Location and hours

The John B. Aird Gallery is located in downtown Toronto in the Macdonald Block, a public service building operated by the Government of Ontario in the heart of the Queen's Park complex. The gallery is situated on the first floor of the building and is easily accessed by the entrance at 900 Bay Street, just south of Wellesley Street. We are on the Bay Street bus route and one block from the Wellesley Subway station. Parking is available on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in an underground lot which is part of the complex. Street parking and other local parking lots are also in close proximity.

About the John B. Aird Gallery

In 1975, the then conservative government, under the leadership of Premier William Davis, opened The Macdonald Gallery. The Gallery was managed by the Department of Government Services, in large part due to the interest and determination of the Minister, Margaret Scrivener, who was paramount in the gallery's establishment.

In 1984, the Macdonald Gallery was closed. However, artists concerned over this loss formulated a plan to reopen it under the guidance of a Gallery Director responsible to a Management Committee composed of representives from six visual arts organizations. These were the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour, Ontario Crafts Council, Ontario Society of Artists, Royal Canadian Academny of Arts, Sculptors Society of Canada and the Society of Canadian Artists. Negotiations with the Government were successful and The John B.Aird Gallery, named as a tribute to the Honourable John Black Aird, the 23rd Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario (1980-85), was reopened in 1985. Today a dedicated group of volunteers and representatives of the associated visual arts groups oversee the gallery's operations and programs. The Government of Ontario continues to provide the exhibition space and related building services.

The mandate of the John B. Aird Gallery is to create awareness and enjoyment of art works by comtemporary professional artists. The Gallery is a special place providing a nurturing atmosphere for both artist and viewer.

The Gallery schedules twelve exhibitions annually. The objectives of the gallery's exhibition programs are: to encourage excellence in the visual arts; to focus primarily upon works of contemporary artisst; to present a variety of disciplines, styles and media; to demonstrate a curatorial concern for the presentation of art work; and to provide artists with an accessible exhibition space in downtown Toronto.

The following organizations are currently represented on the Gallery's Management Committee: