Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries
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 Serving to AGM 2021 Serving to AGM 2022  Serving to AGM 2022 Serving to AGM 2023 Ex-Officio Founding member galleries. There are eleven founding members of the modern organization. The founding members are: 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. The Awards recognize new exhibitions, publications, programs and community engagements that have been produced and commissioned by Ontario's public galleries throughout the past year. In 2019 GOG introduced the Changemaker BIPOC Award. This Award celebrates the diverse and innovative  arts practices of Black, Indigenous, People of Colour leaders, which are essential to the country's cultural vitality. GOG acknowledges that historic and systemic barriers have affected access to opportunities and resources for BIPOC arts professionals. This has led to marginalization and inequities for artists and arts leaders in presenting and practicing their work within public art galleries in Ontario. There are twelve award categories for artistic merit and excellence: Membership. Most member galleries participate in a reciprocal admissions program, where membership of one gallery gives admission to the others. The organization provides a liaison between galleries and the Ontario  Arts Council. Members can join as an institution (public art galleries or affiliate organizations), individual (someone who works in an art gallery, or a student) or business (commercial galleries or other for-profit groups). GOG's membership consists of over 270 art museums, public art galleries, artist-run centres, visual arts organizations, professional colleagues, and friends across Ontario, including: