Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1970s-1980s (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
25 audio cassettes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Anita Aarons (1912-2000) was an Australian-born artist, educator, curator and arts administrator who was active in Toronto from 1964 to 1984. During her time in the city she taught at Central Technical School, was the allied arts editor for Architecture Canada (1965-1971), worked at the Art Gallery of Ontario as a curator in the Extension Services department in the early 1970s, and became the founding Director of the Art Gallery at Harbourfront (precursor of The Power Plant), 1976-1984. In 1985 Aarons moved to Noosa, Queensland with her husband, the artist Merton Chambers, where they were both instrumental in the establishment of the Noosa Regional Gallery.
Archival history
Cassettes were maintained by Anita Aarons until she left Toronto, at which point she entrusted them to Ihor Holubizky, who had worked with her at Harbourfront.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO Credit Line: Gift of Ihor Holubizky, 2018 and 2021
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Collection consists of audio recordings of interviews carried out by Anita Aarons with a number of Canadian art world figures active in the 1970s and 1980s, including Ron Bloore, Graham Coughtry, Dorothy Cameron, Guido Molinari, Yves Gaucher, Ted Bieler, Gordon Rayner, Jack Pollock, Joyce Wieland, Harold Town and William Ronald.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is held by the creator or her heirs. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the collection.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Audio recordings in this collection have been digitized for access and preservation.
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Revised 11 February 2025
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Originally prepared by Amy Furness. Prepared, uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019. Updated to reflect 2021 accrual in February 2025.