Annual Report (2001)
ARLIS NA Ontario Chapter

Submitted by Amy Marshall, Past Chair
amy_marshall@ago.net
Tel. 416-979-6660 ext. 356

Incoming Chapter Officers, 2002:

• Larry Pfaff, Chair
• Hildegard Lindschinger, Vice Chair / Chair Elect
• Thea De Vos, Recording Secretary
• Mary Williamson, Membership Secretary
• Shelley Gullikson, Treasurer
• Amy Marshall, Past Chair and ARLIS Canada Representative

For the ARLIS/NA Ontario Chapter, the highlights of the year 2001 were probably our chapter meetings and a small holiday party.

We awarded the second Chapter Travel Award to Mary Kandiuk (York University), who attended the ARLIS/NA Conference in Los Angeles and returned with an enthusiastic report of her experience.  Because of the considerable distance involved in travelling to LA, only a few other chapter members were able to attend the conference.

The Spring 2001 meeting was held May 25 at the London Public Library and the University of Western Ontario, and was well attended.  Participants were given very informative tours of the rich local history collections at the Public Library and the J. J. Talman Regional Collection at Western, the holdings of the Macintosh Gallery, and the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre at which the business meeting was held.

Fall 2001 was perhaps our most ambitious meeting to date, at which several intrepid members made the journey to Elliot Lake and the White Mountain Academy of the Arts for September 28-30.  Chapter Recording Secretary Thea DeVos did a wonderful job of hosting the meeting, at which we toured the Academy, participated in the Deer Trail Studio Tour, and were welcomed at Thea’s house for a delicious dinner on our final evening.  The 2002 Chapter Executive was elected at the business meeting.  The introduction to the visual arts communities of the Elliot Lake area was a rare and exciting opportunity for Chapter members.  We also enjoyed the stunning fall colours and our comfortable accommodations in the woodland setting of Laurentian Lodge.

In order to raise funds for the next Chapter Travel Award and to provide a venue for holiday celebration, our Fundraising Committee Chair Shelley Gullikson (Ontario College of Art and Design) organized a get-together and silent auction at the Art Gallery of Ontario Library on December 12.  A small but enthusiastic group of chapter members and guests raised $267.00, and had a great time while they were at it.

Chapter membership continues to grow, thanks to the able work of Mary Williamson, our Membership Secretary.  We have also seen a broadening of our membership base, due in part to the chapter website which includes a membership form.  The Chapter is looking forward to the coming year, which will bring the ARLIS Canada meeting in Banff and a joint Fall meeting with the ARLIS/MOQ Chapter.