Among the many art galleries along Queen West in Parkdale, the buildings housing the Katharine…read moreMulherin Gallery tend to blend in a bit. But inside is an interesting mix of "emerging" artists (art-speak for people you've never heard of). Like any gallery, what's on exhibit (and sale, since these guys gotta eat too) changes frequently. While not everything here is my cup of tea, some of the sculptural works on display right now are very cool. There's Alissa Coe and Carly Waito's technically stunning Porcelain Jellyfish (formerly of the Magic Pony down the street) and a neat little piece called "Black and White" by John Dickson.

Beaver Hall is an independent art space that is located mere steps of OCADU and Queen West. They…read morehold a variety of art shows like movie festivals to student art shows from Ryerson and Herzig College. It's a good size space. There's ample room for someone wanting to do a solo show and big enough for a group show. I don't know the specifics about how much it would cost to organize a show there but since they promote independent artists, most of them being students, it might be worth looking into. Looking through their blog and reading about past exhibits, they seem to organize some thought-provoking and original shows. The show I visited last night had an urban exploration theme which included more than photography by the artists but also actual objects from the places they visited. It was really inspiring stuff to see.

This is a not-so-fancy gallery space. I've been to better and I've been to worse. Conveniently…read morelocated for OCAD and Ryerson students, right in the middle of the queen street hipster hub. The walls at the entrance are a tasteless orange and the floors aren't clean either. There's a little patio in the back. The Nuit Blanche 2015 artwork here was rather tasteless.

Carefully curated and exhibit of modern contemporary art & photography. Strong supporter of rising…read moreand prominent artists. Also available for space rental catering to events. Spacious without overbearing emptiness imitate the gallery Cosy and intimate feel with the structures and walls placement. Great discovery of such a nice gallery on the West end.

This lovely little gallery recently moved into a new home, and I'm really feeling it. If you're on…read moreDundas West this winter (you know you will be, how could you never be?), get out of the cold and check out an exhibit here. I really enjoyed the Dawoud Bey photography exhibit, and I'm excited to see what's next. Such a peaceful place to take in a bit of culture.

Pop in on these pleasant spring days when you are strolling along on Hazelton avenue .....feast…read moreyour eyes.... offering works by the finest Canadian contemporary artists. Established and reliable art gallery.

I've walked by this gallery several times, finally took the plunge and walked in. The entrance is a…read morelittle interesting but don't let it fool you, you have to walk through a side gate to access the gallery door. Once you enter the door opens into a wide space and you are welcomed by the gallery director. I particularly like this gallery because they are so heavily involved in community and arts education. The gallery is actually in an old police station and has three gallery's in it, with three different shows running at the same time. Everyone there is very friendly and the rotating exhibitions are something to keep your eye on!

Located in an old police station, Gallery 1313 is a must-see in the Parkdale neighborhood. In my…read moreview, the exhibitions are always amazing and very inspiring. Additionally, discovering something new each time you walk into Gallery 1313 is guaranteed as they have new exhibitions every two weeks. The nice and positive staff they have is also convincing. Giving emerging and established artists chances to display their work, I do think that places like Gallery 1313 are essential. We definitely need more places like this! Gallery 1313 is a great place for visitors as well as artists. Make sure you don't miss it!

I've been the the Barns a few times over the years for different events. A few times when they…read morehave held their Vintage Fair here (amazing vintage items, clothing, jewellry); once for a play and most recently for the Tabasco Hawkers Market. This is a great place to hold an event, party or wedding. This is a former hub for streetcars back in the day but has now been turned into an event space. Interior brick walls, high ceilings and open floor plan allows the venue to become accommodating to almost any kind of event. It has that vintage but industrial kind of ceiling. There are a lot of great photo ops in here. There are also photos/info on the walls that tells the history of this place.

This is probably one of the best things to happen to the neighbourhood in recent history. Grand…read moreopening was November 2008 and it hasn't looked back since. The space is a reclaimed TTC barn and has five 'barns' each labeled with giant steel numbers. First is the artist live-work space, 2 is the event space where you will find the market on Saturdays in the winter and various other community events, 3 is the community theatre, 4 is The Stop greenhouse and kitchen, and 5 is the open air barn. There is also a children's playground on the east side of the building, an open field that becomes an ice rink in the winter on the south end, an off-leash dog park at the south-west corner, beach volleyball court on the west side, and plenty of benches and picnic tables scattered throughout. I find that their website is not as informative as it could be, perhaps because it is administered by the umbrella Artscape organization: http://www.torontoartscape.on.ca/places-spaces/artscape-wychwood-barns So it's better to go directly to the Stop's website to find out about the market and the many very interesting fund- and awareness-raising events they have: http://www.thestop.org/green-barn-market I find that being on the mailing lists for The Stop and our local city councillor Joe Mihevc (http://www.joemihevc.com) keeps me informed of upcoming events like the solar energy info session this Sunday. Some additional notes: ** The Market ** During the cold months it is indoors and runs 8 a.m. - noon. It gets crowded by 11 and goodies like cinnamon buns don't last until then. Bring cash, your own bags and if you're really good, your own travel-mug for the wonderful Kurtis coffee. Interesting vendors include the venison guy, sweet potato man, Mennonite meat lady, knife sharpening guy, tofu dude, the fungi, and the freshwater fish people. In the warmer months it is outdoors and runs a bit later until 1 I think (it is still indoors as I write this so I'm not sure). The vendors are spread out over the walkways under their tents. Half the fun is stopping to chat with neighbours so check your usual Toronto sidewalk pace as you might get stuck behind a stroller and wagon jam. There are several vegetable vendors that also sell organic and heirloom variety seeds and seedlings in the spring. Too bad last summer was so cold and rainy - even so the purple tomatoes I planted were wonderful! ** The Dogpark ** It has weird hours and no commercial dog walkers are allowed. It is closed everyday between noon-3 p.m. and opens later in the morning on Sunday. I'll take a picture of the sign next time I'm there because it's confusing. There is a human + dog drinking fountain but the city doesn't turn on the water until mid-May so bring water for your pooches. Best doggy party times (as with most parks I'm sure) are from 5 - 7 p.m. There might be a morning party but I'm never up early enough to find out.

It was my first time at Leslie Grove Gallery and it was a fantastic experience considering I…read morehaven't been to an art gallery opening in several years even way before the start of the pandemic in 2020. I was at Jeff Rozdeba's Photography Show and it was fantastic. Food and wine was so great and the ambiance of the whole gallery was just perfect. I loved that the gallery was inside a neighborhood park and easy to get to since it's right at the corner of Queen St. East and Jones Ave. I really loved Jeff's work! See more of his photos here: www.jeguyro.myportfolio.com

I can see no reason to name a gallery 'the hangman'...or having it placed so far East on Queen…read moreStreet. The neighbourhood is ghetto...it's the equivalent to having a liquor store in the middle of Forest Hill. I got wind of a Chinese artist's exhibition, so I hopped on the street-car and away we go! The further East I travelled on Queen, the tighter I clinched onto my wallet. I got off at a part of town I've never been before, and when I found the gallery I was relieved. The Hangman Artist Gallery is a one&a-half level space of corner store sized floor space. The reception occupied a quarter of the first floor, and the second floor was storage. I was greeted by the friendly ladies behind the counter, and after I explained that I was here to videotape some of their exhibits, I was allowed to do so with no pressure. A humble real estate, but considering where it was in town it was a very calm environment. The brick walls complimented the artwork. It was nice This gallery often hosts social functions for opening exhibits, and from the photos it doesn't look too shabby. Some useless information for the gallery: It is apart of the Artist Network..whatever that is. There are plenty of brochures and postcards of upcoming events available at the gallery, the staff are happy to provide any assistance. Not much to say about such a simple venue. The art were selling anywhere from $700-2500 a piece. The artwork in particular I was viewing were traditional Chinese painting with folklore characters holding luxury retail brand items. Slightly amusing. If you want to see more, check out the first two minutes of this video I posted on youtube. It was my first youtube upload! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSvZ5qioUQE&feature=plcp There's nowhere to actually play hangman...just in case you were curious.

I stumbled into this gallery while at the Toronto Christmas Market and am so glad that I did. They…read morehad some great art work. I really enjoyed and have become a fan of Mathieu Laca's oil paintings. The gallery is edgy and fun. I really loved the feel of the gallery. Bricks make everything better.

My wife and I went to Canada from the US to the November 2019 show for Mathieu Laca at Thompson…read moreLandry Gallery. The show was great and Mathieu and the gallery owner were very kind. We ended up buying 2 Van Gogh pieces and 1 flower piece. I've purchased other pieces from Mathieu before the show. He is a talented artist, taking many of his portraits from existing pictures you can find on wikipedia and using lots of impasto. A few weeks later the crates arrive here in the US and the 42x48 Van Gogh is perfect! The 16x20 flower painting is perfect! The larger Van Gogh pic that was 72x60 ended up being too big for any of the areas we were trying to fit it in once we saw it in person inside our home. This is where things turn bad. I sent a very kind email to the gallery letting them know the situation and that I will need to send the painting back, as the size does not work. I offered to pay all shipping and handling costs on my end. I get a nasty text from Mathieu the artist asking "WTF" (not really the way to speak to a customer). I then get a nasty email from the gallery, who told Mathieu I was wanting to return the piece. At this point my wife and I were very surprised. Mathieu was all about peace, love and acceptance....until a piece didn't work out. As long as people were flattering him and the gallery about how wonderful and talented they are, (feeding their ego's) they were the nicest people around. But the exact second something didn't work out, we got to see their TRUE nature. I ended up still sending the large piece back even though the gallery at first said they would refuse shipment. I paid ALL costs to ship and even paid $600 for some made up admin/disposal/restocking fees. We spent over $6K at the gallery on works that we kept (Not to mention over $1,000 travel to the show from the US) and all combined we've spent about $20K on pieces from this artist. In fact 11 pieces we bought from this artist and when ONE piece didn't work out, everyone got nasty. From the very beginning I said to the gallery that this piece will sell fast once I send it back, but Joanne and Mathieu were horrible the entire time. And the funny part is within a few weeks of the piece being retuned, it sold. So all this drama, ruining 2 customer relationships who will never return to do business with them, all for nothing. Imagine you have a business and a buyer buys 3 items. 1 doesn't work out and that customer offers to pay ALL associated return costs plus any restocking fees, and you being horribly rude to them, all for the piece to sell a few weeks later. Pretty myopic on their end if you ask me. I honestly really don't even want to display any of his works in my home any longer. Each time I look at a piece on my wall, I think "What nasty people" instead of appreciating the beauty of them. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have ever contacted him or the gallery to begin with. And I recommend you don't either. The only reason I am giving a 2 star and not a 1 is the employees there were fantastic to deal with, but not the gallery owner Joanne who controls everything and was nasty with me. Lastly, Mathieu's husband, when he noticed I had written a negative review, THREATENED me online. I took a screenshot of it and reported it. I'm also considering legal action.