatorial Research and Writing in the Art Gallery Context. The OMA took the lead on this topic. OAAG provided administrative and implementation support.

The Study Tour offered curators and cultural journalists opportunities at several Toronto museums to investigate and share the value and challenges of original historical research in the museum and art gallery. Each day started with a plenary session: Day One, a panel discussion on Writing for Publication (museum/gallery catalogues, journals) and, Day Two, Sources for Curatorial Research (where to go, how to manage materials including archives, web, oral history).

The Study Tour used site visits including tours of Toronto collections to explore the value and challenges of original historical research. Each afternoon participants participated in two of four sessions taking place at museums, galleries and archives in Toronto on the following topics:

• Researching Decorative Arts or Researching Canadian Historical Art
• Researching First Nations Materials or Researching Ceramics
• Researching Historic Textiles or Researching Historical Photographs
• Researching Tools & Agricultural Equipment or Researching “Unheard Voices”

Project Funding - Museums Assistance Program, Canadian Heritage
The OMA was the recording organization for registration revenue for this topic.
Program content audio-taped; kit produced.

Leaders/ Presenters:
Study Tour Coordinator - Cathy Blackbourn, Professional Development Project Manager, Ontario Museums Association

Presenters
Susan Burke, Manager / Curator, Joseph Schneider Haus Museum
Tobi Bruce, curator, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Rosemary Donegan, Independent, Toronto
Susan Hoffman, Waterloo County Historical Society
Karen McKenzie, Librarian, Art Gallery of Ontario
Lillian Petroff, Multicultural History Society of Ontario
Lisa Singer, Archives of Ontario

2002 / 2003

October 28, 2002
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton

Public Art Gallery Collections in Ontario
OAAG Fall Focus Session

Description:
This focus session will bring together senior directors, curators, and those charged with the development and maintenance of the provinces public art collections in order to discuss the role of collections in the public art gallery and the current state of those collections.
$100/130

Leaders / Presenters:
Jessica Bradley, Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Ontario
Louise Dompierre, Director, Art Gallery of Hamilton
Shelley Falconer, Creative Director, McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Dennis Geden, Director/Curator, WKP Kennedy Gallery
Bill Kirby, Executive Director, Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art
Robin Metcalfe, Contemporary Curator, Museum London
Francine Périnet, Director, Oakville Galleries
Linda Street, Senior Advisor, Special Projects, Canadian Conservation Institute
Liz Wylie, Curator, University of Toronto Art Centre

Participants:
39 participants from a wide range of positions in 23 public art galleries and museums

October 4, 2002
Oakville Galleries, Oakville

Adventures in Moving Art Across Borders
Cultural Management Series

Description:
This one-day workshop brought together experts in the field of the international movement of visual art to examine the complex issues concerning import and export in relation to the public art gallery. Recent case studies were presented and discussed.
$100/130

Leaders / Presenters:
Marcie Lawrence, Travelling Exhibitions Coordinator, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Gordon Butler, PACART, Toronto
Keith Wickens, Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Program, Ottawa
Vladimir Omazic, Canada Customs, Exhibitions and Client Services Unit, Ottawa
Judy Steiner, Canada Customs, Exhibitions and Client Services Unit, Ottawa
Ian McMartin, Broker, Federated Customer Broker

Participants:
24 curators, directors, registrars, exhibition coordinators, technical art handlers representing 19 art galleries and visual art institutions

June 17, 2002
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto

OAAG Awards 2002

Description:
The annual OAAG Awards remains the sole juried awards program to recognize the unique and significant contributions of Ontario visual art galleries. A special OAAG Award of Merit was also presented to Glen Cumming in recognition of his long career in Ontario public galleries.
Sponsored through a unique three-year partnership with Manaca Inc. and Inco Limited.

Master of Ceremonies:
Liz Wylie, Curator, University of Toronto Art Centre

June 17, 2002
Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

The Public Art Gallery in Ontario: Assessing the 90s, Moving Forward
OAAG Spring Focus Session

Description:
This workshop brought speakers together around the definition of the public art gallery as a "non-profit public institution that collects, preserves, and/or interprets, exhibits, and researches to advance the cause of visual arts" to discuss the status of the art gallery project in 2002.

Leaders / Presenters:
John Brotman, Executive Director, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto
Gary Hall, President, Artist Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario
Kelly Hill, Research Manager, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto
Robert Houle, Artist, Toronto
Francine Périnet, Director, Oakville Galleries, Oakville
Terry Smith, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture, Toronto
Robert Windrum, Director, Gallery Stratford, Stratford

Participants:
47 curators, directors, administrators, artists, and board members from 32 art galleries and visual art organizations in Ontario

March 18, 2002, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie

Facilities Development: Successful Project Management
CULTURAL MANAGEMENT SERIES

Description: