Get to Know Us – Membership Co-ordinator, Elsy Gould

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!

Today we sat down with Membership Co-ordinator Elsy Gould to learn more about her daily routine and how she came to the gallery.

Selfie with Elsy Gould and Norah O’Donnell

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

Elsy Gould: Every day at the RMG is different! I am always in communication with our members to let them know what is happening as well as welcoming new members to the Gallery. I also help at the Information desk, so I am meeting new faces as they come in to check out new exhibitions. I enjoy listening to the Membership feedback.

My days can include:

Updating Gallery Members’ accounts – send renewal notices, process memberships, prepare tax receipts
Planning our annual Membership appreciation event.
Updating our members with a monthly news letter
Assisting our CEO as required and helping to plan meetings
Coordinating between Board of Trustees and the RMG and sssembling reports for the bi-monthly Board of Trustee meetings
Preparing the weekly banking forms and assisting with finances
Assisting at the Information desk and answering visitor questions

RMG: How did you get into this field?

EG: My interest in the arts and office administration experience lead me to the RMG. A number of years ago, an opportunity presented itself and I have enjoyed being at the Gallery ever since.

RMG Curling Team- Olinda, Elsy, Jason, Sam

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

EG: Recently, I was trained on our new membership management software; it was both interesting and engaging! I think a good sense of humour and customer service is key for this role.

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

EG: I enjoy chatting and mingling with our members, new and old, while listing to the music at RMG Fridays!

RMG Staff Jennifer, Elsy, Cheryl-Ann and Norah

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

EG: My computer, my day planner, members, volunteers and my RMG colleagues.

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

EG: I enjoy biking, cross-country skiing, movies and going through my collection of cookbooks and trying new recipes. I also love yoga so you’ll find me at the yoga studio!

RMG exposed 2015 planning team- Megan, Elsy, Norah, Sam and Jason

Armand Ali’s Co-Op at the RMG

Armand Ali is a Grade 12 Co-Op student from Ajax High School who has been working with our curatorial team this winter. We were looking for a new work from our collection to hang in our elevator lobby space, and asked Armand to select one from the vault. He chose Arnaud Maggs’ Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours, 2005, due to his interest in colour theory and patterns.

Born in Montreal, Maggs trained as a graphic designer and worked as a commercial photographer in the 1960s. At the age of 47, he became a visual artist concentrating on photography and conceptualism. Maggs’ work often references historical documents and his interest in systems of classification.

This work is 2 of 13 plates referencing an 1821 book, Werner’s Nomenclature of Colours, used by Charles Darwin to observe, identify and catalogue nature in South America. The charts, organized according to colour terms, reflect a colonial view of the world.

Armand Ali during his Co-Op placement

My name is Armand Ali, and I am a grade 12 student attending Ajax High School. I chose to do my Co-Op placement at the RMG because I wanted to work somewhere that was relevant to my interests. I am a young artist seeking to learn more about art, and the art world in general. Working at the gallery has given me insight to the day to day operations of an art gallery. Some of the things that I have had an opportunity to work on are: assisting with exhibition design and installation, database work, event setup, social media organization, along with assisting with merchandise management in the gift shop.

I have learnt many useful skills at the gallery, for example how a collections management database works, how to navigate through the vault, as well as how to install artwork. I’ve had the opportunity to do research on various artists, which gave me the chance to learn about contemporary and historical Canadian artists.

Most recently, the curatorial staff asked me to choose an artwork to put on display outside of the elevators. I chose two works by Arnaud Maggs. This was a thrilling experience for me because they gave me freedom to choose whatever I wanted, and I was in charge of not only the selection but preparing the space, and installing it myself. While doing research on Arnaud Maggs, I learnt some pretty interesting information about his work and his life.

It has been I wonderful experience working at the RMG. I have learnt a lot and the people here are very kind and enjoyable to work with.

Interview with ArtLab Artist Sally Thurlow

Sally Thurlow is our Gallery A ArtLab Artist in Residence from March 2 to 27. During her residency, she will be working on a series of sculptures and paintings exploring subconscious themes on major change, dislocation, and relocation which have personal meaning and may also relate to the universal, continuing, and recurring theme that refugees are always on the move. However, this project is only just getting underway, so it is open to huge change…

In an earlier Reclamation sculptural series she stated “Memory is embedded, the process of ageing ennobles. From being tossed away or lost, then washed up, then recovered and restored to dignity and purpose, these driftwood forms represent a deeply human longing for reclamation. Like us, they are simply travellers through time, looking for meaning. How have we come here? How do we react to our environment?” Her attention now is more toward envisioning forms that speak of intense emotional states – making visible the invisible, allowing for new possibilities. She has moved from placing her figures to blend into the environment to making them stand out. Consequently, Thurlow started working with paints, stains, and manufactured additions to her figures. Here she will be working on the second sculpture of a trio.

As a member of the IRIS Group, Thurlow’s residency in the ArtLab is completed in conjunction with the Gallery A exhibition IRIS at 20. We sat down with Sally to learn more about what she has been up to during her residency.

The RMG: Hi Sally! Please tell us a bit about yourself?

Sally Thurlow: I was born and raised in Toronto but moved to the lakeshore of Newcastle 30 years ago with my young family and now live by the Whitby lakeshore. Observing daily such a great body of water has been very influential on my life and work. I received my BA majoring in Fine Arts from U of T in 1999 finishing at Trent U for some Environmental Science and Cultural Studies courses, also very influential, plus earlier significant studies at OCA. In 2006 the RMG gave me my first solo show called Canoe Dreamings and helped me get it to travel to five other galleries in Ontario. The Ontario Arts Council awards were very helpful for this exhibition from a starting boost to crating expenses for shipping. I have been fortunate to be part of the Iris Group in Durham Region and The Red Head Gallery in Toronto. Both are great groups of artists to collaborate with. I have since had solo shows at The Visual Arts Centre in Bowmanville and The Red Head Gallery, and have been involved in many group shows. I am very pleased that the RMG now has one of my works in their permanent collection.

Sally Thurlow: Day 1…where I started from, a pruned and stained evergreen,
fresh cut cedar branches

RMG: Why were you interested in Gallery A’s Art Lab residency? What will you be making while working as an artist in residence?

ST: I thought it would be interesting to see and hear the flow of visitors through The Iris Group’s Iris at 20 anniversary show while I worked around the corner. I enjoy engaging with people about all the work and if they come in to the studio space, we can talk about my process and some may even critique it. Beyond this, the RMG is a great gallery to work in.

I decided I would work on a sculptural piece that I hope will be going in to the Bluseed Studio Gallery in Saranac Lake – a 5 person show curated by Margaret Rodgers, former Visual Arts Centre curator and director, and Iris Group founder/member. Also it will be part of my Red Head Gallery show in September. At my own studio I am presently beginning to paint again and I wanted to separate the painting from my messy sculptural process but I have had to bring it home a couple of times when I needed to use stains or to clamp it in my vice for intricate work. It is a sculpture that is intended to relate to two other sculptures.

Sally Thurlow: Day 3 …pruning branches… still more pruning to do

RMG: What materials do you work in?

ST: I work in a multi-disciplinary way to make the work in whatever way I feel suits, using whatever kind of materials relate to the work. For this sculpture I will be using a discarded Christmas tree trunk which I had already worked on for another idea but have decided it could be better used for my present idea. Also, freshly cut cedar branches (from my hedge) that I am denuding of the cedar greenery and I am steaming, staining, and attaching to this tree in a particular form which has already been viewed as insect-like because of the way I have pruned the branches bringing out innate equivalences between all living things.

Sally Thurlow: Day 4 …bending branches after soaking them in very hot water

RMG: Can you please tell us a bit about your artwork in IRIS at 20, on view in Gallery A?

ST: This exhibition is highlighting numerous “souvenirs” which women have offered over 20 years of International Women’s Day events we have held in various community places. The artists have each chosen a souvenir to respond to and since I had given a little extra paper canoe from my solo Canoe Dreamings show, and had shown this fibreglass vessel earlier empty, I decided to show it with my new work in it. The environment, and a sense of responsibility to its well-being has been a constant part of my life, and art-practice. Since I have long been exploring the dynamic range of natural shapes using driftwood, I spend considerable time on beaches and they all have plastic debris. While I pick driftwood, I pick garbage. Other life forms are also attracted to these appealing colours and forms, ingesting the broken down bits and absorbing their poisons. Within this illuminated translucent boat form, its lacy edges mimicking the frothy tide, the plastic debris placed inside may simply remind us of pretty kaleidoscope bits. But in a personal narrative written on disposable plastic wrap (part of the dilemma), I question our cultural and environmental practices reflected in our exploding throw-away societies. The abundance of plastic bits in my vessel functions to partially obscure the message just as the monstrous plastics problem is partially hidden by being out in the middle of the oceans, even though some of these giros of plastic are twice the size of Texas. They are often brought there by enormous container vessels.

Sally Thurlow: Day 7 …having cut the trunk in segments and drilled into each to fit a dowel

RMG: What inspires you? Is there a particular artist’s work that has influenced your practice?

ST: Walking beaches, experiencing life and death in the raw, the power of the water, what it hides and exposes, my children… so much inspiration. There are many artists whose work I admire. I grew up across the road from Elizabeth Wynwood Hahn and her husband Emanuel Hahn – both important Canadian sculptors whose work can be found at the AGO, the National, other galleries and in public places. Elizabeth wrote “Sculptural form is not the imitation of natural form any more than poetry is the imitation of natural conversation… It is the juxtaposition of masses in space,… a clarification of experience.” That speaks to me as my work comes from my gut, my experiences. Louise Bourgeois, Andy Goldsworthy, Betty Goodwin, Jenny Holzer, Anselm Kiefer, Suzy Lake, Gerhard Richter, and many more, all have such different, brilliant artistic expressions that I admire.

Sally Thurlow: Day 9 …branches stained and inserted, shortened branches to spikes, still lots to do, mostly details

Artist Biography:

Sally Thurlow is a multidisciplinary artist based in Greater Toronto. For some years she has been exploring the dynamic range of figurative forms using driftwood, within a wide range of other media. The questioning of our cultural and environmental practices is a constant focus of her work. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Toronto, with courses in Cultural and Environmental Studies at Trent University and significant earlier studies at OCA. She has given numerous artist talks and workshops at educational institutions and public galleries.

Her work has been shown internationally and she has been the recipient of various Ontario Arts Council awards. She is a member of the IRIS Group and the Red Head Gallery artists’ collectives. Her work is held in private collections across Canada, and at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario.

For more information please visit sallythurlow.com

Get to Know Us – Senior Curator, Linda Jansma

Today we sat down with Senior Curator Linda Jansma to learn more about her daily routine and how she came to the gallery.

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

Linda Jansma: A typical day – well, I’m in the gallery at 7 a.m. – I’m an early riser and it’s amazing just how much one can get done between 7-9am! I always think I’m going to get writing done in those early hours of the day, but that rarely materializes. Email tends to come first, and with that, answering a myriad of questions from artists, the public or institutional colleagues. How did we do our jobs before email!!

My days can include:

A studio visit
Writing grants
Researching or writing an essay
Working on the installation of an exhibition
Connecting with donors of works of art
Bringing new works into the collection through donation or purchase
Writing artist, curator or guest writer contracts
Giving tours of exhibitions
Jurying exhibitions at other institutions
Critiquing student works at colleges or universities
Reading current magazines, articles, books on contemporary art or museum practices

Linda Jansma poses for Museum Selfie Day 2015

RMG: How did you get into this field? What skills or training do you need for your job?

LJ: I have an honours BA and a MA, both in Art History. Being able to multi-task is an important part of being a Curator: dropping what you’re doing to pick up something else (like writing this blog!), is key.

The installation of Group Portrait 1957 with artist Douglas Coupland, Senior Curator Linda Jansma and former CEO Gaby Peacock

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

LJ: The favourite part of my job is connecting with artists. It is wonderful to work with artists to assist in bringing their visions to fruition through exhibitions and to see the development of their work.

Linda Jansma speaks about Jock Macdonald.

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

LJ: The five things I couldn’t live without include:

My amazing RMG colleagues
My computer
The combination to the vault
Art websites, Art Books, Art magazines + the RMG library
The internet

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

LJ: This past weekend I took a road trip to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. A lot of my “down” time involves going to other galleries! I also love to go to the theatre, travel, hop on my bicycle or hang out in my gardens.

Louis de Niverville and Senior Curator Linda Jansma examine Sunset Farm #3

Make the RMG Your Event Destination

The RMG is a spectacular place to hold your next event. Whether it’s a wedding, party, or meeting, you will be impressed by the atmosphere and versatility of the gallery. With multiple spaces available for rent, including galleries, the lobby, a community meeting room, the studio and Arthur’s on the 4th, we can accommodate (almost) every event. The RMG also offers event consulting, audio visual equipment, gallery tours, catering, décor rental, on-site parking and free Wifi. To ensure your event goes as smoothly as possible Cheryl-Ann, our onsite event coordinator will be there every step of the way. Below are a few of our most popular events and personal stories to inspire you!

Photo by haleyphotogrpahy.ca

Weddings and Receptions
Tie the knot surrounded by friends, family and artwork as beautiful and unique as you are! With bright natural lighting and a modern and elegant atmosphere, the gallery is great for both large or intimate ceremonies and receptions. To ensure that your wedding is the one of your dreams Cheryl-Ann, will be on hand to assist you with all your wedding day needs!

After your reception in the gallery, head upstairs for your reception in Arthur’s On the 4^th. An elegant dining space for up to 99 people, Arthur’s has a panoramic view of the city centre and is a comfortable space to host your guests.

“In December of 2014, we hosted our entire wedding (ceremony and reception) at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery. The staff is extremely helpful. Cheryl-Ann, the event coordinator at the gallery, is amazing. The recommended caterer, Pilar’s Catering, is both yummy and spectacular to work with. It was a nice opportunity for the guests to be able to explore the gallery during the reception and enjoy the beautiful art work. It was a fantastic location for pictures. Dancing the night away under the atrium ceiling is so much fun. If you are looking to host a one-of-a-kind wedding, or any event really, consider the Robert McLaughlin Gallery. You will not be disappointed!” – Melody, Bride (Trip Advisor)

Photo by Grant Cole

Meetings and Corporate Events
Inspire your business, club, or organization with a creative atmosphere. We have The Lookout, The Studio, and Arthur’s on the 4^th that can accommodate meetings, large or small. We are flexible and meeting rooms can be booked for a full or half day, depending on your needs with meals and refreshments by our preferred caterer for your guests. The RMG is also a great venue to host seminars with plenty of spaces for different topics and activities, making the gallery a great alternative for getting out of the office! After your meeting, why not engage your employees with a team building studio activity, or invite them to attend a community group tour to break up the day.

The RMG is also a great place to book company parties for families, with gallery tours and studio activities available for anyone regardless of age. If networking events and cocktail parties are more suited to your company, the RMG can provide various layouts and options to make your event a success and please your employees.

“We have rented space for our business function twice at this location and have had good experiences both times,” says Lauren. “Parking nearby is free after 6 pm which is perfect for our evening events… it is a unique venue good for cocktail receptions and small weddings, birthday parties, etc. Catering is available. Staff is extremely helpful and accommodating. We would not hesitate to use them again.” – Lauren (Trip Advisor)

Photo by Brilynn Ferguson

Celebrations
The RMG also offers a variety of opportunities to host any kind of special event for your friends and family such as baby and wedding showers, retirement parties, birthdays, or engagement parties. Whatever the celebration may be, the RMG can accommodate you and ensure your event runs smoothly with our many services.

“The RMG is a “Very stylish place. Very elegant dining – The food was very tasty and hot. I was there for a retirement diner for a coworker. I would recommend to family and friends and look forward to going again.” – Attendee (Trip Advisor)
Suggested Rooms

Arthurs on the 4^thThe Lookout
Isabel McLaughlin Gallery
Alexandra Luke I Gallery

Hourglass Imaging – www.hourglassimaging.com

Family or Wedding Photos
Looking for a stunning, modern venue to take your wedding or engagement photos? Hoping to take a fun and creative family portrait? The RMG is a photographers dream with soft natural lighting, modern architecture and artwork for the perfect backdrop for any photo shoot. The gallery also has an outdoor space for summer shoots featuring a footbridge, the Oshawa Creek and public art. Take a look at the links below to get a taste of how others have been inspired by the gallery for their events and photos.

Alexandra and Albert by Haley Photography
Sarah and Ryan by Ten 2 Ten Photography
The Walker Family by Images by Kerri Photography
Shelly and Allan by Johanna Nichola Photography

Suggested Spaces

Alexandra Luke I Gallery
Mr. and Mrs. W.S Nurse Lobby
Isabel McLaughlin Gallery
Outdoor areas around the gallery
For more information about booking your event at the RMG visit our Venue Rentals page and fill out the Venue Rental Request Form or contact Cheryl-Ann with any questions at 905.576.3000 or [email protected]. We look forward to hosting your next event!

RMG Fridays Celebrates International Women’s Day – Wonder Women

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.

When I look at art, I see beauty. I see the creative inner workings of a mind spewed onto a canvas or into a photo or object that beams with inspiration and magnificence. What I don’t see is the months of long hours, late nights and early mornings that went into this work. I don’t see the blood, sweat and tears, and the immense strength and effort that are integral ingredients of this work of art. We don’t see that because that is not what the artist is intending to show. They want you to see the beautiful aftermath of domineering strength, hard work and unwavering persistence they endured.

When I see women, I see the same beauty; and again, I am shielded from the remarkable strength those women exude in their lives. We see beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities, but they never let us see their struggles before their triumphs. This month, the RMG is celebrating International Women’s Day with women in art, both behind the canvas and in front of it.

In the Upper and Lower Luke galleries, we are exhibiting The Other NFB: The National Film Board of Canada’s Still Photography Division, 1941-1971. On display are photos of a timeless female Canadian icon, Veronica Foster, or ‘Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl’. She was a Canadian woman working at John Inglis Co. during the second world war, a time when approximately 250,000 women around the country were finally able to work on equal ground with men by getting into overalls and into munitions factories, taking the place of the men at war.

Unknown photographer
Veronica Foster, an employee of John Inglis Co. Ltd. and known as “The Bren Gun Girl” posing with a finished Bren gun in the John Inglis Co. Ltd. Bren gun plant, Toronto
10 May 1941
Contemporary print from vintage negative
National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque / Library and Archives Canada e000760453

In Oshawa, the GM plant ceased production of cars to begin making military vehicles and weapons, and the brawn behind those machines were our own woman, who called themselves ‘Rosie’s the Riveters’, after the American propaganda poster of Rosie the Riveter flexing her arm and chanting, “We can do it.” Rosie the Riveter, an American inspiration to woman everywhere, was created after Canada’s own Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl appeared on the cover of New York Times a few years before Rosie popped up (http://www.andrewhutchison.com/Page%201/page8/page16/index.html).

Rosie’s the Riveters, c. 1943.

Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl can be found in the NFB’s exhibition, photographed both in the factory as well as in her personal life, a wonderful contrast of a hard working woman on the line to one dressed up and having a good time.

The RMG currently has a number of female artists on display in different galleries, including Holly King’s exhibit Edging Towards the Mysterious as well as the two female artists on display in the Painters 11 gallery, Hortense Gordan and Alexandra Luke.

Installation photo by Don Corman

RMG Fridays Film Features is playing into the Women’s Day theme as well. We will be screening “Clearing Spaces” by the talented Broadbent Sisters, a beautifully shot film exploring Greek mythology with a modern twist revolving around the seemingly normal rituals in a woman’s life.

Clearing Spaces V by the Broadbent Sisters. Film Still.

RMG Fridays will also welcome the IRIS Group, an arts collective from Durham Region featuring ten amazing women: Maralynn Cherry, Rowena Dykins, Laura M. Hair, Holly McClellan, Judith A. Mason, Janice Taylor-Prebble, Mary Ellen McQuay, Margaret Rodgers, Sally Thurlow and Wendy Wallace. They are exhibiting IRIS at 20, a celebration of their 20^th Anniversary in which they will paying homage to Women’s Day by revisiting Women’s Day pieces as well as creating new artworks with collected objects from Canadian and international women. The IRIS group is opening in Gallery A on Friday, March 4^th, where you can help welcome them during RMG Fridays. They will also have an artists’ talk on Sunday, March 6^th as well as a workshop on Sunday, March 20^th.

Filmic – The IRIS Group

There’s no doubt that visiting the RMG for RMG Fridays Wonder Women will encourage you to consider how female icons and artists are reimagining gender roles throughout their art. I have been inspired by surrounding myself with such amazing artwork and I hope you will be too.

Their Stories: Final Stories

For the last blog posting featuring three Their Stories submissions, it includes 2 of the most popular portrait subjects. In choosing the unidentified portraits that would be the options, I was looking for ones that were intriguing or suggested a narrative. I was at times surprised at the amount of submissions received for some portraits while others weren’t as popular, which just goes to show that the process is very subjective. Everybody is going to relate to a portrait differently depending on their own experiences. Thanks once again to everyone that participated! – Sonya Jones, Associate Curator and Curator of the Thomas Bouckley Collection

Portrait 2:

Roderick

This 1921 picture of Roderick, shows him recently arrived from England, where he was an avid cricket player.

Here he always chose to wear the post game attire typical of a gentleman; he eschewed clothes that made him look scruffy. Always the gentleman.

Roderick was a triplet in an age when these family birth groupings were a relative oddity in the pre invitrio fertilization age. Rodney and Rupert remained in England.

Roderick first stayed at the Queens Hotel in Oshawa. No records of just how long he chose to live here are to be found.

Queens Hotel, Oshawa

Now in Canada, Roderick chose to try tennis and to continue to wear the post game attire. He was not stodgy per se, but he did have personal standards.

Along with tennis, he decided to give sailing a go, and revive a passion long ago put aside.

The oval picture lends a sense of formality to Roderick and it quietly pleased him.

I wonder who “my Roderick” really was, and what was his real story

By: Donna George
Portrait 2

Daniel Underhill

If you were to ask any resident of Hampton, Ontario, what they thought of Daniel Underhill, you would always hear the same thing: “A nice lad. A bit slow, but he means well”. Raised by his doting mother and stern father, Daniel was the second of three sons, and by all accounts, the least impressive. His older brother, Richard, was an athlete without equal in the small town, breaking school and regional records in most disciplines of track and field. Steven, the youngest, was as brilliant a scholar as Richard was a sportsman. Following in his father’s footsteps, the boy courted the world of academia, becoming a lawyer, and eventually a judge. Daniel, on the other hand, stuck out by not being extraordinary at all. Awkward and uncoordinated in athletics, and more than a little slow in school, the poor boy was often ridiculed for his inability to step from behind the shadows of his far more successful kin. A constant headache to his father and an embarrassment to his brothers, Daniel felt most at home in the company of his loving mother, the only person who truly understood him. A kind boy, Daniel was happiest making others smile.

By: Spencer Baron

Portrait 1

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

Wanderlust

He was a farm boy, resigned to stay in Columbus for all his days. He was never a wanderer; his younger years were filled with hot summer days in the fields, and cold winters in the kitchen by the fire. A trip to the Falls changed him. At sixteen, in search of a thrill, he set forth to conquer Niagara. The traveller—he boarded a westbound train at Oshawa with a roundtrip ticket in the pocket of his shirt. It was four years before he returned to the farm to console his father, and grieve his mother. Wanderlust, he spent his mornings on Clifton Hill, spinning mystical tales of adventure to wide-eyed people, and his afternoons on the water, amid the shadow of the mist. In 1922 he followed the tourist boom south to the Florida Keys. Land speculator by day—drinker, talker, and dreamer by night. A tycoon by forty, he lost it all in the crash. He made the trek home to Columbus, riding the rails with the rest. A farmer by day, a writer by night. He settled into his life, welcoming the pace of a place set apart from the rapid changes of a new age.

By: Amanda Robinson

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

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