Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries

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Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries (GOG) will be hosting two professional development workshops, one this February and a second in March. Each workshop builds on the next, giving a comprehensive understanding of what it means to care for collections in 2026 and beyond. Register and fully equip your institution for the future.

Collections Stewardship in Art Galleries and Museums

Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries, Online
Register here

Want to strengthen your stewardship practices and protect the artworks that shape our cultural landscape? Join GOG online on February 25, 2026, from 10:00am to 3:00pm for the workshop, Collections Stewardship in Art Galleries and Museums. Take your collections care skills to the next level.

Art galleries and museums are entrusted by the public to preserve, manage, and care for the institutions’ collections. There are two key categories of good collections stewardship: physical management and intellectual management.

Sessions of this workshop will examine the importance of holistic buy-in from all levels of an institution to ensure proper care of the collection—from physical management of collections such as proper art handling, collections storage, and methods of conservation, infrastructure, organizational priorities and strategies.

Discover how good collections stewardship benefits every part of your gallery or museum.

Featuring an engaging lineup of speakers, Fynn Leitch (Curator) and Celeste Scopelites (Director) from Art Gallery of Peterborough, Yan Wu (Curator, Writer, Translator), Karine Tsoumis (Senior Curator) from Gardiner Museum, and Alexandra Badzak (Director) from Ottawa Art Gallery. This workshop will include three sessions regarding collection management, the complexities of collections stewardship, and strong organizational stewardship strategies.

Session #1 – Management of Art Gallery And Museum Collections

Speaker: Fynn Leitch, Curator (Art Gallery of Peterborough)
Speaker: Celeste Scopelites, Director (Art Gallery of Peterborough)

This session looks at this project from planning and budget projecting to implementation and nimble problem solving, from initial discussion through to the full return of the collection.

We will discuss strategies in team building, training, collections handling, packaging, records management and documentation, resource creation and manifestation, along with burnout mitigation and workplace moral.

Presented a decade after the project’s completion, with the honesty and practicality of an under-resourced institution, this session looks back at the project’s outcomes, its successes and failures, what we had hoped to achieve, what actually happened, and what we continue to work towards.

Session #2 – Art Stewardship In Today’s Complexities

Speaker: Yan Wu, Curator, Writer, Translator

What does art stewardship mean in an era of increasing institutional pressure, expanded publics, and shifting expectations of care? This session examines the ethical and practical challenges curators face in stewarding artists and artworks today. Drawing on case studies from contemporary exhibition-making and public art contexts, we will explore how curators navigate relationships with artists, partners, funders, and communities, and how stewardship can move beyond compliance toward practices that are thoughtful, responsive, and sustaining for all involved.

Session #3 – Organizational Strategies In Art Stewardship

Speaker: Alexandra Badzak, Director (Ottawa Art Gallery)
Speaker: Rebecca Basciano, Chief Curator, (Ottawa Art Gallery)
Speaker: Karine Tsoumis, Senior Curator (Gardiner Museum)

Collection care cannot be fully realized without the championing by leaders, managers and front line staff—in driving long term vision, rallying stakeholders, and remaining agile with business and artistic strategies.

This session examines success stories and lessons of member institutions that have brought about meaningful transformation through organizational and cultural transformations to advance care and stewardship of collections.

Registration Fees (All Workshops)

• Non-Member/General, $300.00
• GOG Member, $200.00
• Artists/Independent Art worker, $55.00
• Student with valid student ID, $45.00
• Indigenous artists and independent Indigenous art workers (pre-registration required), free

Registration includes full-day attendance, and a comprehensive workshop program for each participant to take away with them.

Upcoming Workshop

Don’t miss out on GOG’s next professional development workshop in March! Register today and secure your spot.

Collections And Accessibility
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Register here

Interested in making your institution truly welcoming to all? Join GOG at the Art Gallery of Hamilton on March 10, 2026, from 10:00am to 3:00pm, for the final workshop of the year, Collections and Accessibility. Be part of the movement toward more inclusive cultural spaces.

Improving accessibility at its most basic level is removing barriers of access. This workshop tackles physical, intellectual, and cultural barriers that can hinder engagement with your collections, exhibitions, and programs. Learn how to move beyond “one-time” fixes and embed accessibility into the core of your operations, creating a welcoming space for everyone. We will look at how institutions can address these barriers in their physical space, infrastructure, and exhibition and programming.

Please note that to accommodate your dietary needs for the March in-person workshop, we require your complete registration no later than Monday, March 2, 2026, at 9:00am. Thank you for your understanding.

Register today for the workshops and lead meaningful change.

Acknowledgments

GOG gratefully acknowledges the funding contribution from the Museums Assistance Program, the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries has over a 50-year history as an arts service organization (ASO) and represents over 270 members—public art galleries, museums, artist-run-centres, and arts organizations. GOG is the voice of visual arts, speaking to all levels of government on advocacy issues, policy, and legislation. Additionally, we continually strive to deliver innovative and cutting-edge professional development and network-building opportunities that advance, empower, and strengthen the visual arts sector in Canada.

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Contact Information:
Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries
E: communications@galeries-ontario-galleries.ca
T: (416) 598-0714