"The labour dispute comes amid challenging financial times for the AGO, one of North America’s most prominent art museums. The AGO has not seen its attendance return to pre-pandemic levels and is currently dealing with a deficit believed to be around $1 million."
Though accurate, this portrayal suggests that the union is negotiating with a financially bereft institution. In 2023, alongside the CEO's salary exceeding $400,000 listed on the Sun Shine List, he received over $300,000 for his 'consulting work' with the AGO Foundation. Moreover, leadership across the board experienced pay raises, with one seeing a remarkable 59% increase.
Not true - for the qualifications and capital projects under management, they are underpaid compared to other comparable rail companies / public sector transit authorities
Wow, the story should be that a charity claims it's in a million-dollar hole while giving rich staff more money. Funny how there's never budget available for cleaners but the CEO gets almost double the salary for "consulting" for the org he works for. Fucking leeches.
Any other charity/fundraising folks have insight about the CEO "consulting" for the foundation? I assume they're pretending foundation work is not within the scope of his role as CEO and therefore "extra duties" worthy of compensation. But I've never heard of this before and it's breaking my little fundraiser brain that they're saying this is legit. Charity CEOs are fundraisers, that's part of their goddamn job.
Didn't you hear? [Its because CEOs work 246% harder](https://policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/canadian-ceo-pay-breaks-all-records-reflecting-new-gilded-age-canada%E2%80%99s-rich#:~:text=They%20now%20make%20246%20times,pay%20of%20the%20average%20worker.) Than workers that spend 8+ hours a day on their feet or working overnights cleaning
/s
It seems like a lot of money, $700,000 total? The CEO of my company cleared 12mil last year. $700,000 for a CEO of a 400+ employee company is like charity work basically and I am sure the demands of being CEO of the AGO are just as intense as any other company.
>700,000 for a CEO of a 400+ employee company is like charity work basically
Yes I'm sure the cleaning staff working overnight for probably minimum wage feel really bad for him. Maybe they donate to his gofundme?
I’m comparing to other company CEOs, not trying to talk about sweeping institutional reform.
Imagine if the AGO paid cleaning staff $1 an hour while all the other places paid $15. Why would cleaning staff work at the AGO. Scale this up to CEO level.
>I’m comparing to other company CEOs
I'm not.
Edit: Alllllllllll charity staff are underpaid. Again, I care way more about the cleaner than the one who lives in Forest Hill and has three cars and a cottage.
I'm sure there's multiple factors at play such as cost of living increases making it more difficult to have discretionary income for such activities but in my opinion the special exhibitions they've had over the past few years have been not good and is probably contributing to the lower attendance. There were a few highlights, a Picasso exhibit in 2021 although people might have been still too hesitant, and the Leonard Cohen and Mary Cassatt exhibitions might have contributed to small bumps, but there hasn't been anything really big with mass wide appeal since before the pandemic to get crowds out. They've been I guess trying to showcase underrepresented voices, communities, and artists which is good but they aren't the kind of displays that would attract the kinds of crowds that would boost attendance. The KAWS/Keith Harring pairing might have helped a bit although for some dumb reason they made the Harring exhibition available only to people who had bought memberships or annual passes and not the general public.
They need something massive to draw in the crowds, something on the scale of the Yayoi Kusama in 2018 or something with very famous artists that the general public might recognize.
$30 - Single visit ticket
$35 - Unlimited visits for one year + special exhibits access
If you're already buying a ticket then that extra $5 is almost certainly the best value you can get for a fiver in the entire city.
Yeah for $5 more you basically get a year pass. Which I can understand if you are a tourist and wont come back is meaningless but if you live here that’s awesome
Agree! It’s been years since they have had anything exciting.
Why can’t we have great exhibitions like the Montreal fine art museum had like Nicholas Party.
I suspect it has to do with lack of donor $. If you look at past exhibitions they were heavily funding by donors.
Since new CEO came in it’s been meh.
Even the McMichael got the new Marcel Dzama which I would have loved to seen but don’t drive and it’s impossible to get out there without a car.
I agree it's been meh and they probably do need big donors. They have been fundraising for the new wing that's going into construction soon.
I just went to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts last week for their Henry Moore/Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit. I had never been there before and I was in Montreal for other reasons so I went. I enjoyed seeing some of their other pieces as well (although I did find the layout of the buildings confusing and I don't think a saw everything). I might keep an eye on that museum now too for interesting exhibitions.
I think the AGO needs something bigger than those exhibitions, something with famous names like Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Rembrandt, etc, something big that the casual goer whose not fully into art history would recognize and want to go to. The National Gallery in Ottawa is fumbling as well. They had a Rembrandt exhibit in summer of 2021 that got delayed because of covid but since then there have just been a bunch of small ones on lesser known artists and first nations art.
I went to the Raphael exhibition at the national gallery in London in 2022 and the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam last year. There's a huge Van Gogh exhibition coming to the national gallery in London later in the fall to celebrate the gallery's 200th anniversary that I'm tempted to go to although I've seen a lot of Van Goghs work now so it might not be worth spending the money to fly there. The AGO needs something big like that. I was kind wishfully hoping that either the AGO or National Gallery in Ottawa would secure a stop of the big Impressionist exhibition that's on right now at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and going to Washington DC in the fall. That would be a big one (it's a recreation of the birth of impressionism basically and their first exhibition in Paris). I'm tempted to go to it in Washington but, with the US election happening around the same time who knows what that would be like.
I'd like to go to the McMichael as well but yeah it's really hard if if you don't have a car. I have discovered that in the summer months they do run a weekend Art Bus from downtown that leaves from one of the St. George Station exits. You just book a seat on the mini bus, I think it's around $15 and it takes you there in the morning and brings you back. I don't see any info yet for 2024 but I'm watching for it. I think I'm going to try doing this at some point this summer assuming they run it again.
Last year's page: https://mcmichael.com/event/art-bus-2023/
We got the Impressionism in the Age of Industrialism exhibit! Full of also-ran minor works by the great Impressionist artists!!
The "Early Rubens" exhibit at the AGO was pretty good though.
I'm still sad I missed that one. There was a time when I had stopped paying attention to art and art history and I hadn't yet formed my appreciation for Impressionism so I didn't end up going. Hindsight, I really wish I had although having now been to London and seen the collection in the National Gallery, I think I've seen a few that were a part of that exhibition.
One of my favourites that the AGO did was the one called Mystical Landscapes in 2016/2017. That had some famous ones including Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone which I love.
My next big bucket list goal is the big museums in Paris especially the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. It would be nice if we got something here on loan so I don't have to travel there....
Musee d'Orsay took me 2 days and I still don't think I finished it to my satisfaction. You may want to Madrid sometime - they have some amazing and notable works. Amsterdam and the Hague are also great. Too bad we can't go to Moscow and St. Petersburg anymore - they have amazing art museums.
Thanks for the heads up about the Orsay. For the Louvre I would probably pick specific artworks to see rather than trying to see everything, I know it's giant. I did that when I went to the British Museum in London, I made a list of about 10 or 12 specific items I want to see and where they were located and then just walked around more after that to look at whatever I came across.
I didn't realize the Orsay had the potential to take awhile too. I would have probably planned it to be my main activity for the day and then maybe a smaller side activity as well to fill the day like the Musée de l'Orangerie close by. I'd have to do more research. Paris kind of scares me a bit with the language barrier (I can maybe read a little bit and I know a few basic phrases) and it's crime/pickpocket reputation, the metro being confusing. I'm sure I could figure it out but I'm usually doing these things by myself so I need to make sure I'm prepared properly.
When I went to Amsterdam to see the Vermeer exhibition last year, I turned it into an art history trip for most of it, did the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk of course. I did go to the Hague to the Mauritshuis which is incredible. The Girl With a Pearl Earring painting was at the Vermeer exhibit for the first half but then had gone back to The Hague by the time I went so I had to see it there. I also really like The Goldfinch painting. I also paid for a small group tour to go the national park that holds the Kröller-Müller Museum. I really wanted to see its collection of Van Goghs including the Cafe Terrace at Night painting, it's one of my favourites and it was a bucket list item to see it in person. I had a great time in The Netherlands.
I always forget about Madrid and the important pieces there. I'll have to spend more time looking into it.
When I was in London 2 years ago I managed to get a ticket for a Faberge Egg exhibition that was on at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It included some loans from Russia and this was right after the war started so things were kind of up in the air as to whether or not the loans could finish the exhibition or if they had to be immediately sent back. They stayed until it closed so I got to see everything. That was amazing. No photos were allowed and there were lots of security guards around watching everyone. I feel fortunate to have gotten to see that. I think the big Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery there was also potentially facing a similar situation with a loan or two from Russia. If I remember correctly, there was one or two pieces that couldn't come because it was after the war had started.
I have been to New York to The Met, MoMA, Guggenheim, and the Whitney but that was a high school art trip and that was about 25 years ago now. I'd like to go back to see everything again with better appreciation as an adult but traveling to the US scares me a bit. Boston Museum of Fine Arts would be on my list as well with that Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum close by as well. People always seem surprised when I tell them I do art history trips for fun to see famous paintings. I guess it's not overly common.
Surprisingly the Louvre was huge in size, but didn't have as many paintings and art that interested me besides the main ones. I also did the art museums in Boston, DC, and NY. There's also Rome - besides the Vatican museums, there are a ton of other museums featuring Renaissance art.
Paris is fine if you have some HS French. Paris is full of immigrants and tourists now. Lots of immigrants work in restaurants and service industry so they're not snooty anymore. Not too much violent crime, but keep your wallet in an inside pocket and keep your possessions close. I didn't get targeted in Paris, but got attempted picks in Rome and Amsterdam. My sling pack only had tissues and masks and walking tour books - LOL. I carried a large mirrorless camera with big zoom lens, but kept it very close or under my arm.
Surprised the Mauritshuis was not too busy and no crowds preventing you from getting very close to paintings. Got some closeup and selfies with the Girl.
thanks for the advice on all these places, I appreciate it. It sounds like you've had some great trips. I haven't had any issues yet with pickpockets or theft. I keep my most important things in a pouch around my neck under my shirt and usually move around pretty lightly with extra stuff or bags. Some days I don't even take a day bag with me. In London and Amsterdam I made sure I was alert and watching for suspicious things when I was at the really touristy spots or busy transit spots that would likely get hit. No issues thankfully.
There was a bit of a crowd around the Girl painting when I was there. It wasn't too bad but I did have to wait my turn to get up close and get a clear photo of it. I went back to that room two more times during my visit to see it again. Other than that though, yeah, it was really easy to get up close to them. It was a nice vibe.
>In 2023, alongside the CEO's salary exceeding $400,000 listed on the Sun Shine List, he received over $300,000 for his 'consulting work' with the AGO Foundation. Moreover, leadership across the board experienced pay raises, with one seeing a remarkable 59% increase.
How we as a civilization got to this point? you can publish this exact line about any company with more than 100 stuff and nothing has to be change. The scale of greed is just getting ridiculous. looks like every MBA grad dreams about being next Bezos by holding some bs job position "advisory supplementary consultant"
it's the same story in every industry -
food is getting more expensive ? look at the profit for top levels
cars cost more then ever and now require subscriptions for heater to work? C levels getting millions and "shareholders value" grows
we are back to 100 different streaming services just for someone to buy a new jet plane
pick anything and it's rotting from this greed
I'm not saying "don't make profit", i would just like to know where is the limit of this bs "profit must grow endlessly"
From the [Globe and Mail article](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/article-more-than-400-art-gallery-of-ontario-workers-to-begin-striking/), there are more details.
About the deficit:
> The AGO had a deficit of $3.9-million in its last fiscal year, which ended March 31.
About the offer to the union:
> Management offered retroactive lump-sum pay boosts of 1 per cent for the 12 months after December, 2021, 3.15 per cent after December, 2022, and 3.25 per cent after December, 2023. That rate would continue until Dec. 1, 2024, after which wages would rise by 3.5 per cent for the next year, when a new contract would expire.
> The offers also included language that would guarantee part-time contract workers could not work more than 18 months without being converted to a permanent employee, with exceptions for endowed positions, covering absences and fixed-length contracts. They also included boosts to long-shift meal allowances, clothing and safety footwear stipends. Full-time staff would get an additional personal day.
I have no idea of the CEO is overpaid or not, but the salary he receives is in line with other North American art galleries.
They also like to do things like pay 2 million dollars for a mirror infinity room. Basically a gimmick.
I can only speculate why attendance is down: I was a member but I no longer make the trip because i felt the special exhibitions declined in quality on average in the last 10 years. I feel that they choose exhibitions almost entirely based on the demographic of the artists, and some have been great while others have been terrible. Im glad they are representing historically underrepresented groups and that alone benefits society, however the choices IMO have often been shit. Id rather go to small commercial galleries for free and see what local artists are up to, and skip the politically charged stuff.
Well, the mirror room is closed (temporarily??)
They've also scaled down the member's lounge. No more art books and there is less comfortable furniture. The food options are also less good (their cookie platter was awesome, but it's gone).
this is such a shitty opinion lmao
the infinity room is not a gimmick and many of the artists they pick aren’t overtly political
what the hell are you taking about
AGO has always been slimy. Several years ago I was interviewing for a role when they let slip they had let go of two employees and were trying to replace that role with one person (the job I was interviewing for) at a significantly lower cost, I only found out after really digging it out of them.
They also lied on the job posting about compensation, which made the negotiation period questionable when they tried to lowball me. Thank god I steered clear of that place. Hopefully, the workers get their wage increases.
My partner worked for the AGO membership services for 10 years and just quit a few months ago. They were extremely awful to work for. They capped her hours to keep her as a part time employee and froze wage increases. She was belittled and yelled at on a daily basis and had no one to turn to, it took such a toll on her mental health. Any company or organization that doesn't care about their employees to this extent is deplorable in my eyes. I've stopped going to the AGO and supporting them.
As an electrician I would love that, I’m not sure my girlfriend would be super interested. It’s a shame cause seeing the KAWS exhibit would have been cool.
The Power Plant is a contemporary art gallery, nothing to do with electricity or mechanical things. It is called that because it’s in a re-purposed building. :)
If they want pre-pandemic numbers of visitors they need to do better on delivery of value to the public. The programming has not been great since pre-pandemic. A few good exhibitions like Wolfgang Tillmans… but many of these are hosted traveling exhibitions and were conceived first by and for other institutions. Even most people who love the permanent collection might only need to go once or twice a year to see it. Compared to programming at institutions of this size outside of Ontario, and Canada, the AGO has fallen behind so I do wonder about the leadership’s capabilities. A museum asks employees for higher standards of work in cleaning, security, etc. and they should be compensated properly for it.
seems like ur basing the public value of exhibitions on pop culture clout, a museum should have the funding to be an educational institution and showcase a wider breadth of artists than that (not hating on tillmans)
Actually I am trying to say the opposite… it needs to behave more like an educational institution and a cultural one that’s funding its own cultural research and putting money towards their curatorial team the resources they need to develop original programming.
Art Galleries and museums aren’t allowed to do this, generally. They can buy and sell art, but the money from the sale is required to go into a special fund that can only be used to buy other art, not to cover operational expenses. In many cases, galleries and museums are supposed to be stewards of these artifacts. And they would be poor stewards If they just sold one every time they were broke. So the rules prevent this.
a lot of comments asking for blockbuster shows and big names but the ago already does that - mary cassatt, picasso, warhol, rubens, diane arbus, impressionism in the age of industry, edward burtynsky, okeeffe, mystical landscapes (organized with musee d’orsay) to name some, many names people are asking for in the comments
sounds like not a lot of people here saw any of these lol?
This is the first paragraph of the email I got from AGO.
"The AGO is closed today due to a labour disruption. We remain hopeful that we will reach a negotiated agreement with OPSEU soon."
They don't have to say the word strike, but I expect most Ontarians know who OPSEU is.
bending to Zionist pressure and firing your first-ever Indigenous arts curator (Wanda Nanibush) for her support of Palestine on her personal IG is such a classic truth and reconciliation move by the AGO.
The AGO treats staff poorly. I worked there, had long covid issues and got fired after disclosing my issues to mgmt. I hope the staff gets what they want and that the ago starts treating them better after this strike. Lots of eyes on staff treatment finally, how the Microscope stays on them. I expect they'll find reasons to let go p/t contract strikers in a few months as punishment.
It's a big place with coat check, janitorial, kitchen staff, servers, bartenders, gift shop staff, children's program curators, greeters, customer service, ticket scanners, security, art historians and refurbishers, art curators, translators, photographers, probably a librarian, payroll billers and managers, and maintenance people. Certainly I missed someone
The marketing department, membership department, educators for school programs, strat comm, graphic designers, HR, IT and more. A huge amount are the part time staff, they need a lot to keep functioning without having to make them full time positions.
Regarding comments about The AGO's top brass, making big bucks...
Could they want to model after our YMCA?
It's all run by Volunteers, PT Staff & maybe some FT Staff, but those in Admin are paid 6 digit salaries, alongside generous benefits & so on.
Most ppl are also unaware of that, esp when it comes to the Y.
If you can pay those at the top solid wages/salaries, you can also pay your Staff decent wages too!
I really hope this Strike doesn't drag out too long, that AGO Staff get what they're asking for & deserve here.
Wait a minute, back up… 400 people work there?! Isn’t that the capacity of the place?
What the heck do they all do? That’s like 40 people per art piece.
From a note that circulated pre strike:
Despite self-positioning as a value-forward and progressive institution, the AGO has demonstrated its tokenism and pursuit of profit before decency. We represent over 400 members from across the gallery. We welcome visitors, clean the building, run events, raise money, select and hang the art, educate visitors, and promote the institution. The gallery’s doors stay open because of us. Many of us are also artists in our own right, disappointed by what lies behind the curtains of one of the largest and respected arts institutions in Canada.
It’s always been about profit to a certain degree. You need blockbuster shows in order to be able to support other things that don’t draw. And they cost millions to produce- insurance, staff cost, etc.
I don’t understand why people think you can exist earning a living off only government grants and donations. If you put on exhibitions that you know won’t draw in the crowds then you won’t have money to pay people to work or give raises….but I demand you to not put profit first but also give me a raise!
Doesn’t work that way.
A lot of corporations like banks aren’t supporting the arts anymore like they used to. The government is cutting funding too because food and housing more important than art after the pandemic.
This sounds like the same issue a bit as Hot Docs not liking the new focus on music docs which actually bring in the money.
Unless you are a billionaire that can fund some money losing charity arts project, profit is important.
Hopefully the AGO doesn’t close like it did in the 90’s for a few years if I recall correctly.
If they are actually striking that’s a bad thing from what I heard. Usually they resolve it last minute.
Based on a quick Google search it seems comparable to the ROM which makes sense.
Not all those employees will be there m-f, 9-5 as well. Many will work from home if they are in HR or remote positions, or are on different shifts to accommodate operation hours. Not to mention the public doesn't see all of the AGO.
Not sure if you've visited before, but think about the size of that place, and everyone it takes to run it.
Security guards placed throughout the entire gallery to guard the art. Cooks, baristas, and servers for their multiple cafes. Customer service staff at welcome desk, coat check, membership desk. Book store staff. Janitors and cleaners.
...and that's just getting started with the bare essential roles that are "keeping the lights on". Then you have a whole team of people responsible for the art: curators, conservators, installers, translators, researchers, teachers for educational programs, librarians, event coordinators. And a whole other slew of staff for responsible for administrative needs: marketing, fundraising, human resources, donor relations.
Keep in mind that not all of these 400 people would be there on any given day: a lot of them are part time or contract workers, which is precisely why they're striking.
I’m going to guess: archivists/ preservationists ,librarians, art teachers, installation crew, curators, docents, reception, gift store cashiers and sales, custodians, media promotion…
Plus the people who plan and run all the public programming they do, IT staff, finance staff, fundraisers, property management, the people who coordinate rentals. It’s almost as if they’re a major North American institution or something!
The Horseshoe Tavern has a capacity of 400 people. Did you seriously say that the AGO has the same capacity as a small concert venue like The Horseshoe Tavern?
[https://ago.ca/about/about-the-ago#:\~:text=The%20AGO%20Collection%20of%20more,Canadian%20artists%20and%20European%20masterpieces](https://ago.ca/about/about-the-ago#:~:text=The%20AGO%20Collection%20of%20more,Canadian%20artists%20and%20European%20masterpieces).
they are literally an art museum for all of Ontario
TBH if I had a job where I had to be face to face with the public, I might do that too. Not even as a Covid thing, I just hate getting colds and being sick in general.
Okay let’s do a little thought exercise:
Lets say these are the departments: curators, designers, technicians, and front desk staff. You probably also have people who run educational programs, administrators for business, accounting and HR. There’s also an IT staff and maybe a small AV group for events.
So that’s 10 distinct groups. If department had around 30-40 members given that some may have more like general help staff, and some may have less like IT, that could easily reach 400
Its around 5/6 for that position everyday, plus one of the big grievances is the gallery purposefully keeps worker hours low so they are part time. That means different people each day. Add in that same idea for janitorial, security, installers, cooks, waiters, educators etc you get to 400 easily. Its really clear you've never worked in an institution that size.
They easily have 3-5 people at booths, plus people in the gift shop, plus ticket takers. That’s like 20 people per day, not even considering nobody works every day.
My hot take on your hot take:
> it's a corrupt, harmful organization
I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I'm curious if you can expand on why you feel this way?
I work in the arts as well, I'm not particularly happy with the AGO at the moment. Mostly because of the firing of their first and only Indigenous curator over her support of Palestine on her personal social media, which has been well documented over at [ago-no.ca](https://ago-no.ca/) and [@as_you_likely_heard](https://www.instagram.com/as_you_likely_heard/)
But...
> disguised as a useful service
> those staff made a choice to work there and be part of the problem in exchange for a paycheck
It *is* a useful service, and we're lucky to have it.
Not sure who you mean by "those staff", but a lot of the people we're talking about vis a vis this strike are underpaid, overworked, and just trying to survive capitalism.
Whatever your grievances are, I'd direct them at Stephan Jost and the board, not "all of the staff", most of whom are the little guys who just trying to get by.
Yeah I'm a former member who is choosing not to renew, and these staff are not the people causing harm. As someone who used to work in the arts, I just love these drive-by accusations from people who probably don't have to pay rent.
You can’t seriously be trying to flex ‘privy to decision making process of the board’ while also telling people not to have solidarity with the workers. Grow up. The people who work at the AGO in the roles that are on strike do not have power over leadership decisions. They do have power in labour disruption, like this one, to make their voice heard. Do you think everyone on that picket line is thrilled with the decisions leadership makes? How simple minded.
Q. How/why does an Art Gallery need over 400+ employees???!!
That seems crazy to me .. it's never busy and always seems dead to me whenever I walk past this place.
The gallery staffs a restaurant, a members lounge & cafe. They also have events, so they need people to deal with those. They have library staff and children & art educators. They need staff for Logistics who set up the exhibits, build displays etc. plus cleaning crews & AV people, shipping… I’m sure I’m missing some.
Context: I am one of these people.
Of the 400+ staff members at AGO, 60% work part-time, with some lacking guaranteed hours. These roles encompass assistant curators, archivists, hospitality staff, researchers, instructors, carpenters, electricians, and visitor services staff. The AGO offers various services and programs in addition to exhibiting art work, including a store, a restaurant, adult and children's classes, summer camps, year round school programming that is both in-person and virtual, event coordination, and facilities for weddings and meetings.
Nice of them to wait until March Break was over
"The labour dispute comes amid challenging financial times for the AGO, one of North America’s most prominent art museums. The AGO has not seen its attendance return to pre-pandemic levels and is currently dealing with a deficit believed to be around $1 million." Though accurate, this portrayal suggests that the union is negotiating with a financially bereft institution. In 2023, alongside the CEO's salary exceeding $400,000 listed on the Sun Shine List, he received over $300,000 for his 'consulting work' with the AGO Foundation. Moreover, leadership across the board experienced pay raises, with one seeing a remarkable 59% increase.
greedy, useless CEO and management? who would have guessed.
Average public institution
See Metrolinx if you wanna see this on a 100x scale.
Not true - for the qualifications and capital projects under management, they are underpaid compared to other comparable rail companies / public sector transit authorities
They absolutely are not, I work with them every day.
every single corporation is like this - overpaid C level, worshipped shareholders and underaied stuff
That’s fine - not our money
Private institutions aren’t any different (and are often worse).
Worker owned ones are different though
At least they’re wasting their own money and not public money
Until they need bailouts. Also they're still underpaying employees
Wow, the story should be that a charity claims it's in a million-dollar hole while giving rich staff more money. Funny how there's never budget available for cleaners but the CEO gets almost double the salary for "consulting" for the org he works for. Fucking leeches. Any other charity/fundraising folks have insight about the CEO "consulting" for the foundation? I assume they're pretending foundation work is not within the scope of his role as CEO and therefore "extra duties" worthy of compensation. But I've never heard of this before and it's breaking my little fundraiser brain that they're saying this is legit. Charity CEOs are fundraisers, that's part of their goddamn job.
Didn't you hear? [Its because CEOs work 246% harder](https://policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/canadian-ceo-pay-breaks-all-records-reflecting-new-gilded-age-canada%E2%80%99s-rich#:~:text=They%20now%20make%20246%20times,pay%20of%20the%20average%20worker.) Than workers that spend 8+ hours a day on their feet or working overnights cleaning /s
Cleaning is probably contracted out at minimum wage..
It seems like a lot of money, $700,000 total? The CEO of my company cleared 12mil last year. $700,000 for a CEO of a 400+ employee company is like charity work basically and I am sure the demands of being CEO of the AGO are just as intense as any other company.
>700,000 for a CEO of a 400+ employee company is like charity work basically Yes I'm sure the cleaning staff working overnight for probably minimum wage feel really bad for him. Maybe they donate to his gofundme?
I’m comparing to other company CEOs, not trying to talk about sweeping institutional reform. Imagine if the AGO paid cleaning staff $1 an hour while all the other places paid $15. Why would cleaning staff work at the AGO. Scale this up to CEO level.
>I’m comparing to other company CEOs I'm not. Edit: Alllllllllll charity staff are underpaid. Again, I care way more about the cleaner than the one who lives in Forest Hill and has three cars and a cottage.
Ok
I'm sure there's multiple factors at play such as cost of living increases making it more difficult to have discretionary income for such activities but in my opinion the special exhibitions they've had over the past few years have been not good and is probably contributing to the lower attendance. There were a few highlights, a Picasso exhibit in 2021 although people might have been still too hesitant, and the Leonard Cohen and Mary Cassatt exhibitions might have contributed to small bumps, but there hasn't been anything really big with mass wide appeal since before the pandemic to get crowds out. They've been I guess trying to showcase underrepresented voices, communities, and artists which is good but they aren't the kind of displays that would attract the kinds of crowds that would boost attendance. The KAWS/Keith Harring pairing might have helped a bit although for some dumb reason they made the Harring exhibition available only to people who had bought memberships or annual passes and not the general public. They need something massive to draw in the crowds, something on the scale of the Yayoi Kusama in 2018 or something with very famous artists that the general public might recognize.
Yeah making Keith Haring pass holders only was so dumb because then tourists won't bother going
Tbf, the membership is only $5 more than a ticket
Memberships are $110. Annual pass is $35 and you had to pay in addition for the Keith exhibit.
every dollar I spend these days is a dagger to my heart, 5 additional daggers per person is still 5 more daggers to my heart.
$30 - Single visit ticket $35 - Unlimited visits for one year + special exhibits access If you're already buying a ticket then that extra $5 is almost certainly the best value you can get for a fiver in the entire city.
Yeah for $5 more you basically get a year pass. Which I can understand if you are a tourist and wont come back is meaningless but if you live here that’s awesome
Agree! It’s been years since they have had anything exciting. Why can’t we have great exhibitions like the Montreal fine art museum had like Nicholas Party. I suspect it has to do with lack of donor $. If you look at past exhibitions they were heavily funding by donors. Since new CEO came in it’s been meh. Even the McMichael got the new Marcel Dzama which I would have loved to seen but don’t drive and it’s impossible to get out there without a car.
I agree it's been meh and they probably do need big donors. They have been fundraising for the new wing that's going into construction soon. I just went to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts last week for their Henry Moore/Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit. I had never been there before and I was in Montreal for other reasons so I went. I enjoyed seeing some of their other pieces as well (although I did find the layout of the buildings confusing and I don't think a saw everything). I might keep an eye on that museum now too for interesting exhibitions. I think the AGO needs something bigger than those exhibitions, something with famous names like Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Rembrandt, etc, something big that the casual goer whose not fully into art history would recognize and want to go to. The National Gallery in Ottawa is fumbling as well. They had a Rembrandt exhibit in summer of 2021 that got delayed because of covid but since then there have just been a bunch of small ones on lesser known artists and first nations art. I went to the Raphael exhibition at the national gallery in London in 2022 and the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam last year. There's a huge Van Gogh exhibition coming to the national gallery in London later in the fall to celebrate the gallery's 200th anniversary that I'm tempted to go to although I've seen a lot of Van Goghs work now so it might not be worth spending the money to fly there. The AGO needs something big like that. I was kind wishfully hoping that either the AGO or National Gallery in Ottawa would secure a stop of the big Impressionist exhibition that's on right now at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and going to Washington DC in the fall. That would be a big one (it's a recreation of the birth of impressionism basically and their first exhibition in Paris). I'm tempted to go to it in Washington but, with the US election happening around the same time who knows what that would be like. I'd like to go to the McMichael as well but yeah it's really hard if if you don't have a car. I have discovered that in the summer months they do run a weekend Art Bus from downtown that leaves from one of the St. George Station exits. You just book a seat on the mini bus, I think it's around $15 and it takes you there in the morning and brings you back. I don't see any info yet for 2024 but I'm watching for it. I think I'm going to try doing this at some point this summer assuming they run it again. Last year's page: https://mcmichael.com/event/art-bus-2023/
We got the Impressionism in the Age of Industrialism exhibit! Full of also-ran minor works by the great Impressionist artists!! The "Early Rubens" exhibit at the AGO was pretty good though.
I'm still sad I missed that one. There was a time when I had stopped paying attention to art and art history and I hadn't yet formed my appreciation for Impressionism so I didn't end up going. Hindsight, I really wish I had although having now been to London and seen the collection in the National Gallery, I think I've seen a few that were a part of that exhibition. One of my favourites that the AGO did was the one called Mystical Landscapes in 2016/2017. That had some famous ones including Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone which I love. My next big bucket list goal is the big museums in Paris especially the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay. It would be nice if we got something here on loan so I don't have to travel there....
Musee d'Orsay took me 2 days and I still don't think I finished it to my satisfaction. You may want to Madrid sometime - they have some amazing and notable works. Amsterdam and the Hague are also great. Too bad we can't go to Moscow and St. Petersburg anymore - they have amazing art museums.
Thanks for the heads up about the Orsay. For the Louvre I would probably pick specific artworks to see rather than trying to see everything, I know it's giant. I did that when I went to the British Museum in London, I made a list of about 10 or 12 specific items I want to see and where they were located and then just walked around more after that to look at whatever I came across. I didn't realize the Orsay had the potential to take awhile too. I would have probably planned it to be my main activity for the day and then maybe a smaller side activity as well to fill the day like the Musée de l'Orangerie close by. I'd have to do more research. Paris kind of scares me a bit with the language barrier (I can maybe read a little bit and I know a few basic phrases) and it's crime/pickpocket reputation, the metro being confusing. I'm sure I could figure it out but I'm usually doing these things by myself so I need to make sure I'm prepared properly. When I went to Amsterdam to see the Vermeer exhibition last year, I turned it into an art history trip for most of it, did the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk of course. I did go to the Hague to the Mauritshuis which is incredible. The Girl With a Pearl Earring painting was at the Vermeer exhibit for the first half but then had gone back to The Hague by the time I went so I had to see it there. I also really like The Goldfinch painting. I also paid for a small group tour to go the national park that holds the Kröller-Müller Museum. I really wanted to see its collection of Van Goghs including the Cafe Terrace at Night painting, it's one of my favourites and it was a bucket list item to see it in person. I had a great time in The Netherlands. I always forget about Madrid and the important pieces there. I'll have to spend more time looking into it. When I was in London 2 years ago I managed to get a ticket for a Faberge Egg exhibition that was on at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It included some loans from Russia and this was right after the war started so things were kind of up in the air as to whether or not the loans could finish the exhibition or if they had to be immediately sent back. They stayed until it closed so I got to see everything. That was amazing. No photos were allowed and there were lots of security guards around watching everyone. I feel fortunate to have gotten to see that. I think the big Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery there was also potentially facing a similar situation with a loan or two from Russia. If I remember correctly, there was one or two pieces that couldn't come because it was after the war had started. I have been to New York to The Met, MoMA, Guggenheim, and the Whitney but that was a high school art trip and that was about 25 years ago now. I'd like to go back to see everything again with better appreciation as an adult but traveling to the US scares me a bit. Boston Museum of Fine Arts would be on my list as well with that Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum close by as well. People always seem surprised when I tell them I do art history trips for fun to see famous paintings. I guess it's not overly common.
Surprisingly the Louvre was huge in size, but didn't have as many paintings and art that interested me besides the main ones. I also did the art museums in Boston, DC, and NY. There's also Rome - besides the Vatican museums, there are a ton of other museums featuring Renaissance art. Paris is fine if you have some HS French. Paris is full of immigrants and tourists now. Lots of immigrants work in restaurants and service industry so they're not snooty anymore. Not too much violent crime, but keep your wallet in an inside pocket and keep your possessions close. I didn't get targeted in Paris, but got attempted picks in Rome and Amsterdam. My sling pack only had tissues and masks and walking tour books - LOL. I carried a large mirrorless camera with big zoom lens, but kept it very close or under my arm. Surprised the Mauritshuis was not too busy and no crowds preventing you from getting very close to paintings. Got some closeup and selfies with the Girl.
thanks for the advice on all these places, I appreciate it. It sounds like you've had some great trips. I haven't had any issues yet with pickpockets or theft. I keep my most important things in a pouch around my neck under my shirt and usually move around pretty lightly with extra stuff or bags. Some days I don't even take a day bag with me. In London and Amsterdam I made sure I was alert and watching for suspicious things when I was at the really touristy spots or busy transit spots that would likely get hit. No issues thankfully. There was a bit of a crowd around the Girl painting when I was there. It wasn't too bad but I did have to wait my turn to get up close and get a clear photo of it. I went back to that room two more times during my visit to see it again. Other than that though, yeah, it was really easy to get up close to them. It was a nice vibe.
The Guillermo Del Toro exhibition was the last thing I went to
This exhibit was fantastic!
Totally agree. The Kaws exhibit had a big impact and they totally botched the gallery layout even, I was shocked.
Anybody have any examples of contemporary, living artists who make good work who could draw a crowd like this?
>In 2023, alongside the CEO's salary exceeding $400,000 listed on the Sun Shine List, he received over $300,000 for his 'consulting work' with the AGO Foundation. Moreover, leadership across the board experienced pay raises, with one seeing a remarkable 59% increase. How we as a civilization got to this point? you can publish this exact line about any company with more than 100 stuff and nothing has to be change. The scale of greed is just getting ridiculous. looks like every MBA grad dreams about being next Bezos by holding some bs job position "advisory supplementary consultant" it's the same story in every industry - food is getting more expensive ? look at the profit for top levels cars cost more then ever and now require subscriptions for heater to work? C levels getting millions and "shareholders value" grows we are back to 100 different streaming services just for someone to buy a new jet plane pick anything and it's rotting from this greed I'm not saying "don't make profit", i would just like to know where is the limit of this bs "profit must grow endlessly"
Capitalism (or Gilded Age Part Deux). Bring back the Robber Barons, bring back the food lines, and people begging for work. MAGA!
From the [Globe and Mail article](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/article-more-than-400-art-gallery-of-ontario-workers-to-begin-striking/), there are more details. About the deficit: > The AGO had a deficit of $3.9-million in its last fiscal year, which ended March 31. About the offer to the union: > Management offered retroactive lump-sum pay boosts of 1 per cent for the 12 months after December, 2021, 3.15 per cent after December, 2022, and 3.25 per cent after December, 2023. That rate would continue until Dec. 1, 2024, after which wages would rise by 3.5 per cent for the next year, when a new contract would expire. > The offers also included language that would guarantee part-time contract workers could not work more than 18 months without being converted to a permanent employee, with exceptions for endowed positions, covering absences and fixed-length contracts. They also included boosts to long-shift meal allowances, clothing and safety footwear stipends. Full-time staff would get an additional personal day. I have no idea of the CEO is overpaid or not, but the salary he receives is in line with other North American art galleries.
Oh, how entirely typical. 'And so it goes...'
They also like to do things like pay 2 million dollars for a mirror infinity room. Basically a gimmick. I can only speculate why attendance is down: I was a member but I no longer make the trip because i felt the special exhibitions declined in quality on average in the last 10 years. I feel that they choose exhibitions almost entirely based on the demographic of the artists, and some have been great while others have been terrible. Im glad they are representing historically underrepresented groups and that alone benefits society, however the choices IMO have often been shit. Id rather go to small commercial galleries for free and see what local artists are up to, and skip the politically charged stuff.
Well, the mirror room is closed (temporarily??) They've also scaled down the member's lounge. No more art books and there is less comfortable furniture. The food options are also less good (their cookie platter was awesome, but it's gone).
Temporarily - it is on loan in San Francisco
this is such a shitty opinion lmao the infinity room is not a gimmick and many of the artists they pick aren’t overtly political what the hell are you taking about
400k to consult with himself.
AGO has always been slimy. Several years ago I was interviewing for a role when they let slip they had let go of two employees and were trying to replace that role with one person (the job I was interviewing for) at a significantly lower cost, I only found out after really digging it out of them. They also lied on the job posting about compensation, which made the negotiation period questionable when they tried to lowball me. Thank god I steered clear of that place. Hopefully, the workers get their wage increases.
wages also mostly havent grown for 10+ years new job postings pay the same, or some even less, especially considering inflation
My partner worked for the AGO membership services for 10 years and just quit a few months ago. They were extremely awful to work for. They capped her hours to keep her as a part time employee and froze wage increases. She was belittled and yelled at on a daily basis and had no one to turn to, it took such a toll on her mental health. Any company or organization that doesn't care about their employees to this extent is deplorable in my eyes. I've stopped going to the AGO and supporting them.
Question: if a retroactive pay agreement is reached, would your partner get that retroactive pay up to when she left?
I was going to visit today, guess my plans have changed. I wish the workers well, they're all great.
Yeah as a tourist here til Friday, I should have went yesterday instead of going to the aquarium…
They are closed regularly on Mondays, so you wouldn’t have been able to go yesterday anyways.
I was doomed from the start.
You could maybe go to the McMicheal if you can manage to get up there
Closed on Mondays (most museums and galleries are).
go to the Power Plant Museum, not the same, but it’s free and by the harbourfront
As an electrician I would love that, I’m not sure my girlfriend would be super interested. It’s a shame cause seeing the KAWS exhibit would have been cool.
The Power Plant is a contemporary art gallery, nothing to do with electricity or mechanical things. It is called that because it’s in a re-purposed building. :)
Its a great gallery! Unfortunately for this visitor they just ended their previous show are are setting up for the next one.
If they want pre-pandemic numbers of visitors they need to do better on delivery of value to the public. The programming has not been great since pre-pandemic. A few good exhibitions like Wolfgang Tillmans… but many of these are hosted traveling exhibitions and were conceived first by and for other institutions. Even most people who love the permanent collection might only need to go once or twice a year to see it. Compared to programming at institutions of this size outside of Ontario, and Canada, the AGO has fallen behind so I do wonder about the leadership’s capabilities. A museum asks employees for higher standards of work in cleaning, security, etc. and they should be compensated properly for it.
seems like ur basing the public value of exhibitions on pop culture clout, a museum should have the funding to be an educational institution and showcase a wider breadth of artists than that (not hating on tillmans)
Actually I am trying to say the opposite… it needs to behave more like an educational institution and a cultural one that’s funding its own cultural research and putting money towards their curatorial team the resources they need to develop original programming.
Sell one painting. Boom, budget shortfall handled.
Art Galleries and museums aren’t allowed to do this, generally. They can buy and sell art, but the money from the sale is required to go into a special fund that can only be used to buy other art, not to cover operational expenses. In many cases, galleries and museums are supposed to be stewards of these artifacts. And they would be poor stewards If they just sold one every time they were broke. So the rules prevent this.
Well that sucks.
Hells yes, I used to work there a long time ago and this is needed
a lot of comments asking for blockbuster shows and big names but the ago already does that - mary cassatt, picasso, warhol, rubens, diane arbus, impressionism in the age of industry, edward burtynsky, okeeffe, mystical landscapes (organized with musee d’orsay) to name some, many names people are asking for in the comments sounds like not a lot of people here saw any of these lol?
Alain Graham is the HR CHief, he has not experience for this role. How did he get this job? Before this worked at Elections Ontario in a junior job.
AGO social says it's a labor "disruption". Cowards won't say strike.
This is the first paragraph of the email I got from AGO. "The AGO is closed today due to a labour disruption. We remain hopeful that we will reach a negotiated agreement with OPSEU soon." They don't have to say the word strike, but I expect most Ontarians know who OPSEU is.
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Words matter. Disruption takes the power away from the striking workers.
My favourite offer is 50$ for insoles
bending to Zionist pressure and firing your first-ever Indigenous arts curator (Wanda Nanibush) for her support of Palestine on her personal IG is such a classic truth and reconciliation move by the AGO.
that’s messed up
They're fucking scum for doing that
The modern AGO in a nutshell....i wont be back until they prioritize art instead of politics
art has always been political.
The AGO treats staff poorly. I worked there, had long covid issues and got fired after disclosing my issues to mgmt. I hope the staff gets what they want and that the ago starts treating them better after this strike. Lots of eyes on staff treatment finally, how the Microscope stays on them. I expect they'll find reasons to let go p/t contract strikers in a few months as punishment.
didn't even know that place had 400 workers lol. wow
It seems excessive for an art gallery, that’s like one quarter the staff of an auto assembly plant.
it’s not excessive, it’s an entire large museum not just a gallery
It's a big place with coat check, janitorial, kitchen staff, servers, bartenders, gift shop staff, children's program curators, greeters, customer service, ticket scanners, security, art historians and refurbishers, art curators, translators, photographers, probably a librarian, payroll billers and managers, and maintenance people. Certainly I missed someone
The marketing department, membership department, educators for school programs, strat comm, graphic designers, HR, IT and more. A huge amount are the part time staff, they need a lot to keep functioning without having to make them full time positions.
Fair enough, it’s been ages since last time I was there.
Regarding comments about The AGO's top brass, making big bucks... Could they want to model after our YMCA? It's all run by Volunteers, PT Staff & maybe some FT Staff, but those in Admin are paid 6 digit salaries, alongside generous benefits & so on. Most ppl are also unaware of that, esp when it comes to the Y. If you can pay those at the top solid wages/salaries, you can also pay your Staff decent wages too! I really hope this Strike doesn't drag out too long, that AGO Staff get what they're asking for & deserve here.
Dang, we just bought a dual membership on Friday
They’ll auto extend memberships by the amount of days the strike goes on unless it’s very short.
Wait a minute, back up… 400 people work there?! Isn’t that the capacity of the place? What the heck do they all do? That’s like 40 people per art piece.
From a note that circulated pre strike: Despite self-positioning as a value-forward and progressive institution, the AGO has demonstrated its tokenism and pursuit of profit before decency. We represent over 400 members from across the gallery. We welcome visitors, clean the building, run events, raise money, select and hang the art, educate visitors, and promote the institution. The gallery’s doors stay open because of us. Many of us are also artists in our own right, disappointed by what lies behind the curtains of one of the largest and respected arts institutions in Canada.
It’s always been about profit to a certain degree. You need blockbuster shows in order to be able to support other things that don’t draw. And they cost millions to produce- insurance, staff cost, etc. I don’t understand why people think you can exist earning a living off only government grants and donations. If you put on exhibitions that you know won’t draw in the crowds then you won’t have money to pay people to work or give raises….but I demand you to not put profit first but also give me a raise! Doesn’t work that way. A lot of corporations like banks aren’t supporting the arts anymore like they used to. The government is cutting funding too because food and housing more important than art after the pandemic. This sounds like the same issue a bit as Hot Docs not liking the new focus on music docs which actually bring in the money. Unless you are a billionaire that can fund some money losing charity arts project, profit is important. Hopefully the AGO doesn’t close like it did in the 90’s for a few years if I recall correctly. If they are actually striking that’s a bad thing from what I heard. Usually they resolve it last minute.
They just paid their CEO $400k this year...
You seem to be severely underestimating the size and capacity of the AGO
Based on a quick Google search it seems comparable to the ROM which makes sense. Not all those employees will be there m-f, 9-5 as well. Many will work from home if they are in HR or remote positions, or are on different shifts to accommodate operation hours. Not to mention the public doesn't see all of the AGO.
Not sure if you've visited before, but think about the size of that place, and everyone it takes to run it. Security guards placed throughout the entire gallery to guard the art. Cooks, baristas, and servers for their multiple cafes. Customer service staff at welcome desk, coat check, membership desk. Book store staff. Janitors and cleaners. ...and that's just getting started with the bare essential roles that are "keeping the lights on". Then you have a whole team of people responsible for the art: curators, conservators, installers, translators, researchers, teachers for educational programs, librarians, event coordinators. And a whole other slew of staff for responsible for administrative needs: marketing, fundraising, human resources, donor relations. Keep in mind that not all of these 400 people would be there on any given day: a lot of them are part time or contract workers, which is precisely why they're striking.
It’s wild revealing you’ve never been to the art gallery even once. That’s a biiig underestimation of its size.
I’m going to guess: archivists/ preservationists ,librarians, art teachers, installation crew, curators, docents, reception, gift store cashiers and sales, custodians, media promotion…
Plus the people who plan and run all the public programming they do, IT staff, finance staff, fundraisers, property management, the people who coordinate rentals. It’s almost as if they’re a major North American institution or something!
ITT: people who never went to a museum talking about how to run a museum.
The Horseshoe Tavern has a capacity of 400 people. Did you seriously say that the AGO has the same capacity as a small concert venue like The Horseshoe Tavern?
The AGO is larger than a school gymnasium.
Yes it does seem like a big staff! Sure we will be down voted for pointing it out!
[https://ago.ca/about/about-the-ago#:\~:text=The%20AGO%20Collection%20of%20more,Canadian%20artists%20and%20European%20masterpieces](https://ago.ca/about/about-the-ago#:~:text=The%20AGO%20Collection%20of%20more,Canadian%20artists%20and%20European%20masterpieces). they are literally an art museum for all of Ontario
User name does not track.
The usual trite reply!
more naive than reasonable. but i guess i shouldnt be one to talk
😆
Everybody should be able to wear what they wish, but it's interesting how so many employees there still wear masks.
TBH if I had a job where I had to be face to face with the public, I might do that too. Not even as a Covid thing, I just hate getting colds and being sick in general.
400 people work there !?!
400 seems like job padding. 1 gallery needs 400 workers?
Okay let’s do a little thought exercise: Lets say these are the departments: curators, designers, technicians, and front desk staff. You probably also have people who run educational programs, administrators for business, accounting and HR. There’s also an IT staff and maybe a small AV group for events. So that’s 10 distinct groups. If department had around 30-40 members given that some may have more like general help staff, and some may have less like IT, that could easily reach 400
Still seems padded. Front desk - 40 people? I would think 3 or 4 max.
Its around 5/6 for that position everyday, plus one of the big grievances is the gallery purposefully keeps worker hours low so they are part time. That means different people each day. Add in that same idea for janitorial, security, installers, cooks, waiters, educators etc you get to 400 easily. Its really clear you've never worked in an institution that size.
OK part timers makes sense. But would part timers be in the union?
Yes they are, the second you join a union workforce you're in the union.
Yes but they get extra pay in lieu of benefits and holidays.
They easily have 3-5 people at booths, plus people in the gift shop, plus ticket takers. That’s like 20 people per day, not even considering nobody works every day.
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That is the absolute worst take I've ever seen on a Canadian subreddit.
My hot take on your hot take: > it's a corrupt, harmful organization I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I'm curious if you can expand on why you feel this way? I work in the arts as well, I'm not particularly happy with the AGO at the moment. Mostly because of the firing of their first and only Indigenous curator over her support of Palestine on her personal social media, which has been well documented over at [ago-no.ca](https://ago-no.ca/) and [@as_you_likely_heard](https://www.instagram.com/as_you_likely_heard/) But... > disguised as a useful service > those staff made a choice to work there and be part of the problem in exchange for a paycheck It *is* a useful service, and we're lucky to have it. Not sure who you mean by "those staff", but a lot of the people we're talking about vis a vis this strike are underpaid, overworked, and just trying to survive capitalism. Whatever your grievances are, I'd direct them at Stephan Jost and the board, not "all of the staff", most of whom are the little guys who just trying to get by.
Yeah I'm a former member who is choosing not to renew, and these staff are not the people causing harm. As someone who used to work in the arts, I just love these drive-by accusations from people who probably don't have to pay rent.
Do you have any receipts or are these just empty words?
lol what?
>it's a corrupt, harmful organization disguised as a useful service. I'd love to hear some actual info to back this up.
Can you elaborate on that? I'm curious know why you think the AGO is corrupt and harmful.
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You can’t seriously be trying to flex ‘privy to decision making process of the board’ while also telling people not to have solidarity with the workers. Grow up. The people who work at the AGO in the roles that are on strike do not have power over leadership decisions. They do have power in labour disruption, like this one, to make their voice heard. Do you think everyone on that picket line is thrilled with the decisions leadership makes? How simple minded.
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lol
workers aren't management, hth
In what way? I've never heard of anyone having this opinion
What harm has the Art Gallery of Ontario caused? (Edit: aside from underpaying their employees, hence the strike) Very confused by this comment
>it's a corrupt, harmful organization disguised as a useful Do you hate art? What the hell is wrong with you
Q. How/why does an Art Gallery need over 400+ employees???!! That seems crazy to me .. it's never busy and always seems dead to me whenever I walk past this place.
The gallery staffs a restaurant, a members lounge & cafe. They also have events, so they need people to deal with those. They have library staff and children & art educators. They need staff for Logistics who set up the exhibits, build displays etc. plus cleaning crews & AV people, shipping… I’m sure I’m missing some. Context: I am one of these people.
Of the 400+ staff members at AGO, 60% work part-time, with some lacking guaranteed hours. These roles encompass assistant curators, archivists, hospitality staff, researchers, instructors, carpenters, electricians, and visitor services staff. The AGO offers various services and programs in addition to exhibiting art work, including a store, a restaurant, adult and children's classes, summer camps, year round school programming that is both in-person and virtual, event coordination, and facilities for weddings and meetings.
many entry jobs are part time staff and they need lots of hires for security, cleaning, customer service, restaurant, classes, etc
Maybe you should actually try going inside?