AGO a-go-go

I should be looking forward to weekends, but they have somehow blended into the same hectic-ness of the week. Too much to do, too little time, no end in sight. The past weekend was no exception.

On Saturday, I actually went to the re-opening of the AGO with Mel, Katie and Kathy. I wasn't going to go, but opted to at the last minute. It was quite nice, despite waiting in the rain for half an hour to get in. We spent about 3 hours at the gallery and then had dinner, just like old times. I cherish times where I can just sit and have dinner with friends. Meals with friends seems to be the only chance I get to see/talk/conjugate with someone else besides lawyers, law clerks, clients and the other neanderthals I have to put up with in my daily work grind.

After dinner, I went to Brantford for a party. I don't know why I continue to go to these 'frat' parties. Who am I kidding? I'm 24 (almost fucking 25!) and those days should be over for me. What I really should be doing is staying home and sleeping at a reasonable hour.

As an homage to my Arts Journalism professor, I may as well make the most of my money and do a 'review' of my visit to the re-opening of the newly renovated Art Gallery of Ontario.

The AGO doesn't allow photography in the gallery, so I only took one picture outside the gallery as we waited for half an hour in the rain(!) to get in: my Burberry rainboots a.k.a. money well-friggin'-spent.

THE REVIEW.

So...the re-opening of the Art Gallery of Ontario was this weekend. The AGO was closed for some time for renovations and the re-opening was anticipated for oh, I dunno, a month? To sum it up: a bunch of rich/generous people put in some money to renovate the museum and in turn, hundreds of poor/cheap people took advantage of the free admission the past weekend because that's the only time they'll set foot in an art gallery.

There's not much I can really say on the new AGO. Yes, the new architecture is nice, but it seems that that novelty will wear thin in a few months. Blonde oak and steel is as timeless as shoulder-padded blazers, my friends.

From what I can remember from the old AGO, they've reconstructed the inside of the gallery in a way that sort of reminded me of the galleries I have been to in New York City. Almost. But not quite. Money sort of well-spent.

As far as the collections go, I was impressed. Please don't be surprised that I am that interested in the arts as the next Starbucks-swilling drama freak. I know my Monets from my Manets. I can spot a Pollock a mile away. I can appreciate golf bags shaped as Native American totem poles as much as the next person. I can accept '2 Girls 1 Cup' as 'art'.

I will note that as a Canadian art gallery (and possibly the official art gallery of the province?), the AGO has an impressive collection of Canadiana art (but definitely not as great as the one in Kleinburg) . It's worth a look, especially for those who don't realize what an awesome country we live in.