We’re better together this Family Day

Webster’s Dictionary defines togetherness as “a state or feeling of closeness and happiness among people who are together as family members, friends, etc.” Sound like the vibe you’re trying to achieve this Family Day? Then join us at the AGO for a full four-day weekend of “togetherness”-themed family fun, starting Friday, February 14.

With artist installations, artmaking activities and creative performances happening throughout the Gallery, there’s something for every member of your family to enjoy.

Start your day in Walker Court where Toronto artist Ness Lee, a recent AGO Artist in Residence, takes over the centre of the museum with large interactive moments of play. With a multi-storey installation set to transform the iconic AGO staircase into the faces of two large figures, it promises to be MAJOR.

Just upstairs in Galleria Italia, use your imagination to create an “invention of goodness” with Family Day Lead Sponsor MadeGood. Using recycled boxes and other materials, create something totally unique to add to a growing city filled with inventions.

Next stop is the Dr. Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School, where families can create their very own seed pocket. Taking inspiration from Freeplots (an artwork on view in Hito Steyerl: This is the future), you can decorate filter paper, plant edible flower seeds inside and wrap it all up so you can take it home and plant it in time for spring!

If you need a break to recharge, stop by Seminar Room 1 on the Concourse (Lower Level) for a quiet space of rest and relaxation. With comfy chairs, low lighting and soothing music, it’s the perfect place to reset before heading out to catch a spoken word tour of the Gallery.

Departing from the Weston Family Learning Centre, emerging spoken word artists will guide you through their reactions to different pieces from the AGO Collection. If you visit on Sunday, it’s the perfect complement to our celebration of Black Creatives during Family Sundays in February. From 1-4 pm, families will be invited to create found poetry inspired by Sandra Brewster's exhibition Blur and bask in the sounds of the steel pan, performed in the Irina Moore Gallery (Gallery 248) on Level 2 from 2 to 2:45 pm and again from 3 to 3:45 pm.

And if all that isn’t enough, the Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre is celebrating Black History Month with artmaking activities inspired by Mae C. Jemison, the first Black female astronaut. The Centre has also curated a selection of books by Black Canadian authors, and the roving Art Cart will be out in the galleries offering families even more artmaking inspiration.

Interested in feeling the togetherness this Family Day? With free admission for AGO Annual Pass holders, AGO Members and everyone 25 and under, it’s never been easier to bring the whole family for a day at the AGO. And with the AGO Annual Pass providing a full year of art, you can come back again and again to enjoy the special exhibitions and the vast AGO Collection.

See you this weekend!