AGO + Civic Holiday = the perfect day

If you work a typical Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five job in Toronto—with weekends jammed with chores, errands and, gasp, maybe even a sleep-in—it can be hard to squeeze in cultural outings. We get it – sometimes it’s hard to spend time in the Gallery even when you work here every day!

Luckily, we have the perfect solution. The AGO is here for you to explore on the upcoming holiday Monday (open from 10:30 am to 4 pm on August 7) and every holiday Monday for the rest of the year.

Normally closed on Mondays, the AGO will be open every holiday Monday (Labour Day and Thanksgiving) for the rest of 2017, as well as Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. On the Civic Holiday next week, Monday, August 7, the Gallery will offer its signature slate of guided tours, Pop-Up On the Dot talks, and art carts for the AGO’s younger visitors. The AGO’s restaurant, FRANK, will be open for lunch from 12 pm to 2:30 pm; caféAGO will be serving from 10 am to 3:30 pm; and shopAGO will be open during Gallery hours.

Georgia O’Keeffe, the groundbreaking and career-spanning retrospective of the cherished American painter, closed last weekend – but we still have lots for you to see and do. Check out Every. Now. Then: Reframing Nationhood, a dynamic exhibition that marks Canada’s 150th birthday by critically exploring three urgent questions through the eyes of some of the country’s best emerging and established artists: where has Canada come from, what it is now, and where is it going? It aims to address the mistakes of the past, rewrite and reclaim history, and move into the future with new insight.

Also on hand for holiday art-goers is ReBlink, an innovative augmented reality experience that taps into the power of leading-edge technology to give visitors the chance to see works from the AGO’s Canadian and European Collections through a 21st century lens.

And don’t forget Rita Letendre: Fire & Light. This retrospective of one of Canada’s most intriguing abstract artists has been leaving visitors spellbound.

Every. Now. Then., ReBlink and Rita Letendre: Fire & Light are all included with general admission, and AGO Members can see them for free, anytime!

So get your chores done on Saturday, make your obligatory family visits on Sunday, and clear your Monday schedule: a whole day’s worth (or just an hour) of me time awaits you.

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