ART GALLERY OF HAMILTON STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND BROADENS EDUCATION MANDATE

New focus for AGH Annex on James Street North and Group Tours Day at the AGH

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 -- As a demonstration of its increased commitment to community engagement and learning through art, the is shifting the focus of the AGH Annex and asserting its social role to more community-based, educational and film programming and is designating Tuesday as Group Tours Day at the Gallery’s King Street West facility.

“Connecting people and art is the core of everything we do at the AGH,” said Shelley Falconer, President and CEO of the Art Gallery of Hamilton. “We want to engage the community more broadly and meaningfully by transforming the reach of the AGH Annex through innovative community and outreach programming.”

The AGH Annex, located at 118 James Street North, will take the next step in an evolution that began when it opened in July 2012 with the mission to cultivate and showcase regional culture and talent. A number of new initiatives are beginning in April to make the facility a cross- community hub. Film screenings and event programming will be increased and community collaborations will be expanded. More educational activities will be added this year, such as school programming and workshops. The AGH Annex store will become a pop-up shop to complement monthly Art Crawl, , and other community programming events. Rentals of the Annex as a venue for private events, in partnership with local restaurants, breweries, vintners, and other community partners, will continue.

“We also want to enhance our role as a vital educational resource for the education community through robust art and general curriculum-based programs,” Falconer continued.

In 2016 the AGH launched new cross disciplinary projects tied to the Ontario curriculum. Focusing on the key role of the AGH in educating young people by introducing them to culture through visual art, history and film the gallery developed a Genocide Studies / History program and symposium for Grades 10 and 11 students tied to Last Folio: Yuri Dojc, a haunting exhibition that is a memorial to the Holocaust and lives lost. As a result of this growth and demand for cross-curricular education programming in addition to the student tours and hands-on art art- making, the AGH has designated Tuesdays as Group Tours Day. Last year over 9,000 elementary and high school students participated in school programs at the Gallery on King Street West. It is anticipated that Group Tours Tuesdays will broaden our reach and role in the community.

The AGH is deeply grateful to our funders and education and program patrons, including the City of Hamilton, Ontario Arts Council, Council, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, incite Foundation for the Arts, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, BMO Financial Group, Canada Life, Cogeco, Great West Life, Hamilton Community Foundation, London Life, RBC Royal Bank and TD Bank Group.

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About the Art Gallery of Hamilton Founded in 1914, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is the oldest and largest public art gallery in southwestern Ontario. Its permanent collection, which is focused on historical Canadian, 19th- century European and Contemporary art, numbers more than 10,000 works and is recognized as one of the finest in Canada. The AGH is a vital creative hub and centre of lifelong learning that enables people of all ages to enrich their lives by gaining a deeper understanding of art. Visit www.artgalleryofhamilton.com for more information.

The AGH Annex, located at 118 James Street North, opened in July 2012 as a design store and gallery where experimental installations were mounted. Over the past five years, the AGH Annex has become a popular programming, exhibition and performance venue, including the ilovefilmseries, and a unique, versatile event rental space.

For more information, please contact: Steve Denyes, Manager, Communications [T] 905.527.6610, ext. 255 [E] [email protected]