FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AGO CEO Matthew Teitelbaum Named Recipient of MOCCA Award 2009
Toronto, December 17, 2008
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) is pleased to announce that Matthew Teitelbaum, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario, has been named as the recipient of the MOCCA Award 2009.
The biennial, $20,000 award was established by MOCCA in 2007 to honour a Canadian active in the field of visual arts for innovation, accomplishment or contribution over time, or for a specific project that has national or international significance.
The MOCCA Award will be presented to Mr. Teitelbaum at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art at a gala event on April 23, 2009. To honour Mr. Teitelbaum, each guest at the event will receive a limited edition artwork, created especially for the event, by nationally renowned artist David Blackwood.
The award recognizes Mr. Teitelbaum’s leadership in the completion of Transformation AGO. Since re-opening the major Frank Gehry renovation at the Art Gallery of Ontario in November 2008, the project has received overwhelmingly positive critical and public acclaim locally, nationally and internationally. With 110 light-filled galleries and more than 4,000 extraordinary works of art on view, the AGO has re-emerged as an institution in dialogue with the world.
“The Transformation AGO project is inspirational to the entire Canadian art world and sets a standard by which all public institutions can and should aspire,” said David Liss, Artistic Director, MOCCA. “Matthew’s accomplishment as the leader of this team and community effort also serves as a personal inspiration to me and to many of my colleagues.”
“It is deeply gratifying to be a part of the remarkable cultural moment that is the new Art Gallery of Ontario,” said Mr. Teitelbaum. “On behalf of so many who journeyed this transformation with us, I thank MOCCA and BMO Financial Group for this great honour. The visual arts have a special place in our spirit during these challenging social and economic times. MOCCA’s contribution in recent years has been inspirational to all of us. It is wonderful to stand side by side, together, and declare that art really does matter.”
“Matthew Teitelbaum is an exceptional choice for this year’s MOCCA Award,” said Gilles Ouellette, President and CEO of the Private Client Group at BMO Financial Group – the lead supporter of the award. “His efforts brought the vision of a transformed AGO to its stunning reality. BMO is proud to join with MOCCA in honouring such a deserving builder.”
The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art was founded from the former Art Gallery of North York in 1999 with a mandate to exhibit, research, collect, and promote innovative art by Canadian artists whose works engage and reflect the relevant stories of our times.
Honorary Chair: Carol Rapp; Award Sponsor BMO Financial Group; Silver Sponsor: EllisDon Corporation; Bronze Sponsors: Anonymous Donors, Benecaid, Linda Young, Robert Harding, St. Joseph Communications.