The Canada Council of the Arts has found itself, like so many of its clients across the country, navigating uncharted waters over the past few weeks. (Via Straight.com)...

“Our lives have changed in so many ways during the extraordinary times of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all applaud the bravery and dedication of essential workers in our health system, food chain, deliveries, safety, and more. Meanwhile, we have stayed at home and not seen extended family members and...

MAY 13, 2020 – The final results of the national survey detailing the impacts to the arts sector of the COVID-19 pandemic, conducted the week of APril 6 by Forum Research Inc. on behalf of the Canada Council for the Arts, are now available. A comprehensive final report with...

Earlier today, OAAG presented this webinar in collaboration with the Ontario Museum Association with speakers from the Aga Khan Museum, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, and the South Grey Museum. With an emphasis on pivoting, collaboration, and experimentation, speakers emphasized that now is the time for institutions to experiment...

We went to one of the first German museums to reopen after the lockdown—here’s what it was like. Poles and ribbons are used at the Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art in Cottbus to practice social distancing (via The Art Newspaper) During our First OAAG Member Monday Virtual-Meet Up,...

We held our first Member Monday Virtual Meet-Up on May 4th, 2020! The first meeting discussed how a ‘Public Art Gallery Relief Fund”  could help institutions during the COVID-19 crisis.  The discussion focused on funding needed for survival, adaptation, and the digital. Funding needs to focus on Survival and...

The effort has its critics—but many observers view it as a model response. (Via Art News)...

7 Practical Tips for Engaging Art Lovers Through Social Media That We Learned From an Internet Cowboy and the Meme King of London The experts weigh in on how to build a quality museum presence online. (Via Art Net)...

Museums and art galleries are among the locations allowed to open up when Manitoba begins loosening restrictions on non-essential businesses on May 4. (via CTV News) OAAG will be looking at how the Winnipeg Art Gallery reopens closely including their protocols and procedures for ensuring public safety. We will...

For a few days in March 2020, the world focused its attention on virtual museum tours (via MuseumHack)...

Spreadsheet Highlights Major Income Disparities at Cultural Institutions (via Hyperallergic) According to a document by the group Indebted Cultural Workers, MoMA Director Glenn Lowry takes home about 48 times the salary of an education assistant and the museum....

Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) in partnership with the Ontario Museum Association (OMA) joined hands to put together a webinar for the collective membership to help understand and respond to the nut-bolt issues and challenges in understanding the Federal support programs. The state of the world has changed...

Need a little beauty in your life? Visit a Canadian museum or art gallery. Here’s how. (via Toronto Star) “As we physically isolate at home, worrying about pretty much everything, it’s more important than ever to take a minute to seek out beauty, whether it be through a painting,...

Two art lawyers offer a primer on the legal concept and how it applies to the art business now. (Via Art Net)...

‘There is no fast track back to normal’: museums confront economic fallout of the pandemic” (via The Art Newspaper) Closed museums are losing millions in income, ushering in job cuts, appeals for emergency relief and lasting changes in strategy....

In 2018 OAAG in collaboration with RMG, Oshawa organized an international symposium to discuss the nut-bolts issues in advancing such process. The Ideas Digital Forum 2018 was a two-day symposium held in partnership with the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in response to the ever-evolving...

OAAG continues to work remotely and is actively engaged with the stakeholders on behalf of its membership. To address the new realities of working remotely, we set up this new Digital platform for the COVID19 Crisis—RESPONSE OAAG. The primary thought was two-fold: one, to activate communication channels for the...

Artists, Scholars, and Museum Workers petition museums to retain staff during pandemic (via Hyperallergic) “Before a single museum worker is laid off, let every mid-six- or seven-figure museum director draw a salary of zero,” reads one petition....

German museums prepare to reopen, gradually and with precautions (via the Art Newspaper) The first museums open today in the state of Brandenburg in a gradual easing of the coronavirus lockdown; bigger museums may take longer to reopen...

Are Canada’s Municipal Art Galleries in Crisis?  Public Art Galleries have been finding it difficult to survive let alone thrive in a fragile ecosystem. Here is a take on the state of Art Galleries in 2018. The question is how does the current relief address the Pre-Covid19 crisis? ...

In continuing its advocacy efforts, OAAG has kept engaged with the offices of both the Federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Ontario Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. Today, the Executive Director had a teleconference meeting with Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. ...

Museums are finding new ways to connect with art lovers online during Quarantine (via Artsy)...

Going digital not easy for cultural institutions (via Globe and Mail) “The immediate response [to the closures] is ‘You’ll create these wonderful digital experiences’. It’s a rhetorical response: Oh, you just go online…If it’s that simple, every museum and art gallery collection in the world would be online.“ –...

Update from Irene Cheung, Policy Advisor, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage The Government of Canada is providing $500 million in 2020-21 to establish a new COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations to help address the complex financial needs of affected organizations within these...

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This morning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Federal Government will allocate $500 Million for Heritage Canada to support people working in the arts, culture, and sports sectors. This funding will help support struggling organizations access to financing. Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault supported the $500 million...

On behalf of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and the Visual Arts Sector, Executive Director Zainub Verjee wrote to the Honourable Lisa MacLeod (Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries), The Honourable Rod Phillips (Minister of Finance), The Honourable Monte McNaughton (Minister of Labour, Training and Skills...

On behalf of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and the Visual Arts Sector, Executive Director Zainub Verjee wrote to the Honourable Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries with recommendations on how the Government of Ontario can support Public Art Galleries during this critical time....

Why Museums Can’t Always Fall Back on Endowments The COVID-19 pandemic may be an opportunity to look transparently at museum endowments and their limitations, and consider the need for alternative sources of support in the months to come. “When ROM laid off full-time staff, it made news and people...

Statistics Canada is conducting a survey to measure the impact of COVID-19 on businesses in Canada. Your information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes. Although voluntary, participation from the visual arts sector is essential to ensure that the impact that COVID-19 has...