The Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art galleries in the world and the current construction that is proceeding on the building will make it even bigger and better.  According to their website, when the construction is finished there will be over 110 galleries in the building.  While I’m not entirely sure how many were there before the construction started, I know from being there personally that it was nowhere near that amount.  The construction has been going on since October 7, 2007 and for the whole time that the construction has been proceeding, the gallery has been closed to visitors.  The latest update puts a rough date of opening in the fall of this year, but no firm date has been set.  For more information on this, check out the Art Gallery of Ontario Director’s Message.

Art Gallery of Ontario Location

The Art Gallery of Ontario is located at 317 Dundas Street West, which puts the gallery between University Avenue and Spadina Avenue on Dundas, right near Beverley Street and McCaul Street (MAP).  You can easily get to the Art Gallery of Ontario from Dundas Subway Station, which is located at the intersection of Dundas and University.  From that point it’s only about a three block walk west to get to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Art Gallery of Ontario Collection

One of the main reasons that the Art Gallery of Ontario is famous is the fact that it has one of the largest collections in the world.  Before the renovation started, there were roughly 70,000 pieces of art in the collection and they spanned the course of history from approximately the year 100 AD to the present moment in time.  In particular, the Art Gallery of Ontario has focused on promoting Canadian art to people both inside the country and those visiting.  This is why two out of every five pieces in the pre-renovation collection were from Canadian artists.  Canada has had many famous artistic talents such as the Group of Seven and Emily Carr.  There have also been rich artistic traditions amongst Inuit living in Canada and that tradition is displayed proudly within the walls of the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Transformation AGO

Transformation AGO was a project that was envisioned by a new board of directors at the Art Gallery of Ontario.  Their aim was to create a bigger and better version of the gallery that so many had come to love.  Indeed, looking at the construction over time shows that the physical building appears to be getting larger and that definitely bodes well for the insides which pre-renovation were stuffed full of artistic works.  The main goal of the transformation is to add new art, create new collections, add volume to the building and increase the overall exposure that artists can get through having exhibits at the Art Gallery of Ontario.  While construction has been long, it is also close to being over and the executives are promising that what you see when it re-opens will be more than worth the wait.

Photo Credits: Personal Collection

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Toronto is a city with lots of fantastic artwork attached to it.  Sometimes, as in the case of the above photo, the artwork manifests itself on one of the walls of the city or some other such public place.  However, in most cases, to see great Canadian art you have to head to one of the many artistic venues in the city such as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, which from now on will also occupy a place on The Toronto Traveler’s blogroll.

The MOCCA as it’s known for short is exactly what the name implies and between May 2, 2008 and June 1, 2008, they are going to be having an exhibition of art entitled Between Memory and History: From the Epic to the Everday.  Here is a partial list of people that will have works on display at the event:

Raymonde April

Raymonde April is indicative of the large pool of French Canadian artistic talent that Canada is privileged to have.  She’s one of the contemporary photographic artists that Canada has built a reputation for turning out and ever since she got her start in 1979, her photographs have been in high demand for display around the country.

Robert Burley

Robert Burley, like Raymonde April, is a design photographer and one that has been working for over two decades.  According to his website, the work he does explores the relationship between nature, architectures and the overall urban landscape.  He has many excellent pictures that deal with the meat of this conceptual area, including very awe-inspiring pictures of large pockets of nature next to significantly smaller urban areas.

Martin Parr

Martin Parr is a man that refers to himself as the “chronicler of our age.”  He is a man that has been highly critical of mainstream media photography and serves to counter that photography with what he refers to as “criticism, seduction and humour.”  This gives us a chance to take a look at his interpretation of many famous media shots over time and that in itself is a very interesting thing to do.

MOCCA’s Location

MOCCA is located at 952 Queen Street West, which puts it at a major intersection nearest to Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue.  This is actually somewhat far away from the Subway, although there are busses that run along Ossington Avenue from Ossington Subway Station on the Bloor-Danforth line as well as streetcars that run along Queen Street that intersect both the Yonge and University Subway Lines, so the TTC coverage to this particular location is still extensive.

Summary

Event: Between Memory and History: From the Epic to the Everday
Location: Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), 952 Queen Street West
Dates: May 2, 2008 to June 1, 2008
Museum Hours: 11 AM to 6 PM Thursday-Sunday, closed Monday
Admission: Free to the gallery
More Information: 416-395-7490 or mocca@toronto.ca

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Photo Credit: Pink Martini by Ryan Harveyon Flickr

Once referred to by The New Yorker as being “Beautiful and sophisticated,” the Pink Martini band has been touring all around North America with their interesting blend of musical styles and part of that tour includes a stop in Toronto at Massey Hall.  Pink Martini can be lovingly called an ultra-chic orchestra and they can play everything from a Cuban rumba all the way to a Hollywood musical and everything in between as well.  Listening to them is always a good time.

Details

Event: Pink Martini at Massey Hall
Cost: $30 – $50
Date: March 15, 2008
Time: 8 PM
Location: Massey Hall (MAP)
Closest Subway Station: Queen Subway Station on the Yonge Subway Line
More Information: Phone 416-593-4822 or visit http://www.masseyhall.com

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Photo Credit: Henna painting by greatwhiteyakon Flickr

Henna decoration is big in Toronto, perhaps due to the large number of naturalized South Asian citizens that we have living here.  Henna decoration is a big part of the culture in countries like India and it’s ended up making its way into the Toronto culture as well, with Henna tattoos and paintings featuring largely in a number of different places as you walk around the city.  With more interest in this style of artistic expression, the Textile Museum of Canada has decided to help those interested learn how to get in the know regarding Henna painting.

Details

Event: Hands-on Henna workshop
Date: March 8, 2008
Time: 1 PM to 5 PM
Cost: $50 for members, $65 for non-members, $40 for students and $20 for materials
Location: Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Avenue (MAP)
Closest Subway Station: St. Patrick Subway Station on the University Subway Line
More Info: 416-599-5321, advance registration is required at extension 2221

Venue

The Textile Museum of Canada has a history extending back more than 30 years to 1975 when it was originally incorporated as the Canadian Museum of Carpets and Textiles.  During the years of its existence, it has moved from humble beginnings in a small room in Mirvish Village all the way to being a full fledged museum with its own facilities located at 55 Centre Avenue.

Throughout its growth, the TMC has maintained a high level of quality when it comes to their presented collection and with a combination of good marketing skills and excellent events revolving around their many collected items, the Textile Museum of Canada has earned the right to be named amongst Toronto’s many and varied artistic venues.  Anyone that is interested in textile work should have the TMC on their visiting agenda as a must because it is truly a fantastic place to visit.

Their current collection is in excess of 12,000 items that come from over 200 regions of the world and represents one of only eight museums in the world solely dedicated to the collection and display of textiles and textile materials.

Event

At the Hands-on Henna workshop you will learn how to paint Henna designs on your body and you’ll learn all of the required preparation for doing such things.  In addition to that, some of the history regarding Henna painting internationally will be discussed.  According to the TMC, this event should be good for both adults and children over the age of 12, meaning that for some it can be an afternoon of family fun in addition to adding a new skill to your collection.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Photo Credit: Massey Hall by hobvias sudoneighm on Flickr

Many people have undoubtedly heard of Finger Eleven already, especially if you happen to be into the alternative rock genre of music.  Even if you’re not and you’re looking to expand your horizons a bit, the musical performance of Finger Eleven that’s coming up tomorrow is a pretty good way to do that.  They’re an all-Canadian band as well, which perhaps adds to the flavour of the performance for people that are viewing it from out of country.

Details

Event: Finger Eleven at Massey Hall
Date: March 8, 2008
Time: 8 PM
Cost: ~$35
Location: Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street (MAP)
Nearest Subway Station:Queen Subway Station on the Yonge Subway Line
More Information: Phone 416-872-4255 or visit http://www.masseyhall.com

Venue

Massey Hall is perhaps the second most recognized musical venue in all of Toronto.  After Roy Thomson Hall, Massey Hall is the next most desirable location not just for musical events, but also for stage productions as well as lecture talks on occasion and it is this conglomerate of potential events that continues to make Massey Hall not just a premier musical venue, but also a premier general venue in the city of Toronto.  It also happens to be located in downtown Toronto right near all of the other big venues and this makes an event at Massey Hall quite easy to combine with other tourist events in the city and because of that reason Massey Hall concerts tend to be on the list of potential events for most tourists visiting the city of Toronto.

Event

As I previously stated, Finger Eleven got their start in Canada; in Burlington, Ontario to be exact.  Burlington’s not too far from Toronto and like many of the other great Canadian bands, Finger Eleven started out as a group of high school students that decided to get together and create a band.  That was a decade ago and since that time Finger Eleven has been all over the place in touring and has seen their music climb the charts at an almost meteoric rate.  They now have fans not only in Canada, but also in North America and even some places overseas.  They’re coming back to Toronto for another concert fresh off a successful appearance on the Jay Leno show and while tickets are still available for the event, you might want to get yours right now rather than wait until you get to the door.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler