The Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries (GOG), formerly Ontario Association of Art Galleries / Association Ontarienne des Galeries d’Art (OAAG/AOGA), was established in 1968 to encourage development of public art galleries, art museums, community galleries and related visual arts organizations in Ontario, Canada. It was incorporated in Ontario in 1970, and registered as a charitable organization. It is a successor organization to the Southern Ontario Gallery Group founded in 1947, renamed the Art Institute of Ontario in 1952. In December of 2020 Ontario Association of Art Galleries / Association Ontarienne des Galeries d’Art (OAAG/AOGA) rebranded to the name Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries (GOG) which included new brand identity, logo, and website to better serve art organizations in Ontario and Canada.
GOG is an art service organization serving over 270 Public Art Galleries, museums, artist-run-centres, and arts organizations, through advocacy, professional development, and network-building. GOG fosters a sustainable, healthy, diverse public art gallery sector to further the visual arts as a key component of the cultural life of the province.
Zainub Verjee was appointed as the executive director in 2015.
Board of directors
Serving to AGM 2020
York Lethbridge - Board President [2017-2020]
Serving to AGM 2021
Dawn Owen - Board Member [2015-2018][2018-2021]
Glen Bloom - Board Member [2018-2021]
Devyani Saltzman - Board Secretary [2018-2021]
Serving to AGM 2022
Christian Bernard Singer - Board Vice-President [2016-2019][2019-2022]
Robert Steven - Board Treasurer [2016-2019][2019-2022]
Serving to AGM 2022
Shelley Falconer - Board Member [2019-2022]
Ann MacDonald - Board Member [2019-2022]
Serving to AGM 2023
Nahed Mansour - Board Member [2019-2023]
Ex-Officio
Zainub Verjee
Founding member galleries
There are eleven founding members of the modern organization. The founding members are: Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston Art Gallery of Hamilton Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (formerly Art Gallery of Toronto) Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (formerly Hart House), University of Toronto Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery London Regional and Historical Museums (London Public Library and Art Museum) National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Sarnia Public Library and Art Gallery Rodman Hall Art Centre (formerly St. Catharines and District Arts Council) Art Gallery of Windsor (formerly Willistead Art Gallery
Services
Advocacy
GOG’s advocacy initiatives are a pillar of their service to the sector. These services include lobbying, outreach and education, among others. The organization works on behalf of public art galleries, and the cultural sector in Canada as a whole, to increase public awareness of issues affecting the visual arts and culture sectors in Ontario and Canada.
Professional Development
GOG produces professional development opportunities designed to increase the capacity of their members to navigate and advance in the cultural sector, taking the form of workshops, think tanks, symposiums and other initiatives. These professional development opportunities cover a wide range of relevant topics, including emerging technologies, new ways of working, accessibility, strategy, and engagement. The programmes are mainly tailored for emerging to senior-level arts professionals working in Ontario's public art galleries, but are often applicable to arts professionals across the board. GOG’s membership program and various initiatives also serve as tools for network building to strengthen the body of public galleries across Ontario.
Awards
The Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries Awards program is one of the most comprehensive and established among Ontario's sectoral arts awards programs and was first established in 1978. They are also the only annual juried awards to recognize excellence and significant achievement in programming and partnerships within the Ontario public art gallery sector and, in doing so, advance, empower, and strengthen Canada's visual arts sector.