Get to know us! Sam Mogelonsky, Manager of Marketing and Communications

At the RMG, we often get asked about what we do each day, how we got into the crazy museum world and also what skills would be needed to do our jobs. With graduation looming for many college and university students, we will be profiling members of our team to shed some light on what it is we do behind the scenes!

To start, we sat down with Sam Mogelonsky, who is the voice behind the RMG’s digital platforms, to learn more about her day and how she came to the gallery.

The RMG: What’s a typical day like for you?

Sam Mogelonsky: Firstly, no day is the same for me! My job is a lot like a party mix—part writing, part design, part print, part digital, but very fast paced. The first thing I do each day is open up all of our social media feeds and check in to see if we have had any questions over night on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Then I’ll typically write a morning post about something happening either later that day or upcoming at the gallery. I also have a master list of every upcoming deadline for advertising materials so I check that daily to make sure I get everything designed and delivered in time.

Once I have my morning postings and general emails taken care of, I will focus on an upcoming project or deadline. It could be designing our upcoming newsletter, writing press releases for exhibitions, updating our website, helping to design signage for the gallery or more long term planning for events such as RMG Fridays or fundraising. At the moment, I have two PR interns from Durham College so I am trying to impart some marketing wisdom on them by showing them hands on tools, like Google Analytics and HootSuite. There’s always something that comes up in a rush that needs some finessing or a design eye. I check in on social media about every few hours and will be posting throughout the day to stay in the conversation.

Sam at Making Methods, 2013

RMG: How did you get into this field?

SM: I started at the RMG about a year and a half ago. I had exhibited at the gallery in Making Methods (2013) and was captivated by the space and also loved working with Senior Curator Linda Jansma. Before that, I was working for a boutique advertising agency, managing the studio and web development. My past clients in the ad world have included car companies, telecom, hotels, tourism destinations, charities, restaurants, and even a dog food company! I was also doing a bunch of design and marketing projects for my friends in the art world—mainly designing websites and running social media campaigns for artists and galleries… and I still do this on the side.

I always had a keen eye for advertising and design, with my first projects being posters for my high school’s musicals. I grew up in a household surrounded by art and was always very interested in how to communicate visually. Since I studied fine art and am now an artist as well, understanding how people communicate and interact is key to my practice.

RMG Exposed 2015, staff and volunteers shot

RMG: What skills or training do you need for your job?

SM: I think the main skills are being able to communicate clearly in words and visual imagery, which I got from my undergrad in fine art and art history at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and my Master’s Degree in sculpture from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, UK. Writing and story telling has always been key to my many roles which writing for art history and critical thinking definitely teaches you!

The more technical skills I have just picked up… in undergrad, I wanted a website for my graduation, so I taught myself how to build a website (note, in 2006 something like Squarespace didn’t exist so you had to code direct with HTML and CSS). For web building now, I use WordPress. The first site I built took quite a while to figure out, but now I’ve made over 30 websites so I can probably whip a small one up pretty quickly.

When I wanted to make projects that required image editing or video, I taught myself how to do it using online tutorials and working with friends. When I first started, I had a hacked copy of Quark Xpress and learned by using dummy books and really thinking about typography. It’s a lot of trial and error and practice… use InDesign a few times and you will forget the features—use it every single day and it becomes second nature.

Social media is a whole new beast! Being the bridge between the digital and analogue generations, (I got Facebook in 2005 and was one of the first among my friends to have it in London when I moved to the UK) I grew up before every moment was digitized. There’s so much out there and I think the way we engage with social platforms will continue to shift and evolve as we build the internet together. As the voice of the gallery online, I do my best to keep up with digital trends and am always looking for the next network we should branch into.

Hootsuite social dashboard for the RMG

RMG: What’s your favourite part of your job?

SM: Meeting the artists, seeing the collection and learning from my team. The most exciting moment of an exhibition is definitely when I get to meet the artist behind the work and learn more about their practice. I have been able to meet so many wonderful artists through working here (Coral Short, Pete Smith, Ron Shuebrook, Holly king, to name a few). They have really shone a light on what’s happening in Canadian art today and been inspiring.

I am also exceptionally proud of the new RMG website we launched in winter 2015 (that houses this article)! It was really fantastic to work with Junction Design on this project and ensure we made a site that worked for the many needs of the gallery, while providing a great user experience.

At the OAAG conference at the Art Gallery of Windsor in 2015, speaking about RMG Fridays and building a community

RMG: What are 5 things you couldn’t live without in your job?

SM: iPhone, MacBook Pro, Google Drive, Adobe CS and Instagram.

At the AGO for #MuseumSelfieDay with the Floor Burger by Claes Oldenburg

RMG: What do you get up to outside of the RMG?

SM: At the moment, my life outside of work is mainly focused on art – making it, seeing it and reading about it. When I’m not at the RMG, I’m probably on a gallery crawl, in the studio or curled up reading articles on Hyperallergic, Canadian Art, Sculpture or Juxtapose. I love good wine and food so that’s my other go-to, a good bottle of VQA and a tasty meal, especially if it involves oysters. Anyone who hangs out with me knows I love anything that sparkles, so I am always on the hunt for awesome vintage pieces with glitter. I am a big dog lover, so I try to spend as much time with my parent’s adopted 120lb Bouvier puppy, Hondo, as I can. I also have a sweet spot for bad ‘80’s and ‘90’s action movies. Die Hard is a masterpiece. Yipee Ki Yay!

For more, follow Sam at @sammogelonsky

Their Stories: Poetry by Freda Jepson

This week’s Their Stories postings are both poems by the same person: Whitby native Freda Jepson. Freda submitted 5 poems, despite the limit of 2 submissions. She dropped them off in person, and her enthusiasm for the project was contagious. It’s always nice to see someone take an idea and run with it!

Freda Jepson received Honourable Mention for her poem Night Train. It, and one other submission, is included in the exhibition. Be sure to see them in person!

Portrait # 8 (above)

Jenny’s Dream

Before the day broke forth

with forty thieving winks to go,

I dreamed a dream.

A happiness dream it was;

Where I, a young girl,

looked up at the skky and

twirled a twirl.

My curls were bobbing

and heart a-throbbing

with happy beat.

For no certain reason

but that the season

caused my joy and

my skipping feet

And I made miniature

crop circles in the grass.

By: Freda Jepson

Portrait # 1

Unidentified Portrait from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

The Writer

I will maintain my defiance

Allowing a runaway mind to

Seek out infinite realities.

No woeful citizen of a

Humdrum world, but

A resident of a wonderland

Rewriting my story.

Each chapter opens with

Creative dreams,

Opportunities occur on

Every page

Possibilities hide behind

Paragraphs, and

Laughter peeks from

Between the words.

By: Freda Jepson

Their Stories post featuring two creative dating profiles!

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, this week’s Their Stories post features two dating profiles that end up a perfect match. Love is in the air!

Unidentified Portrait from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Portrait #1

Photo received by Matchmaker Dolly, with completed application as follows:

Name: Donald Bence Arthur

Age: 57

Height: 5’ 5”

Weight: 168 lbs.

Hair: mostly brown

Eyes: depends on shirt colour; sometimes green, sometimes blue

Background: Scottish/Hungarian

Occupation: semi-retired shoemaker with small mobile unit (pulled behind bicycle from town to town)

Hobbies: baking, alpine gardening and painting en plein air, mostly chimneys in winter… but also fences, (any season for the right price)

Favourite Sports: ribbon dancing, competitive whistling and caber toss

Best Attribute: a natty collection of footwear

Worst Attribute: cigar breath has occasionally been mentioned

Views on Children: don’t mind as long as it’s from a great distance

Spiritual Beliefs: I would prefer not to be matched with anyone who owns a ouija board.

Unidentified Portrait from the Thomas Bouckley Collection

Dolly matched Donald with Portrait #9.

Name: Eleanor Mondegreen

Age: 65

Height: 4” 1” (seated), 5’ 3” (upright)

Weight: (including boned corset, petticoats, bloomers, woolen dress with brass buttons) 180 lbs. (buck naked, 135)

Hair: yes

Eyes: not bad, getting harder and harder to read in dim lighting

Background: actually, just an old bedspread the photographer hung up

Occupation: proud nurse with the VON for decades until a terrible ruckus, fisticuffs really, with a patient who disputed my insistence that the hymn ‘Keep Thou My Way’ contained the phrase “gladly, the cross-eyed bear”.

Hobbies: tatting

Favourite Sports: darts

Best Attribute: a sense of whimsy

Worst Attribute: cannot keep a secret for love nor money

Views on Children: it’s all a backward glance at this point

Spiritual Beliefs: I would prefer not to be matched with anyone who owns a ouija board.

Follow-up Notes:

Three years after their marriage, Donald became fully retired by which time Eleanor had tatted herself a 20^th century wardrobe. They lived long and happily. Dolly’s greatest success story.

By: Carin Makuz

Their Stories – Unidentified Portraits 3 and 9

This week’s Their Stories posting includes a letter and a short first-person story. Be inspired by one of the unidentified portraits and participate by posting on the wall in the exhibition space or in the comments below!

Portrait #3

A lapsed Jesuit

The day that I was asked to sit for this photograph was the same day that I discovered my benefactor and friend Dr. Emile Herbert would no longer be attending communion at St. Ignatious of Loyola church where I had preached for more than twenty years. It was then that I understood why I had been born. My true calling was to become a medical doctor, rather than a priest. Dr. Herbert would no longer be attending services because he had become stricken by the same disease that he had spent his life trying to eradicate. And that disease was Dementia Praecox, or what is often referred to as insanity.

By: Carol Barbour

Unidentified portrait from the Thomas Bouckley Collection

Portrait #9

Dearest Mother,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have thought much of you this day. With tears in my eyes earlier, I said aloud, oh that sons and daughters should take their parents advice to heart.

Through my tears I recalled how you spoke harshly of Helen the day we wed. I am sorry I did not believe you then, but I have come to understand. You looked into my future and saved me with your guidance.

Before we parted, you taught me how to feel joy, to take pleasure in the recalling of a simple word or a shared moment. Marriage has much difficulty, but thanks to you I stop, take in all that is around, and let the joy fill me. The way the girls look following an afternoon of play, the flowers in bloom at the front of the house and smell of the chemicals in my developing trays. I feel strength in my happiness and conviction to overcome my plight.

The gift of one joyous moment to the next carries me through the difficult times. You have taught me well. This day, I feel the greatest appreciation for my mother.

With love,

William

By: Lisette Sanders Coulson

The IRIS Group – Q & A with Founder, Margaret Rodgers

The IRIS Group will be exhibiting in Gallery A from March 2-27. Prior to their exhibition, IRIS at 20, we sat down with member Margaret Rodgers to tell us more about the the collective and upcoming projects.

Margaret Rodgers is an accomplished, Oshawa-based artist, with an international exhibition history. She is also founder of the IRIS Group – a collective of women artists – formerly an art professor at Durham and Centennial Colleges, and Director/Curator at VAC Clarington. She is the author of Locating Alexandra (Toronto: ECW, 1995) about Painters Eleven artist Alexandra Luke, and is published in venues including OshaWhat, Art and Ecology, Sculpture, Urban Glass, Canadian Art, ESPACE, and the Journal of Canadian Studies. She was a member of Heritage Oshawa for several years, and during that time worked on DOORS OPEN and organized Heritage Week events at Oshawa Centre. She is currently a member of Oshawa’s Cultural Leadership Council. @RodgersMargaret

Margaret Rodgers, 1976-2016, Mixed media on canvas, 91.4 X 87.6 CM, 2016

The RMG: Hi Margaret! Please tell us a bit about the IRIS Group.

Margaret Rodgers: The IRIS Group is a collective of women artists. It began in 1996 as a forum to share ideas, offer mutual support, and develop projects that further the overall intentions of the group. Based in Durham Region, IRIS has exhibited work and mounted outreach projects in galleries and on campuses in Ontario, Alberta, New York State and Mexico.

Filmic – The IRIS Group

RMG: What project is the IRIS group most proud of developing together?

MR: I think that our International Women’s Day events have to be the most exciting of our many projects since the group emerged. We even chose to highlight them for our 20 Year celebration! We collected objects and writings, as well as took head shots of women, inviting their comments on whatever they wanted. Some are very funny, others touching and eloquent. I documented these in two books that can be downloaded on our IRIS website.

RMG: What are some examples of current collaborations?

MR: Most recently, we worked together on “the Secret Garden” at YWCA Durham with the help of residents there, and through a city grant as well as Artsvest sponsorships from Oshawa businesses, we were able facilitate our activities. Last spring we exhibited together for FILMIC at Station Gallery Whitby, and the previous fall we participated in Nuit Blanche.

The most current is IRIS at 20. This March in Gallery A at the RMG, two of our members Janice Taylor-Prebble and Laura M. Hair have created a fabulous installation to feature the objects that we collected during the IWD events. The show will also include new works by several of us that riff on the objects, and I will have a projection of all those women that posed for us over our ten events.

The IRIS Group

RMG: What is the best thing about working within a collective?

MR: I am constantly amazed at the ideas that we develop collaboratively and the way that individual talents merge and support each other. I think that a collective has a better chance to thrive artistically through strength in numbers. A few years ago, we mounted projections of our work on the sides of buildings – something not one of us could have done individually.

For more Information please visit www.theirisgroup.ca

This article was originally published in the Culture Counts e-newsletter on February 9, 2016. It has been adapted for the RMG’s blog.

RMG Fridays 5th Anniversary – What a Night!

Samantha Pender is a second year Public Relations student at Durham College and is completing her first communications placement at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery this winter.

Now that RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary has come and gone and all the excitement has wound down for the week, I can finally look back at the awesome night we had.

With so much going on, from musicians to dancers to Museum Hack, just to name a few, it’s hard to pick my favourite moment. So instead of choosing just one amazing moment from the night that stood out, I’m going to reminisce about a few of my favourite parts from the RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary.

RMG Fridays 5th Anniversary. Photo by Linda Ryde.

The two musicians, Annie Sumi and Jamie Drake, captivated almost everyone in the gallery. The gallery was packed with so many people; I couldn’t even squeeze in to get pictures. To see everyone enjoying the music and back up dancers from O’Neill was so amazing.

Speaking of the dancers, the O’Neill Senior Dance Ensemble nailed their performance as they kicked off the night. Everyone was mesmerized and it was so awesome to see that level of synchronization and talent. I was pleasantly surprised to see different members of the ensemble dancing in place throughout the gallery, as I had forgotten about their stand still performances throughout the night. It was such a cool experience to see these different expressions of dance right here in Oshawa.

RMG Fridays 5th Anniversary. Photo by Mat Calverley.

The Living Room supplied the studio activity for the night, and it really turned up the party vibe. I saw so many people from kids to adults sporting handmade party hats throughout the night, and it really added a fun element to the whole party. To add to the party theme of the night, there were amazingly delicious and colourful cupcakes. What’s a party without cake? The cupcakes might actually have secretly been my favourite part of the night.

RMG Fridays 5th Anniversary. Photo by Mat Calverley.

Some of the other events I didn’t quite get to see, like Museum Hack’s awesome and innovative tour of the galleries and the Friday Film Features screening of “Thank you for supporting the arts” from Eastdale C.V.I. and “7 Deadly Sins” from Sinclair Secondary Dancers, were packed with eager attendees as well. Art & Technique Academy of Hairstyling and Aesthetics mixed up their creativity on our faces too! I had a purple 5 on my face to celebrate the 5^th Anniversary, and I saw other happily painted faces too!

RMG Fridays 5th Anniversary. Photo by Bronwen Green.

The finished painting from JR Hunter was phenomenal. I was astounded at the end of the night, seeing how he encompassed every aspect of the event into his magnificent painting. It really captured the essence of the night.

Photo by Linda Ryde.

All in all, the RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary was an amazing night with so many awesome things happening. And as hard as it is to pick my favourite moment, I think the few I shared sums up what a wonderful time everyone including myself had. Happy five years, RMG Fridays!

RMG Fridays 5th Anniversary. Photo by Linda Ryde.

Top 5 Reasons to Volunteer at the RMG

Are you interested in art? Do you love helping with events? Do you have a passion for education? Then volunteering at the RMG is the place for you!

With countless opportunities to choose from, there are positions available for any age, skill set or interest. These are our top 5 reasons to volunteer, what are yours?

1. Give Back

Sure, volunteering at the RMG helps you to build a repertoire of skills. It also has a huge impact on our community. Did you attend art classes during March Break? Have you had a memorable RMG Fridays out with friends? Those experiences would not have been possible without our stellar volunteer team!

2. Be Creative

There is nothing better than leaving work and feeling inspired. The RMG offers a creative, relaxed and inspiring atmosphere where you can learn and grow. Sam Mogelonsky, Manager of Marketing and Communications, says “having volunteers is critical to keep our voice fresh. I love working with creative young minds who want to learn and bring their skills to the table.”

Carla Sinclair, Manager of Community and Volunteer Development, sums it up to a tee, saying that she “loves meeting new volunteers and hearing their interests, skills and talents to see how they can work with our team of staff. Volunteers have the ability to use their strengths, gain new skills and develop an array of contacts while donating their time to the gallery. Our staff has so much gratitude for all of the amazing energy volunteers give to this vibrant, cultural space called the RMG.”

Photo by Grant Cole.

3. Build that Resume!

Regardless of if you are completing your high-school community service hours, doing a post-secondary field placement or simply looking to give back to the community, we’ll have a spot for you! Volunteers work on everything from helping with events, to handling artworks to instructing young minds.

Are you interested in education? Help out with art camps or OPG Second Sundays and learn in our studio. Are you a social media whizz? Help us with marketing and communications and build our following. Do you live for music and live events? Get involved with RMG Fridays and help us bring new talent to Oshawa. Are you an artist or in a museum studies program? Our curatorial volunteers will get hands-on experience by helping with exhibition installations and archival research.

“No matter what the task, I always try to ensure that what a volunteer is working on will be helpful for their resume,” says Associate Curator, Sonya Jones. With multiple outlets for every skill-set, the RMG is the perfect place to lend your time and build your resume with relevant skills.

4. Be Surrounded by Art

Beautiful, airy spaces full of art are only steps away! The stunning renovation by noted architect Arthur Erickson will to fill you with inspiration as you walk into the office everyday. We believe opportunities for teamwork, brainstorming and collaboration, so we have an open-door policy (or no doors at all!) We guarantee you’ll be showing up to work early just to browse the exhibitions.

Photo by Linda Ryde.

5. Create Contacts

With multiple events, visiting artists, staff and volunteers, there is no shortage of contacts and networking opportunities at the RMG. With such a friendly environment, it’s easy to approach anyone for a casual chat. Stick around for RMG Friday and get to know people in the arts and Oshawa community and listen to great music with your new friends!

To apply now, click here and fill out our online application. For more information, please contact Carla Sinclair at [email protected], or call 905-576-3000. We look forward to meeting you!

Unidentified Portrait #2 – Story by Freda Jepson

This past fall, I put a call out to the community to submit creative writing entries to accompany unidentified portraits in The Thomas Bouckley Collection. With ten portraits to choose from, submissions included diary entries, letters, short stories, poetry and even a dating profile. I was so pleased with the number we received and the quality! The project resulted in an exhibition that is currently on display at the RMG until May 1st. Due to spatial restrictions, I wasn’t able to include all of the submissions, however, I will be posting two additional stories each week on the blog for all to enjoy. A huge thank you to everyone who participated!

On April 7th, join us for an evening with the Durham Folklore Storytellers. Using the submissions to the Their Stories exhibition as inspiration, the Durham Folklore Storytellers will take listeners on a journey to imagine the lives of these unidentified people.

– Sonya Jones, Associate Curator

Portrait #2

Loneliness

Am I to know no one as me

And to be known by none

To have no one to walk with me

As I approach my home.

Other lonely paths ‘longside of

mine run parallel

Yet join not mine to make a road

That leads where love can dwell

Should kindred spirit call to me

“We two now one shall be”

I’d kindle then the fire of life

To blaze for eternity.

By: Freda Jepson

Unidentified Portrait #1 – Story by Mat Calverley

– Sonya Jones, Associate Curator

Portrait #1

My dearest Emma,

If you receive this then my greatest work has failed. At dawn this morning I set out to walk across the Niagara Gorge. I hoped to do it until I break the record for fastest crossing. Even my friends think me crazy. They say “Cliff, why would a man who works off the ground want to spend his free time there”. Tell them I did this because I want to meet the sky on my terms.

I have been preparing for this my whole life. As a boy I there was no tree in all of Simcoe country that I could not climb. Working on chimneys and steeples seemed like the logical career. But over time, that place that I loved became only a place where I worked. I see Toronto now- a city that defies our limitations- and want to feel the freedom that that city must feel.

I do not expect to make money off of this endeavour. But then it would not be a labour of love. I hope that this letter will never be delivered; but if it must, I need you to understand why I stepped out this morning.

With love,

Clifford

By: Mat Calverley