May 2013 - Volume 5: Number 2 - Art Gallery of Hamilton

galleryGABNEWSLETTER of the AGH VOLUNTEER COMMITTEEvolume 5 number 2: May 2013PublisherAGH VolunteerCommitteeExecutiveEditorBill Mansonlocke@interlynx.netIn this edition...Getting to Know More of You2013 Volunteer Committee AGMVolunteer AwardsVolunteers enjoying one of the the AGH Volunteer RecognitionWeek activities held in April.Photo by Susan KordalewskiWelcome to this twelfth edition of galleryGAB, your AGH Volunteer Committee newsletter.We hope that news and views about your fellow Volunteers will be of interest to you, and that you will contribute tofuture editions with your own news and views. We welcome your comments.chairGABby Bill MansonAfter a two-year term in office, itis with some sadness that I pen my lastgalleryGAB article as Chair of theVolunteer Committee.The past two years have beenchallenging and exciting for all of us asVolunteers, at the AGH, and certainly forme as Chair. The Gallery has mounted"blockbuster" exhibitions like Kurelek'sThe Messenger and The Eye of Napoleon,as well as outstanding programmes like theWorld Film Festival, and fund-raisers likethe Superauction. Volunteers have goneall-out to support these initiatives withtheir time and their talents and, in theprocess, many new Volunteers haveswelled our Committee ranks.As well, operations in the Galleryhave evolved over the past two years,particularly in the areas of Retail andVisitor Services, and many new Volunteershave joined the Committee to support theevolving programmes in these areas, at theFront Desk, in the Shop, and in the newDesign Annex.The administration of theVolunteer programme has also evolvedduring my time as Chair, with thedevelopment of new training initiatives,with more clearly defined roles forVolunteers in their placements, and withVolunteer recognition programmes. I amproud to have been part of these changes.To address the needs ofVolunteers and to make their work morerewarding and fulfilling, over the past twoyears I have worked very closely withSusan Kordalewski, Manager of HumanResources, in order to review Volunteerneeds, and to find ways of addressing thoseneeds. I have found Susan to be a creativePage 1and caring manager, and I thank hersincerely.As I turn the Chair over toMarilyn Hollick, I sincerely wish her asexciting a two years as I have experienced.I want to thank her for her support, as wellas to thank the other Volunteer CommitteeExecutive members. They are indeed a finegroup!It has been an honour andprivilege to have served as Chair of yourAGH Volunteer Committee, and I lookforward to the next two years as Past-Chair. The upcoming year in particularshould certainly prove to be bothchallenging and exciting, as we continuethe sixty-one year tradition of supportingthe AGH -- this time during its Centennialcelebrations.I hope all of you will attend theVolunteer committee AGH on May 30. Itpromises to be an exciting programme wehave lined up for you. See you there.Cheers. Bill

eduGABby Jenny de AlwisThose who meet Valery Dunloprealize quickly that Hamilton is not heroriginal home. Born in London England, shelater married a Scotsman, lived inEdinburgh for a time, and then came toCanada. Growing up in England’s capitalmade an art lover of Valery, who recallsvisiting the National Gallery in TrafalgarSquare when she was around 10 years old.After that experience she says she has“haunted the National Gallery and sincethen all galleries where I have lived andvisited.” Her “aha” moment came when shesaw Van Dyk’s Charles I on Horseback –she admits at that point she was hooked onart.Traveling is another of Valery’spassions, and she is fortunate to have had ason (one of four children) living in NewYork where the Frick is a favourite. Visitingmajor galleries of the world is a real treat,and Valery really enjoyed the Prado inMadrid. Everywhere she goes, she takesdocent- led tours and attends lectures givingher rich background in art an added depth,experiences which she enjoyed at the AGOand the Lyceum Club when living inToronto.Tours at the AGH are individuallydefined, each Docent bringing her/his ownstyle to the works on view. Valery’s style isinformal, but never uninformed. Her yearsof volunteering in different spheres - fromleading a High School PTA, taking part inChristian activities all over Ontario and theEastern U.S., leading tours at the TorontoZoo (“I find animals as interesting as art!”),and organizing training workshops forspeakers - give Valery’s tours for the AGH atruly unique edge. Conversations withValery are always intriguing, wide-ranging,and offer various perspectives. When Valeryvisited the Art Gallery of Hamilton for thefirst time, she liked what she saw! TheDocent programme here is enriched by herpresence.recruitGABby Hinda LevineSeveral of our new Volunteers willbe in Visitor Services. Esther Smith joinsus after working in financial services for 15years. She is in a period of transition, andwants to reconnect with her interest in art,possibly taking some art classes. AnneCutler, a Montrealer, came to Hamiltonafter living in Toronto for 20 years. Sheworked in customer service for Air Miles,and is particularly qualified to deal with“irate customers”. She retired a year agoand now is a regular visitor at the AGH,viewing exhibits and attending lectures.Cam Theroux retired recently from Stelco,where he worked in market developmentand technical sales as a product specialist.Cam has been actively involved in a widerange of volunteer activities with variousorganizations over many years. Currently,he volunteers at Theatre Aquarius. Camalso enjoys being actively involved withhis grandchildren. Jasmine Turna, whograduated with an Honours B.Sc. inBiology and Psychology from McMasterUniversity, now works there as a researchtrial coordinator in the Anxiety ResearchCentre. She is an energetic young womanwho has found the time to volunteer in avariety of ways over the years.There are several new Volunteersin Retail. Caitlin Lewis is a high schoolstudent who is interested in exploring acareer in the Arts. Caitlin has volunteeredas an ice hockey instructor and as a hockeyreferee, and now volunteers at theHamilton Public Library, helping childrenread. Kim Nguyen was born in Vietnamand lived in Alberta before moving toGrimsby with her family. She trained atNiagara College and then worked as anesthetician. Kim is considering going backto school to study art history. Cara-JaneDempsey is particularly interested in theDesign Annex, as she wants to connectDocents dabble in the arts: getting“down and dirty” with where it’s atPage 2with the art scene on James Street. She hasexperience in event planning, so she mayvolunteer in that area as well. Cara-Janeworks downtown at Clinical DataFaxSystems, a company which developssoftware for clinical research trials. JodyTurton is keen to see the revitalization ofdowntown. She has always lived inHamilton and loves what the AGH offers toour community. Jody retired recently fromthe Hamilton Wentworth District SchoolBoard after many years of teaching andworking as a vice-principal. ShanaOliverio, who works as a legal assistant ata law firm, studied History and Art Historyat McMaster University, graduating in2011. She would like to continue studyingArt History in future. Louise Savocchiagraduated with a M.A. in Classics fromMcMaster University in 2012. She iscommitted to preserving local history andpromoting arts and cultural institutions. Herlong-term goal is to work in a museum orgallery in an administrative, curatorial, oreducational capacity. Louise also has workexperience as a research assistant, andvolunteer experience as an eventsupervisor. Chelsea Vola works as acontractor apprentice in Dundas. Years agoshe volunteered at the AGH in the summercamp program, and is enthusiastic aboutvolunteering here again. Chelseaparticularly looks forward to beinginvolved with the decoration for the Galaevent.Madeleine McMillan joins theFilm & Performance Volunteers. She isstudying Humanities and Psychology atMcMaster University, and works in Torontoduring the summer months in the UpperCanada College summer camp programme.Carrie Lynn McMullinvolunteers in Membership Promotion andSpecial Events. She is completing her 4 thyear as a student at McMaster University,majoring in Cultural Studies and History,with a minor in Indigenous Studies.Previously, she completed a diploma atMohawk College in TelevisionBroadcasting and Communication Media.Her plan is to pursue graduate studies.Amir Shah works as a manager atGoldberg Capital. He moved to Hamiltonto be closer to some of his family in 1999.Prior to that, he lived in a small communityin the northeast U.S. where he owned andoperated a photo lab. He had studied FineArt in Pakistan, and intends to pursue hisinterest in the Arts. He is volunteering atthe AGH in Special Events.A warm welcome to all our newVolunteers! We hope that you will feelthat you are part of a “volunteeringfamily” and that you enjoy yourexperience at the AGH.

UPDATEArt for the 100thTHE 100 TH IS FAST APPROACHINGIT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO DONATE !We invite all Volunteers to join in this project. Our goal is to fund the purchase of a work of art for the Gallery’s PermanentCollection. No contribution is too small. Donation forms can be found in the Volunteer Log at the Gallery’s Front Desk oron the Art for the 100th link on the Volunteer page of the AGH Website.Recognizing all those who have responded thus far with donations for Art for the 100th:Irene Bailey Charles F. Brown Jean Carey (in memory of John Carey) Betty Carlyle Frances & John ClokeDr. & Mrs. J.R. Cranston Glen Doe Mrs. J.J. Dravis Gary & Mary Louise Duncan Valery Dunlop Margaret FongBarbara Freeman Alexandra Gall P. Joan Gallagher Helen Hadden Marion Harrison Marilyn Hollick Jeannie HrycenkoJoan Jennings Rudin Knights Bev Lafferty Sylvia & Fred Laidman Hinda Levine Ann Manson Bill MansonMaureen McKeating Amanda McKinney Judy Meldrum Elizabeth O’Malley Liz Oddi Anita Peng Elvira PetersonJoyce Philp Jennifer Powell-Fralick Joyce & Mike Schumacher Erica Smith Jane Smith Miriam Stanbury Gaylyn StanleyElise de Stein Geoff & Brenda Stephenson Linda Taillon Anne & Hal Taylor Frances J. Waters Gary Wells Mary C. Wigleand 10 Anonymous donorsa GABflash from the past ...With the AGH Centennial quickly approaching, in the next few editions we will be featuring some imagesfrom the past of people and events that have significantly impacted the Gallery’s colourful heritage.These two important European worksfrom the Gallery’s permanent collectionhave an intriguing Hamilton story to tell.Can you identify their titles and artists?Can you relate their Hamilton story?Answers to the last edition’s GABflash from the past ...This is the original architectural drawing for the main gallery of the third Art galleryof Hamilton, which opened here downtown in 1977. You can see that the originalconcept, with its vast open exhibition space and use of wood and concrete, was muchdifferent from today’s Gallery. The AGH closed for renovations in 2003, whichresulted in the much more intimate exhibition spaces we experience today.This picture shows the sneak preview of the Tanenbaum donation of their EuropeanCollection, which took place just before the Art Gallery of Hamilton closed forrenovations in 2003. The Gallery re-opened in 2005 with a banner exhibition of thiscollection called Heaven and Earth Unveiled, along with a second banner exhibitionfeaturing works from the Gallery’s Canadian Historical Collection entitled LastingImpressions.Page 3

staffGABby Marilyn HollickHave you ever given any thoughtto how art exhibitions are prepared andinstalled? Preparators Greg Dawes andPaula Esteves Maurareo are masters atthis, giving each exhibit a “behind-thescenes”excellence.Greg, the longest standing AGHemployee since 1988, has seen manychanges at the Gallery and experiencedthe visions of four Directors and threelocations. A McMaster graduate with afine arts degree, he started when AGHsecurity installed the exhibitions. Greghas a calm sense of humour. In personaltime, he is an avid “big albums” collector.He enjoys woodworking, homerenovations, bonsai gardening, collectinganonymous photographs, while chasingand caring for his two sons.Paula started at the AGH 15years ago (1994). With an art historydegree, she also began in security,provided tours, and then completed aninternship with Greg as a preparator.Paula comments that the job is never thesame and never boring, especially withthe recent introduction of new media suchas computerized art works and film. Paulais always looking for the fun in the job.As a mom of two girls, she loves to cook,read cookbooks and spend time at thefamily cottage in the Muskokas.Today, the art of preparing andinstalling exhibits has become a highlysophisticated part of the AGH team. Themarriage of space (preparators) and art(curators and artists) makes for aneffective, collaborative, and fun workingenvironment that ultimately results in anexcellent exhibition. Each exhibition is inpreparation for approximately one year,and with a two-week turnaround betweenshows, Greg and Paula work seamlessly toaccomplish a smooth transition. This mayinclude obtaining art works from privatecollectors, taking charge of art handling,creating accession numbers for art worksstored in the vault, label-making, creationof display cases, hanging of the works,assisting the artists with technical andelectrical issues, matting, framing andpreserving artworks, preparing crates forsafe transport, and creating roomtransformation. Needless to say, theshipping area (Greg and Paula’s"kingdom") is an immense spaceresembling a carpenter’s workshop withliterally a “treasure trove” of artisticsupplies.Greg and Paula, "the dynamicduo", have a noticeable sense of pride andpassion when talking about their work. Itis no wonder that the AGH exhibitionsalways look so amazing!deskGABby Franca MaraziaMegan Olynik is a creativeprofessional who volunteers an average offour hours a week at Visitor Services. Sheenjoys the networking opportunities as shegreets and interacts with visitors at theFront Desk. She also handles monetarytransactions with ease, as she has at leastten years of money handling experience.Her part time and summer jobs throughouthigh school and university consisted ofcashier/clerk positions in a grocery store,at a bookstore, and at the Art Gallery ofHamilton. So, welcome back, Megan!Megan is a McMaster graduate,where she earned an Honours B.A. in finearts and multimedia in 2010. She currentlyis living in her home-town of Oakvillewith her husband Jason and their dog,Molly. Megan and Jason met at McMasterand were married at the Faculty Club oncampus.Inspired by Andy Warhol’swords: ‘The world fascinates me’, Meganmakes it her mission to find inspiration ineverything she does and sees. This isespecially evident in her beautiful glasspainting. Her work may be viewed onlineor on her website: www.meganolynik.ca.Her professional experience alsoincludes: personal assistant and childcareprovider for a private company; juniorgraphic designer at AeWeb; sales and webmanagement at The Bronze Frog Gallery;and summer camp art counsellor at ForestGrove Preschool Academy for Art andTechnology.What does the future hold for thistalented young artist? Megan’s dream is tocontinue to work in a gallery setting, onewhich allows her to bring art and theappreciation of art into the community. Tothis end, she is enrolled in the ArtsManagement program at WesternUniversity for September 2013.Next time, you are at the Galleryon a Friday or Saturday, drop by the FrontDesk and chat with Megan. You will beinstantly struck by her gentle manner andeasy smile.Pablo Picasso on art...Art washes away from the soul thedust of everyday life.Art is the lie that enables us torealize the truth.Everything you can imagine is real.Every child is an artist. Theproblem is how to remain an artistonce he grows up.Page 4

CONGRATULATIONS !This year six members of the AGH Volunteer Committee were recognized at theOntario Volunteer Service Awardsfor an accumulated total of 138 years of service to the Gallery:Helen Hadden (48), Margaret Fong (25), Elizabeth O’Malley (25 ), Rudin Knights (15),Ann Manson (15), Bill Manson (10).Elizabeth O’Malley (Docent)Bill Manson (Docent)Ann Manson (Docent)support the Education programmeAt the AGH.Helen Hadden (Docent / Librarian)receives her 48 year pinPhotos by Susan KordalewskiMargaret Fong (Retail) and Rudin Knights(Docent) pose for the camera.mediaGABby Robert DmochewiczSherry Mousavi, who recently joined theFilm & Performance team as a returningVolunteer, writes:"On May 28, 2005, the Art Galleryof Hamilton reopened. Women in elegantlong dresses and men in chic suits streamedthrough the front door of the new Gallery.As a volunteer greeter, I smiled and greetedthem, and I couldn’t help but think, “I amlucky to be part of this special day.” It wasthen I fell in love with the place. Who knewI would be back seven years later?The AGH reopening was one ofmy most memorable days and it remindedme of another day I will never forget, theday I arrived in Hamilton. I fled my homein Iran in 1995, became a refugee and spentalmost a year in a broken down hotel inTurkey. The day I arrived in Hamilton Ithought, 'I am lucky to be alive and livingin a country where my family and I areaccepted. A world full of boundlessopportunities at our door step.' But thosethoughts were definitely not inEnglish! The only English I knew when Iarrived with my family in the summer of1997 were words like hello, goodbye, food,washroom, dog.As a member of the Baha’i faith, Iwouldn’t have come as far as I have in mylife if I had stayed in Iran. Members of thefaith face persecution at every level in Iran,from family provisions to schooling,education, and security. I would have beenbanned from post-secondary education, andmy future marriage would not berecognized, if I still resided there. It ispossible I could have been jailed and killed.Today, I am a proud graduate ofMcMaster University where I obtained myHonours Bachelor of Commerce from theDeGroote School of Business. Afterworking for more than two years withHamilton Health Sciences as a financialanalyst, I decided to embark on a newcareer as a reporter withYourHamiltonBiz.com to learn more aboutthe business community in Hamilton, tapinto a new skillset, expand my network,take on a new challenge and have theopportunity to learn something new almosteveryday. This is Torstar’s new onlinejournalism venture that produces daily,online, local business news, informationand business intelligence. As a youngprofessional, my passion lies inentrepreneurship and I look forward tocultivating my ideas in the businesscommunity.I’m a family person and Iabsolutely love to spend time with myparents, three siblings and my dog Misha.My grandmother always tells me that yourparents come before anyone and if they’renot content, you will never be happy orsuccessful.When I find time I like to stayactive and my new challenge is training fora triathlon. Every week, finds me runningPage 5

or biking on a different trail in Hamilton,and this experience has allowed me toexplore the city’s unknown treasures.I am motivated by trying a newsport, failing, trying again and masteringthe sport. Every summer, I like to fill mycar trunk with things like basketballs,soccer balls, volleyballs, a swimming capand goggles, tennis racquets, roller blades,skipping rope etc. I guess you can say I amready for any activity on any given day,although my true love lies in food. I love toeat and indulge in new culinaryexperiences.Besides writing or running oreating, I spend time doing communityservice. I think giving back feeds the soul.Giving back can take many forms, fromvolunteering at the AGH to mentoring ayouth on their future career choice, tomaking a donation to charity, to running amarathon or even to buying a coffee and asandwich for a homeless person in thestreet.Besides being a learningexperience, volunteering can help you helpsomeone else. According to Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. - We are prone to judgesuccess by the index of our salaries or thesize of our automobiles, rather than by thequality of our service relationship tohumanity".Your GalleryneedsYOU!As a AGH Volunteer, you are alsoa Member of the AGH . Pleaseplan to attend the upcomingAGH AGMfollowed by the presentation ofthe Volunteer Awards.Tuesday June 115 PM at the GalleryTHANK YOU AGHOn behalf of the membersof the Volunteer Committee,I want to thank the Galleryfor its Volunteer Recognition Week.We appreciate being appreciated.Bill MansonChair of the Volunteer CommitteePage 6