How do Museums Move Forward? High crowd densities and the prevalence of high-contact areas in typical museum exhibits are causing museums to question their assumptions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the way patrons purchase tickets and interact with those at the help desk to the way...

Through an open letter, a petition and other forms of activism, artists and arts workers—like many others—are trying to see the advent of basic income soon (via Canadian Art)...

Join us next Monday, July 20th for our third OAAG/AOGA Member Monday Meet-up! Topic 1: Submission to the Canada Standing Committee on Finance The Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance has invited submissions from individuals and organizations in preparation of the 2021 Federal Budget, to be released...

The museum, which has been closed since March 13, will reopen at 25% capacity. (via Hyperallergic)...

Museums and art galleries are a crucial part of Toronto’s cultural landscape. When Toronto announced they could re-open for phase 2, some flung their doors open immediately while others took a little extra time to implement new protocols. We spoke with five Toronto museum directors about the new policies,...

A high-tech art exhibition allows Torontonians to escape into the enduringly popular Dutch painter’s mind via a relic of the city’s industrial past (via Now Magazine)...

The Ontario government has announced nearly all businesses and public spaces will reopen in Stage 3 of the province’s reopening framework with public health and workplace safety measures and restrictions in place. As Ontario continues down the path to economic recovery, decisions on which regions will enter Stage 3...

Bondil’s contract has been terminated immediately, a release said Monday following days of media controversy. Bondil worked at the museum for 21 years, and led it for 13 years (via Canadian Art)...

Over the past several weeks, the Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries, has been travelling across Ontario. As the province reopens under Phase 2, she has been visiting many of the tourist attractions in various regions. This has allowed her to engage with many...

Institutions across the country are cautiously welcoming back visitors (via The Art Newspaper)...

Co-presented with the Ontario Museum Association, OAAG/AOGA hosted a ‘Scenario Planning Webinar’ on July 14th, 2020. Judy Wolfe and Karen Wishart of Consulting Matrix facilitated a small group of sector leaders while other participants observed the process. Observing participants were able to ask questions of the panelists as they...

Responding to mounting internal pressure, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it will create a $3 million to $5 million fund “to support initiatives, exhibitions, and acquisitions in the area of diverse art histories” as part of a 13-point anti-racism and diversity plan. The full plan can be read in...

July 07, 2020 – Final Component of Phase 2 Announced The Department of Canadian Heritage announced today the final component of the $500M COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund that was launched in May. This final component of Phase 2 will support arts and culture organizations that do not receive funds...

The first visitors to the Centre Pompidou last week were met with rounds of applause from the museum staff. (via Art Net)...

Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries Tele-Townhall Meeting: “Northern Ontario Tourism” – July 06, 2020 July 06, 2020 – Hon. Lisa MacLeod hosted her seventh Tele Town Hall meeting. This instalment was focused on Northern Ontario Tourism, and she was joined with Hon. Greg Rickford, Minister of...

The Ontario Association of Art Galleries/Association ontarienne des galeries d’art (OAAG/AOGA) had the opportunity to present to the Ontario Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs regarding the Culture and Heritage sectors. On Friday, 26 June, OAAG President, York Lethbridge, and OAAG Executive Director, Zainub Verjee, presented on behalf...

In response to the pandemic, the art school is launching two classes about creating work in times of crisis (via NOW Magazine)...

Join us on July 6, 2020 at 2:00 PM for our bi-weekly OAAG/AOGA Member Monday Meet-Up! Topics of Discussion: Review of OAAG’s Deputation to the Provincial Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs: Last week OAAG made a presentation to the Provincial Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs. Zainub will...

When museums in the UK start to reopen next month it will be to a new world: not just one of social distancing and mask-wearing, but one possibly entering a different cultural epoch. (via BBC News) Read the full article here...

Widespread uncertainty has put tremendous pressure on an exhibitions model that has been adopted by museums around the world. (via Art Net)...

An earlier iteration of this essay, entitled See the People was originally published on Black Art in America in April 2020. In light of continued protests against endemic racism in America, Dr. Morgan has expanded the original piece into the essay published here. (via Burnaway)...

Toronto museums can now move into Stage 2 of the province’s reopening plan. Along with museums, galleries and other popular attractions in the city are part of this stage, and many are ready to welcome visitors with new protocols in place and special exhibits ready to roll. Here’s a closer...

The Canberra museum is trying to dig itself out of a big financial hole. (via Art Net)...

Syrus Marcus Ware, a member of the Performance Disability Art Collective and Black Lives Matter Toronto, writes about the critical work of Black artists and curators, and ways to achieve lasting change (via Canadian Art)...

The curatorial department of the Guggenheim Museum issued a letter to the museum’s leadership on Monday calling for more diversity and equitable practices within their work environment. According to the New York Times, the staff members, whose names were kept anonymous for fear of retribution, described “an inequitable work environment that enables...

At Canada’s four largest art museums, the top leadership is all white—and the majority of their boards and senior leadership is too. What does this say about the possibilities for change in a moment when institutions are responding to calls for structural transformation? (Via Canadian Art)...

It was announced today that both Toronto Public Health and Peel Public Health will enter Stage 2 on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at 12:01 AM. They will join 31 other public health regions that entered Stage 2 on June 12 and June 19th, 2020.  This decision was made in...

‘It’s not a race. We’re in it for the long run,’ says director and CEO of National Gallery (via CBC)...

Consultant estimates proposal would require $1.2M to $1.3M per year in private, government funding. (via CBC News)...

Join us next Monday, June 22nd for our fourth OAAG/AOGA Member Monday Meet-up! Topic of Discussion: OAAG’s Deputation to the Provincial Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs and the Federal Standing Committee on Finance: OAAG is working on presentations for the Provincial Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs. During...