Social Fabric. Discovering Textiles at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
Getting away without an agenda and a view to discovery is a favourite pastime of mine. I was recently in Toronto with some time on my hands so a visit to The Art Gallery of Ontario, (AGO) and the Royal Ontario Museum, (ROM) were on my personal agenda. I thought while we are in summer mode I would share a few images of artifacts I found inspiring. The architectural blend of old and new is the first thing I admired in the physical structure of both of these public spaces. Centuries of architectural thought and practice merged to curate space and light and make room for their respective collections. Frank Ghery's internal staircase at the AGO drew me on a circuitous route to the apex of the building in a celebration of design and simultaneously, contrast and uniformity. The view from the top of the building across the city echoed a similar merger of old and new. As a painter, The AGO's Canadian galleries are always my first stop. On this visit, I took a small sketchbook as I was