The Market Gallery 2004 Exhibits & Events

October 2, 2004 to January 30, 2005

Reconnecting with the Don: Balancing the Valley

Our exhibit will examine the history of Toronto's relationship with the Don Valley, from early agricultural settlement, to industrial development, to transportation corridor, to a recognized ecological watershed. The exhibit is curated in partnership with the Task Force to Bring Back the Don.

September 23, 2004, 2:00 p.m.

Artsweek at the Market Gallery

The Market Gallery is participating in this citywide celebration of the arts. Join gallery staff for a guided tour of the current exhibit. Following the talk, explore the 3rd floor vault and see paintings from the City's art collection.

September 26, 2004, 1:30 p.m.

From Town to City: A History of the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood

Join the Market Gallery and Heritage Toronto for a guided tour of Toronto's oldest neighbourhood. START: The Market Gallery

Sunday, August 1, 2004, 1-3 p.m.

In the Footsteps of Black Victorians

Mackenzie House explores Toronto's Black heritage with a walking tour on the 170th anniversary of Emancipation Day (1834). Discover the Black community in Victorian Toronto on this fascinating guided tour. Learn about their lives, businesses, pastimes, tribulations and achievements.

START: The Market Gallery. ADMISSION: Pay what you can; suggested donation $2

June 26, 2004 - September 26, 2004

The People and Places of Riverdale

The exhibit will explore the history of this fascinating Toronto neighbourhood. From its beginnings as the land "East of the Don," to a village of farmers, to a working class suburb of Toronto and its annexation to the city in 1884.

People and Places of Riverdale examines historic and contemporary maps of the area. Learn of the people who called Riverdale home; visit the distinctive parks and buildings that make this neighbourhood unique and view the streets of yester-year.

People and Places of Riverdale will encompass the area east of the Don River to Coxwell Avenue in the west, north to Danforth Avenue and south to Lake Ontario. The exhibit will include Riverside (as it was known before annexation) and Leslieville.

Historical maps and photographs from collections housed at the Toronto Reference Library and the City of Toronto Archives and selected artwork from the Artists' Network of Riverdale will be included in the exhibit.

Admission is free.

Saturday, May 29, 2004, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Doors Open

Join Gallery staff at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. for a presentation on the history of the South St. Lawrence Market and the surrounding neighbourhood, the site of Toronto's settlement in 1793 as the Town of York. Following the talk, groups will be guided to the 3rd floor vault to see many paintings from the City's art collection including 19th century portraits of mayors, which originally hung in the 2nd floor council chamber.

A special encore presentation of storyteller Jim Blake's A Life Within These Walls will take place at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, May 29, 2004, as part of Doors Open.

March 6, 2004 - June 20, 2004

The Provincial Asylums in Toronto and Mimico: Reflections on Social and Architectural History

An exhibition featuring photographs, drawings and artifacts illustrating the history of one of Toronto's oldest institutions. Free Admission. Poster in PDF (914K).

Design for the Provincial Lunatic Asylum (1846), John George Howard (1803-1890). Water colour and ink on paper, 25.4 x 52.0 cm. City of Toronto Art Collection, Culture

This exhibition is in partnership with the Toronto Region Architectural Conservancy and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Archives. Additional items on display have been generously loaned from various collections including the Archives of Ontario, the Psychiatric Survivor Archives of Toronto and the Toronto Reference Library.

March 27, 2004, 11 a.m.

A Life Within These Walls

Built in 1841 at the edge of the city on Queen Street West, the Toronto Asylum has served as a hospital, treatment centre and home for thousands of people for over 160 years. The Asylum, and the hospital in Mimico, are featured in an accompanying Market Gallery exhibit of drawings, plans and photographs. Jim Blake of the Storytelling Festival, inspired by the exhibit and Geoffrey Reame's book, Remembrance of Patients Past, will tell the story of a patient who lived at this site in the late 1800s. Prepare to be moved as the details of his life there, his work on the asylum itself and the very walls around it, unfold.

March 26, 2004 - April 4, 2004

Storytelling Festival

The Market Gallery is participating along with other historic sites in this citywide festival. Please visit or contact the Gallery for further details. 416-392-7604.

February 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 21 & 22, 28 & 29: 1-3 p.m.

In the Footsteps of Black Victorians

Discover the Black community in Victorian Toronto in a walking tour offered by Mackenzie House Museum. Participants will be introduced to the life of Black Victorians as they stroll through the neighbourhood. Learn of the men and women of the community -- their lives, tribulations and accomplishments.

Start: Market Gallery. Pay what you can; suggested donation $2