Thunder Bay Art Gallery facts for kids
| Established | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1080 Keewatin Street Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 6T7 |
| Type | Art gallery |
| Public transit access |  Thunder Bay Transit via Confederation College[[|2]] [[|5]] [[|8]] [[|10]] [[|16]] |
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is a big art gallery in Northern Ontario, Canada. It focuses on art made by modern Indigenous artists. You can find it on the campus of Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It's the largest public art gallery between Sault Ste. Marie and Winnipeg. The gallery has over 4,000 square feet of space to show art.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is a non-profit place. This means it doesn't try to make money. Its main goals are to show, collect, and explain art. It especially focuses on new art by Indigenous artists and artists from Northwestern Ontario. The gallery helps people connect with artists and their artworks. It encourages everyone, from visitors to local community members, to enjoy modern visual arts for their whole lives.
Gallery History
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery first opened its doors on February 6, 1976. This happened after money was found to build a National Exhibition Centre. It was built on the campus of Confederation College. The gallery was one of 26 new national exhibition centers. These centers were opened in different communities across Canada.
By 1982, the gallery had grown much bigger. Back then, it was called the Thunder Bay National Exhibition Centre and Centre for Indian Art. It expanded to include three art galleries. It also added a special area to store its art collection. This growth helped the gallery show and buy more art.
Art Collection
Today, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a large collection of art. It holds over 1600 artworks in its Permanent Collection. This collection includes pieces by famous artists. Some of these artists are Norval Morrisseau, Carl Beam, and Daphne Odjig. Other artists in the collection include Robert Houle, Joane Cardinal-Schubert, and Shelley Niro. You can also find art by Bob Boyer, Susan Ross, and Benjamin Chee Chee.
What You Can Do
The gallery offers many activities for visitors. They provide tours for school groups. They also host special artistic events. Sometimes, they share their space with different community groups. This helps more people enjoy and learn about art.
New Waterfront Location
A brand new Thunder Bay Art Gallery is currently being built. It will be much larger, about 37,500 square feet. The design for this new building was created by architects Patkau and Brook McIlroy. The outdoor areas are designed by Janet Rosenberg & Studio. This exciting new gallery is located on the city's waterfront. It is expected to open later this year, in 2025.
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