Our Mission
First. New. Next.
The AGM provides platforms for exhibitions, collections and experimentation in contemporary culture with a recent focus on artists and cultural producers from Indigenous, newcomer and youth communities. Through a broad range of educational programs, artist projects and other forms of critical dialogue, the AGM seeks to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, foster community, and provide spaces where alternative modes of thought are supported and activated in tangible ways.
I posted on the the Art Gallery of Mississauga's "White Out' snow closure where I surmise that it could be a long-term strategy to reduce the gallery's fees and operating costs (e.g. staff salary), which mostly come from grants provided by taxpayers' government funds.
The gallery was also closed for ten days, from December 22-January 9. That is 20 days!
The Christmas holidays, after the actual Christmas celebrations, are when people have time to venture out and visit museums and other such venues. It must be worth shutting down the gallery despite a guaranteed hike in gallery visitors. The thing is, there is no admission fee, so it costs the gallery money (those taxpayers' funded grant monies) to keep open. Shutting down saves money on staff salary, building maintenance, and other costs. The Canada Council for the Arts must be congratulating its Mississauga employees on their fund-saving strategies!
The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto was closed early on Christmas Eve and all day on Christmas Day, and again early on New Year's Eve an New Year's day. Here is their instagram notice.
Could that be why Kendra Ainsworth, the white curator of the gallery, was recently fired? There was none other than Kendra who forcefully defended the gallery, its projects, and its "multicultural" views.
[Photo of Kendra Ainsworth from Kendra's Twitter page]
The problem is the gallery has now a majority of non-Whites running the show. And multi-cultis are easily offended, especially when a White tries to act as a champion for their "cause."
Here is the list of the current AGM employees and board members:
- Mandy Salter: Director, Curator
[Photo from The Art Gallery of Mississauga's Instagram page]
Salter explains her vision for the AGM:
"The AGM welcomes an active interest from artists and cultural producers with broad cross-cultural perspectives and seeks out opportunities to engage migrant, indigenous communities and visible minority groups to create synergies through art and culture.------------------------------------------------------------
The Gallery is a creative platform for equal opportunity that actively seeks out and welcomes cultural diversity. We are interested in hearing from exceptional people. Our recruitment and selection process is comprehensive and rigorous to ensure that all applicants receive fair, equitable and objective treatment."
- Sharada Eswar: Community Activator, Education & Programmes
[Photo from Sharada Eswar's Facebook page]
Eswar talks about her childhood with her grandmother in India.
More information on Eswar here.
"...In her Brampton [Ontario] living room, a Ganesha statue sits on a side table...Now, Eswar is bringing her grandmother's ancient stories, and some contemporary South Asian tales, to life in the GTA [The Greater Toronto Area, which includes Mississauga]."------------------------------------------------------------
- Megan Judd: Communications & Gallery Assistant
[Photo from Judd's Linkedin page]
Megan Judd, name withstanding, is Asian-Indian. Her professional LinkedIn page lists her "language" skills as: English, Hindi and Urdu.
Her LinkedIn page also states that she is certified or licenced in "Intercultural and Conflict Resolution Training," but there is no reference to the school or program which awarded her this credit. NOnetheless she felt it important to include it in her professional profile.
------------------------------------------------------------
- Sadaf Zuberi: Business Operations Manager
[Photo from The Art Gallery of Mississauga's Facebook page]
"As a dedicated professional, I have passionately contributed towards education of marginalized groups, school reform, early childhood development, women empowerment, conservation of environment and promotion of art as a bridge, a catalyst and a connector. I blend my commitment to social change with focused expertise in operations, financial management, stakeholder engagement and donor liaison. A thorough planner and implementer, my work is an interesting amalgam of conceptual depth and practical ideas. I have been consistently involved since 2000 with groups as varied as the civil society, community consortia, private companies, donor agencies, public sector organizations and the non-profits. Coordinating thrusts of multiple stakeholders for societal enrichment and synergizing development efforts is the most rewarding part of my work."------------------------------------------------------------
[Source: Zuberi's LinkedIn page]
- Jessica Palada: Gallery Animateur
[Photo from Jessica Palada's Facebook page]
Jessica Palada's facebook page has Spanish as one of her languages; the other: Canadian English. She communicates in Spanish on her Facebook posts. Although the facebook page doesn't indicate her AGM connection, I have met her and spoken with her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And the Board of Directors, Executive Committee:
- Penelope Mathieson, Board Chair
[Photo from Mathieson's Facebook page]
"I worked for Fashion magazine in the early '90s and that is how I was introduced to Maria and her incredible custom swimwear - thank you FASHION! Some 20 years later I'm still enjoying her masterly suited bikini's - original fabrics, perfectly fitted, I could never wear an 'off the rack' bikini again...oye, feh, never! In fact, I wore a black velvet CC bikini for a recent photo shoot ...which appeared in Fashion magazine - full circle, what goes around comes around. Coral Coast suits last and last and always look amazing! Thank Maria, see you soon - XO"------------------------------------------------------------
[Source: Mathieson's LinkedIn page]
- Zainub Verjee, Vice-Chair
"Zainub Verjee is a major driving force on the global cultural landscape distinguishing herself as a thought leader, innovator, policy maker and administrator."------------------------------------------------------------
[Text and photo from Zainub Verjee's website]
- Vandana Taxali, Secretary
[Photo from Vandana Taxali's Linkedin page]
"Vandana Taxali is an art agent an lawyer and the founder of We Heart That. She is passionate about bringing art in the streets, instagram and other unconventional places to the forefront...We Heart That curates, creates and inspires by showcasing art content around the globe"[More information at Taxali business website Entcounsel]
[Text from Taxali's website We Heart That]
------------------------------------------------------------
- Saiyid M. Jafari, Treasurer
[Note: I am unable to find reliable information on Jafari. Although there are a couple of sites which identify a "Saiyid M. Jafari," a chartered accountant from Oakville Ontario (a town near Mississauga), none show his position at the Art Gallery of Mississauga.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Board Members
Catherine Hale: Director, Creative Campus at Sheridan College
[Photo from Sheridan College's webpage]
“A lot of my experience was built around seeing myself as a facilitator and liaison with different communities. It’s really important to me that the communities being represented in an exhibit have a role and a voice in that process...That is what so much of my work is about – using creative work to initiate dialogue and ask tough questions...[Source: Curating Creativity, Sheridan COllege]------------------------------------------------------------
John Kovac: Mississauga Ward 4 Councillor
[Photo from Kovac's Facebook page]
Carassauga Festival
"The countdown is on to [Mississauga's] Carassauga 2017. Carassauga is a city-wide multicultural festival featuring live performances, artisans,food, history and culture with 31 pavilions representing over 70 cultures. On May 26, 27 and 28, come out and travel the world without leaving the City!" [Source: John Kovac Ward 4 News, Spring/Summer 2017]