AGO All Hours returns with exciting day of performances, artist projects and participatory experiences for all ages

Game on! AGO All Hours returns on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, inviting visitors and local artists of all ages to explore the creative, cultural and historical phenomenon of gaming from the 1980s to the present. From 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., the museum comes alive with new art projects and playful moments designed to bring artists, performers, curators, artworks and visitors together to create, think, explore and play. With activations like a Pac-Man inspired gaming experience created by Toronto artist David Fono, a large scale vintage arcade organized by illustrator Eric Kostiak-Williams, and drop-in art making, pop-up talks, guided tours, new art installations and an evening performance by Toronto’s own Allie X,  AGO All Hours promises to uplift and inspire.
 
Admission to AGO All Hours is FREE for AGO Members, Annual Pass holders and all visitors 25 and under, with in-and-out privileges throughout the duration of the event. Buy your Annual Pass now, and be ready to walk right in. Single tickets are $25. More information can be found at AGO.ca/allhours or by following #AGOAllHours.
 
In addition to special AGO All Hours programming, visitors that day can explore the larger than life paintings of Peter Paul Rubens, and see for themselves the drama and passion of the Baroque age. Marking the triumphant return of the AGO’s own Rubens masterpiece Massacre of the Innocents after being displayed at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, and featuring many works never before seen in North America, Early Rubens is free for visitors to AGO All Hours, but timed-entry tickets are required. The exhibition will be open until 9 p.m.; with the last entry at 8 p.m. AGO Annual Pass holders and the public can reserve a time slot at ago.ca beginning on Sept. 27, 2019.
 
What’s On at  AGO All Hours
 
Doors open at 10:30 a.m., and a new installation by Toronto textile artist Brette Gabel will greet visitors as soon as they walk in the door. Bridging the hand-made and the computer age, Analogue Digital Glitch Adapted for Institutional Camouflage drapes over the edges of the spiral ramp at the AGO’s main entrance and explores the ways in which our digital and analogue lives are blurred.
 
Making room for interactive play, the museum makes room for not one but two arcades. The 80s come alive in the Walker Court Vintage Arcade. Featuring the artwork of Toronto cartoonist and illustrator Eric Kostiak-Williams, visitors can jump into the digital past with classic arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger and Tetris. The Walker Court arcade will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
Flash forward to the future as upstairs in Galleria Italia, Toronto’s Head Eye Society presents a selection of new games created by local Toronto artists and designers that are as much fun to watch as they are to play. This indie arcade will be open all day.
 
Beginning at 11 a.m., Gallery Guides present AGOoooh really!?, a series of museum tours departing every hour from Walker Court. For an even deeper dive into the AGO’s Collection’s, join AGO curators and researchers Renee van der Avoird, Kenneth Brummel, Corinne Chong, Jim Shedden, Georgiana Uhlaryik and Katarina Veljovic for a series of pop-up talks about their favourite artworks happening throughout the day.
 
Head to the The Dr. Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School anytime throughout the day to try life drawing in pencil and watercolour at the AGO Studio Sampler. With live models posed to emulate both the fleshiness of Early Rubens, and the futurism of Hito Steyerl: This is the future, this is the ideal spot to catch up with friends and try something new. There will be a cash bar on offer in the space.
 
One of the greatest video games of all time comes to life with Pac-Man inspired gaming experience, thanks to technical director and Toronto artist David Fono. Players of all ages are invited to enter a full-size 3D maze in the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre, where they’ll be chased by real-live ghosts and eat energy balls in three-minute games, running all day long.
 
AGO Librarian Donald Rance presents a playful collection of artworks from the Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives. Peek inside The Marvin Gelber Print & Drawing Study Centre on Level 1 throughout the day to discover rarely seen books, portfolios and collectibles.
 
Keep your eyes peeled for pop-up choral performances by Toronto youth organization RISE (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere). Roving Level 2 of the museum, the choirs will be performing in front of artworks between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
 
In the evening, head to the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, where Toronto artist, multi-instrumentalist, and computer coder Xuan Ye presents a series of installations beginning at 7 p.m.
 
Cap off the day with a spectacular performance by Canadian singer-songwriter Allie X. Blending R&B, pop and electronica, Allie X takes over the main stage in Walker Court at 9 p.m.
 
No trip to the AGO is complete without a stop at caféAGO on the concourse level. Check out the new psychedelic mural design on the café’s walls, and enjoy a light meal, coffee and sweet treats from 10:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. looking for something heartier? Head to the AGO Bistro to enjoy the flavours of Belgium with an all new menu inspired by Early Rubens. The AGO Bistro will be open for brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and serving dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. shopAGO will remain open until 9 p.m.
 
Follow #AGOAllHours for updates or visit AGO.ca/allhours.
 
AGO All Hours is proudly supported by Emerging Artist Partner, RBC.
 
ABOUT THE AGO
Located in Toronto, Canada’s largest city of 5.9 million, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of the largest art museums in North America. The AGO Collection of close to 95,000 works ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists and European masterpieces. The AGO presents wide-ranging exhibitions and programs, taking special care to showcase diverse and underrepresented artists. Its 585,000 square foot building was most recently expanded in 2008 by Frank Gehry, and attracts approximately one million visits per year. A new pricing model, launching May 25, 2019, offers all visitors 25 and under free, unlimited admission; a $35 Annual Pass includes entry for an entire year. Visit AGO.ca to learn more.
 
The AGO is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO Members, donors and private-sector partners.