Meet Carla Sinclair, our Manager of Volunteer and Community Development

Today we sat down with Carla Sinclair, the RMG’s Manager of Volunteer and Community Development to find out more about her role and what she gets up to each day. You probably recognize Carla as your host of RMG Fridays – say hello next time you see her in the RMG Shop.

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

Carla Sinclair: My day looks very different day to day depending on which part of my role I am working on. I manage our volunteer program, plan RMG Fridays, the gallery’s monthly community event as well as manage our gallery shop.

Between internal staff meetings, volunteer interviews, community engagement, consignment artist acquisitions and a number of cultural advisory committees/professional development associations, meetings can often fill up many of my days. Some days are quieter allowing me to spend hours on my computer sending emails, doing research, paperwork, and planning. If I am hosting an RMG Fridays or representing the RMG at a cultural event, I get to be social and interact with the community. The flexibility of my job caters to my multi-faceted personality. I love the diversity in my role!

The volunteer umbrella involves responding to volunteer requests, booking interviews, meeting with and assessing which department best suits new recruits, managing and posting new volunteer opportunities and keeping track of hours worked. As a member of multiple volunteer associations, I attend monthly meetings that provide professional development opportunities in the industry of volunteer administration. Thinking of new ways to incorporate the many skills that walk through the doors here at the RMG is always a priority.

RMG Fridays: Wonder Women

Planning RMG Fridays involves looking at curatorial schedules and building an event around exhibitions set to open or tour each month. I often choose a theme and try to connect all of the activities that are going on during an RMG Fridays: Live music, short films, exhibition tours, studio activity, community partners, food vendors. I love to add cultural elements that engage our audience by bringing in local theatre groups to perform a teaser of their show, a dance company, spoken word poet – just about anything that showcases the incredible local talent we have here in Durham and beyond! Booking musicians is typically the first element, and when possible this happens 4-6 months in advance. Sometimes artists reach out to me, other times I get suggestions from community members. I also try to find talent by attending local music venues, open mics and cultural events.

Short films for our Friday Film Features screening room at RMG Fridays get submitted through our website. These are viewed internally and 1 or 2 films are chosen to screen every 15 minutes throughout the evening. For food vendors, they are local, independent restaurants or caterers who put together a table of delicious eats to sell in the lobby, giving local entrepreneurs a chance to engage with the community and showcase their business. I typically contact them individually but encourage anyone interested to reach out to me as well.

Carla at RMG Exposed 2015

Community partners come from a variety of sources, some send requests, others are contacted based on the mandate of their organization and how it ties in to our event theme. After the details are nailed down, the next task is submitting the information to our Marketing Manager for promotional print materials and booking volunteers to help run all of the components of the evening. We typically have 8-15 volunteers behind the scenes making RMG Fridays happen, in tandem with our incredible audio engineer, DJ Lynz and dedicated RMG staff. When the big day comes, I spend the afternoon and early evening setting up tables, chairs, AV equipment, signage, printing schedules, shopping for supplies, greeting performers and partners. I then hold a meeting with our event volunteers at 6:30pm before doors open. The rest of the night involves hosting the event on stage. I, along with my colleague and co-host welcome guests, introduce the musicians, performers, and partners while sharing all of the awesome things happening in the building that evening!

The gallery shop is another component of my role including retail management, volunteer management (our friendly sales associates are all volunteers!), merchandising and researching consignment artists. Over the past year we’ve shifted the shop vision to include primarily Canadian consignment artists. This means I have to find talented artists whose work suits our local market. Some artists approach me, others I research, or find by planning volunteer outings with shop associates to canvas art shows/studios for promising candidates. Within the shop role is a lot of paperwork; Daily sales sheets, monthly shop deposits, quarterly consignment inventory and payouts as well as general correspondence. I host a monthly shop volunteer meeting to update our associates on new product, hear customer feedback and to build community amongst our volunteers.

RMG Shop Volunteer Trip

RMG: How did you get into this field?

CS: Having worked at the Nelson and District Arts Council, in on-air broadcast radio, teaching film programs and as a partner at Empty Cup Media, I’ve always invested my career in the arts and culture. One of these roles was producing video projects for The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, where I came to know the inspired team of staff that run this incredible space. The sense of community fostered here compelled me to be a voice in Oshawa’s expanding creative culture.

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

It’s such a mixed bag, but I’d say…

Excellent written and communication skills
Creative thinking
Computer proficiency
Eye for merchandising and attention to detail
Organizational skills
Ability to recognize individual talents and abilities
Public speaking
Event management
Ability to teach and explain tasks well
Excellent social skills
Avid interest in being active in the cultural community
Strategic planning

Culture Meet Up

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

CS: RMG Fridays! If you haven’t already been out to this awesome monthly event, I encourage you to come to the next one. Bands, artist talks and local partnerships create an atmosphere unlike any other you will find in Oshawa. I love the crowd it attracts and see it as an accessible, creative hub for entertainment, education and networking.

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

CS: My top 5 are:

Charity Republic – Volunteer database software
Post it notes
Google
Coffee
Amazing Volunteers

RMG Fridays: HipHOpera

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

CS: Outside of work at the gallery, I make films with Empty Cup Media. Our team has been working on a web series over the past couple years which means I’m heading to South Africa in October 2016 to film one of the latest episodes! I also spend time with my squishy faced pug Gryffin, have joined an adult ballet class after recently retiring from 5 years of roller derby, and love checking out local live music at Oshawa’s Memorial Park or The Moustache Club.

Meet Stephen Dick, our Manager of Protection Services

Stephen Dick is our Manager of Protection Services. You may recognise him as you walk into the gallery as the friendly greeter who knows everything about the gallery (and kindly asks you to leave your backpack at security). Ask Steve about the drums next time you visit!

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

Stephen Dick: My typical day starts early. I’m usually the first one in the Gallery – except for our industrious Senior Curator Linda Jansma. I have to go through the whole building and basically open every door and check every room to make sure everything is alright and there are no safety or maintenance problems. If anything needs attention, I make a note of it on a daily report and make sure the right people are notified to correct it. I also turn on lights and activate any gallery exhibits that involve audio/visual or computer components. When that’s done, I unlock the front doors for staff to come in and settle in behind the front desk to keep an eye on the gallery with our monitors and direct incoming phone calls. I will greet visitors to the gallery and answer any questions they may have. With Google at my fingertips, I really should be able to find an answer for anything and everything!

Steve during Museum Selfie Day

RMG: How did you get into this field?

SD: I got into this field when I returned to my hometown of Toronto after being in Vancouver for many years. I was a full time performing musician and music teacher but decided to pursue full time work after being an independent contractor for so long and knowing other musicians that had transitioned into the security field as well.

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

SD: I enrolled in the course, took the test and submitted to all the background checks required to obtain my Ontario Security Guard licence. I was then lucky enough to receive my first assignment as a part-time security guard at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. It made me feel very comfortable still being in an art environment and the staff and visitors were a real pleasure to work with. Since being offered the job as full-time security manager for the gallery, I’ve found it even more interesting. I’ve discovered the positive things about being part of an incredible team of people that have a complete love and knowledge of the art world as well as the people, business and management skills to make the RMG what it is now and to take it into the future.

Steve and a new friend

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

SD: My favourite part of the job is helping someone in any way possible and making them feel valued and welcomed to the Gallery. Also rewarding is the smile and appreciation many new Canadians get when I process their Cultural Access Pass granting them admission for their families to many other cultural institutions like ours.

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

SD: Some of the crucial things I need to do my job would be:

My gallery surveillance system monitors.
City of Oshawa computer connection with MS Office, Google, and organized access to all of my files.
My phone with quick connections to every staff member & voicemail.
My memory for all of the passwords I need to run our various security systems software & hardware.
Post-it notes for keeping track of all the daily details and messages relayed to me by visitors and staff!

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

SD: When I’m not here at the RMG, I’m still an active musician performing and recording with several groups and also playing to my favourite music in my home studio. I will be performing for our RMG Friday here on September 9 with a band I have been working with comprised of musicians from here and Ottawa.

Fiuran Band

Meet Alessandra Cirelli, our Assistant Curator

Alessandra Cirelli is the RMG’s new Assistant Curator. You may recognize her as our curatorial intern from last summer – from volunteer to assistant curator, we’re thrilled to welcome her to the team! Come by and say hello.

The RMG: How did you get into this field?

Alessandra Cirelli: I studied Art and Art History at the University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College and then completed a graduate certificate at Fleming College in Museum Management and Curatorship (MMC). I completed an internship here at the RMG in the Curatorial department as a course requirement for my MMC program. After interning at the RMG, I worked at the Markham Museum in their education and curatorial departments.

Alessandra Cirelli helping at RMG Exposed

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

AC: My studies at Fleming College really provided me the proper skills and training for my job, specifically learning Collections Management skills, Curatorial Research and artwork handling. Currently I am relying on my organizational skills to help me transition into my new position.

Alessandra Cirelli at Jessica Field’s workshop in the Art Lab

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

AC: One of my favourite parts of my job is accessioning new works into the collection and cataloguing them so they are accessible to the staff and the public for research or future exhibitions. In addition, I really like the change of pace when exhibition installation week rolls around! I love being able to help hang artwork and get the exhibition space ready for visitors.

Alessandra Cirelli at RMG Fridays

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

AC: That’s a tough one, off the top of my head I’d say…

Minisis, Online collections Database
Artists and artworks hardcopy files
Pencils! Since you can’t have a pen anywhere near the art… I seem to keep one with me everywhere I go now.
Colourful Sticky notes
An agenda!

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

AC: During the summer months, I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and swimming and going on road trips. Often you can find me with a group of friends enjoying a live band on a patio somewhere in and around the GTA or further, I love exploring new places. I truly enjoy winter… I have been skiing since I was 9 and snowboarding since I was 14.

Alessandra Cirelli at RMG Exposed

Linda Jansma on the cartographer’s mistake: marigold map

Last October, I was put in touch with Dru Chillingworth, the Manager, Parks Maintenance Services for the City of Oshawa. I asked him if he could grow a map of marigolds for the RMG in the summer of 2016. He didn’t seem phased by the request, which left me hopeful! He and I, along with his colleague, Leo Stafford, the city’s Supervisor of Horticulture, met in December and walked around the Civic Centre, dreaming of spring. In May, Charlie Simms, another amazing employee of the city, began to plant the marigolds that he had started from seed in the previous months.

Now, each morning when I come into the RMG, I’m thrilled to see the colourful map, in orange and yellow marigolds, grace the main garden in the Civic Centre.

the cartographer’s mistake: marigold map, Sarindar Dhaliwal, marigolds, 2016

And the map? Well, it’s part of a larger exhibition of work by Toronto-based artist Sarindar Dhaliwal called The Radcliffe Line and Other Geographies that runs until August 21 at the RMG. The map shows the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan by a British bureaucrat named Cyril Radcliffe. Radcliffe wasn’t given the greatest tools for the task—inaccurate maps, contradictory instructions and a tight timeline of five weeks to complete the work of making two nations out of what had been British India since the mid 19^th century. The result was disastrous: displacement and extreme violence that continues today. Dhaliwal’s exhibition touches on the broad implications of this division, as well as how it affected both her and her family.

Sarindar Dhaliwal recreates part of the sub-continent with marigolds, a healing plant that has been referred to as the Rose of India. They are meant to symbolize the mending of the scars of partition–nation states that are rethought with flowers rather than passports.

the cartographer’s mistake: marigold map, Sarindar Dhaliwal, marigolds, 2016

That the City of Oshawa supports initiatives such as these, speaks volumes to their commitment to arts and culture in its many forms. It’s all about engaging our publics, making us think about the world in a new way. Enjoy the flowers before the fall’s frost!

Linda Jansma

Senior Curator, RMG

Artisans of the RMG Shop – soap and tea

The RMG Shop features creations by local artisans and artists. We’ll be profiling these artists and introducing them to you. For this instalment, we’re featuring two of our best selling artists who create soap and tea. Visit the shop to purchase one of these unique items!

Michelle Treen in her workshop. Photo by Jason Chow.

Michelle Treen is the face behind Aide Body Care, a small batch apothecary body care company that specializes in cold process soap and natural body care products. The traditional cold process technique uses a combination of natural oils and shea butter blended with alkali. Each bar is hand cut and cured for at least four weeks, creating a mild pH and a long lasting bar of soap.

Michelle uses top shelf plant based oils and Fair Trade shea butter in her cold process soap. Aide body care is rooted in natural ingredients and uplifting body care products. Each item is made by hand in small batches from the Aide body care studio in Oshawa. All of the soap made by Michelle is guaranteed vegan, bio-degradable, paraben SLS and phthalate free. Michelle is passionate about the environment and makes sure the soap is bio-degradable.

Natalie Gilday at the Honey & Tea store. Photo courtesy of Natalie Gilday.

Oshawa native Natalie Gilday has been on a mission since adolescence to change the world around her, advocating for the lost and broken-hearted. After living in three countries outside of Canada, Natalie returned home in 2009 with a vision to help homeless youth in her own neighbourhood. After researching and observing the success of Social Enterprise in rehabilitating at risk youth, Natalie founded Honey & Tea.

Honey & Tea is an Oshawa based loose leaf tea retailer who sources the freshest teas and provides the added value of tea themed events to our clients within Durham. Honey & Tea exists to turn profit into opportunity for homeless and at risk youth through mentorship, training and employment. We introduce the tea enthusiasts of Durham to an exotic array of premium teas, while educating health conscious consumers as to the lifestyle benefits of tea consumption. Tea talks and customized in-home parties are available for consumers who want to delve deeper into the extensive tea world. Honey & Tea is determined to define Canadian Tea Culture and improve the quality of our clients lives through natural RemeTeas.