Things to do in Toronto – Art Gallery of Ontario (Part 1)

A few months ago, I received an invitation to the #AGOChat back in August of this year. I’m ashamed to say that after living in the city for more than 25 years, I’ve never actually visited the Art Gallery of Ontario. It took me moving to Hamilton to actually take the time to do it. This year for my birthday, I’m going to the AGO.

AGOChat Breakfast

At the Heart to Art Chat at the AGO, they invited a cross section of people to get their opinions. In attendance were members of the gallery (current or past), some that had visited before and some that had never been, such as myself. First thing I have to note is that they served a wonderful spread and everything they used to serve it was recyclable or bio-degradable. The other thing that was nice to note is that they didn’t run out of anything. At some events, you go to get something and they’re gone. Not here. It was nice to see that level of detail.

After the opening introductions and the reason we were there, we broke off into focus groups. There were about five during the day and I met some amazing people. Some of the sessions I attended involved how social media can play a role in improving the experience of the Gallery. They wanted to understand:

1. Why people come to the Gallery or why don’t they?
2. What keeps them away or what keeps them coming back?
3. What is missing? What do other Galleries do?

…and much more.

AGO Post Its

And if all of this wonderful stuff wasn’t enough, they gave us great swag! Included were:

AGOChat Swag

• water bottle
• Highlights book of art work
• coloured pencils
• eraser
• ruler
• mouse pad
• a reusable bag
• and (my favourite) a notebook!

I can’t believe that it has taken me this long. Will report back when I’ve actually completed my journey. Happy birthday to me…

Advertisement