The Promise of New Museum Models in a Moment of Social Reckoning

This chapter examines the shift from in-person to digital engagement at North America's fourth largest museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), in the context of a major moment of sociocultural reckoning. We track learning in relation to programme innovation by asking: What resonates with audiences? What is the process of and reception for original performance commissions? What is the measurable potential for both delivery of on-site and online content? In our view, a telling moment in this space of new delivery is the perceived and real understanding of what a “live” event constitutes. Amongst our offerings, for example, is the fabrication of a live event: an event that is pre-recorded and promoted live to screen. Is the fabrication of the live event a transitional moment, or may it resonate as a bona fide museum presentation modality? While situating this chapter in a specific pandemic moment, it has accelerated our need to ask broader questions around change and liveliness and what the future museum looks like. We propose the following four areas for consideration: 1) evergreen resources: what they are and how they represent liveliness through sustained and upward curve metrics over time; 2) Director Talks: who are our leaders and how do they support and foster a moment's relevancy; 3) centring artists, so that we can gather and unite many voices and perspectives through art; and 4) skeuomorphic design, or the spark to imagine the museum anew.

Keywords: Art Gallery of Ontario ; artist Paola Poletto ; community ; contemporary art museums ; Digital ; education ; evergreen resources ; hybrid museum ; new audiences ; online ; online programming ; pandemic ; pivot ; public programming ; resources for teachers and families ; skeuomorphic design ; social change ; social justice ; staff artists visitors ; virtual programs