AOPA News

AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 Launch Newsletter (Vol. 1 No. 12)

6 June, 2025

AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 Amazing Race: The Finish Line


Weeks to Launch: 0!


The day is finally upon us. AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 is officially complete and ready to face the world. Everything is checked off the programming list, and integration is done. The site is looking fabulous on all screens.

I’m so happy to share this special moment with you. Reminder:

AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 Official Launch Date: June 5th

In this, our final AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 launch newsletter, I’ll be giving you all the options for how to get a tour of the long-awaited AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 platform, including in-person, online and individual.

We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished, so it’s an honour to finally share our finished work with you. Keep reading to learn how to attend, and what the future holds for Artist Online Presence and Archiving (AOPA)…

Feeling sentimental? Want to take a trip down memory lane? You can find all past newsletters on Artist OPA’s website. Take a look!


Option #1: Come celebrate the grand unveiling

If you’re in Montréal, you are cordially invited to join Karen Trask, Donald Goodes and his development team for the celebration of the launch of Karen Trask’s new retrospective website and the launch of AOPA-Retrospective!

Attending in person is the best way to get the lowdown on the new site from Karen Trask and Don Goodes themselves, meet us all, and enjoy some refreshments. We would love to have you there.

Date: Thursday, June 5, 2025

Time: 5pm – 7pm — the presentation begins at 5:30

Location: Produit Rien, 6909 Rue Marconi, Montréal

What to expect:

  • The unveiling of Karen Trask’s New Retrospective Website
  • The unveiling of Don Goodes’ AOPA-Retrospective platform
  • Projection and presentation of the new site with Karen Trask and Don Goodes
  • Drinks and snacks

Option #2: Join an Live Virtual Tour hosted by Don

Can’t make it to the launch? We’ll miss you but…

For inquiring minds eager to experience AOPA-Retrospective 1.0, Don will be hosting a series of live-video tours. These sessions will be about 40 minutes apiece, delivered in French and English, with separate presentations adapted for Artists, Gallerists, and Critics, Curators & Art Historians (remember the all-important CCA’s ?!).

Interested? Find the schedule information below:

Thursday 12th, 7:00-7:40 | Artists (English)

Friday 13th, 5:00-5:40 | Artists (français)

Wednesday 18th, 12:00-12:40 | Gallerists (English)

Thursday 19th, 12:00-12:40 | Gallerists (français)

Wednesday 25th, 5:00-5:40 | Critics, Curators, Art Historians, Consultants (bilingual/bilangue )

Hope you can make it. We’ll send you the links as the dates get closer and post on the AOPA Instagram @artistopa.

Screen capture showing the Artwork Type column with links to the corresponding Artwork Type page


Option #3: Opt for the Royal Treatment

Not able to attend in person or online, but still curious to learn more? AOPA is happy to accommodate. Feel free to reach out by email to Don directly (don@artistopa.com) to have your burning questions about AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 answered and to get a personal tour.


Option #4: Gold-Card Access

In the last newsletter, I promised I’d give you a special treat for sticking with us along the way. So, without further ado, here is the link to the first catalogue raisonné built on AOPA-Retrospective:

karentrask.com


Now the real work starts

Jocelyne Prince, Mystic Lamb (performance still), 2019.

So, if the first iteration of the AOPA-Retrospective platform is done and Karen’s retrospective is online, what’s next for AOPA?

Believe it or not, after all that work… we’re only just beginning! Equipped with the AOPA-Retrospective 1.0 platform, AOPA is ready to take on new projects archiving and presenting the work of contemporary artists, and keep on sharing art with the world.

AOPA has already begun working with Jocelyne Prince, conceptual glass artist, professor in the Glass Department at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and 2025 recipient of the United States Artists Fellowship. This project involves bringing her current website (also made by Don!) into the AOPA-Retrospective platform, including a redesign in collaboration with Derek Schusterbauer, Assistant Director for the Graphic Design department at RISD.

Jocelyne Prince, Slide Library (installation view), 2002-present.

Jocelyne Prince, Emblem 1 (detail from the Rolled Glass project, work in progress), 2025-.


Until next time!

The future is bright. As a platform made by and for hard-working, creative, and art-loving people, there is no shortage of potential for what comes next.

Thank you again, as always, for reading, and don’t be shy to get in touch.

As always, thanks for reading!

Mya Fernandes-Giles, AOPA Dedicated-Curator Assistant

Master’s student in Art History at Concordia University, working on a project that relies heavily on alternative archives. Has a great appreciation for record-keeping and cultural preservation, especially amongst little-known artists and communities. Recipient of the Concordia Merit Scholarship, the Guido Molinari Prize in Studio Arts and the Sarah Leaney Award in Ceramics and Fibers.


Artist Online Presence and Archiving (AOPA), provides professional online archiving and web-development services to mid- to late-career contemporary visual artists. AOPA was founded in 2023. It grew out of the freelance work of Don Goodes, who was an art critic and curator in Canada for a decade before moving over to web development in the cultural sector. AOPA delivers its services via a growing team of freelance writers, curators and designers spread across Canada. Over the past 2 years, the core team has been developing a flexible and comprehensive online platform called AOPA-Retrospective, a key tool in delivering AOPA’s services. AOPA-Retrospective is designed to fulfill the needs of contemporary artists, for both archiving and the online presentation of their oeuvre in the spirit of the catalog-raisonné.

For questions or inquiries see our contact page. We would love to hear from you.

CONTACT US FOR A CONSULTATION OR JUST TO ASK QUESTIONS AND THROW AROUND IDEAS

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Client Feedback

I love your attention to detail, be it in the design, the images, editing text, improving on my writing. Your background in writing is an extra asset to your service. You were very professional in the whole process. You take the whole of the client's needs into consideration and that is what makes your service unique. You care, and it shows in the creation of a beautiful product. I felt you went beyond what was needed to make the site spectacular.

Mariela Borello, Montréal artist

I have so appreciated working with Don at AOPA to create my website. His knowledge of navigation on various screen sizes, his understanding of clients' needs, combined with his attention to detail and endless patience makes working with Don such a pleasure. My online presence has enabled my work to be professionally presented to gallerists and clients alike, which in turn has resulted in exhibition invitations and exposure in print, and has got my work out to a much larger audience . I trust Dons judgement, appreciate his professionalism and I have and do highly recommend collaborating with him on any project.

Jennifer Small, Montréal artist

I am very pleased with my site, its appearance and functionality. I was also happy that you showed me how to do some of the work myself so I can do the updating. You aren’t some young hotshot so I felt like I would be less likely to be judged for my ineptitude with all things computer-related. I am particularly pleased that people continue to be able to find it. I know that is something you put a lot of work into.

Sarah Stevenson, Montréal sculptor