Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art

The name of the Gallery
The Gallery is named in honour of Gordon Smith, one of our founding patrons and a life-long, tireless supporter of art education.

Opening date
Saturday, October 13, 2020

Admission
By donation

Size of the Gallery
The Gordon Smith Gallery covers 4,000 square feet (380 square metres).

Hours of operation
The Gallery will be open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, from 12 noon – 4pm. It will be closed for statutory holidays.

Number of works on display at the Gallery
The number of works will vary, depending on the exhibition. The new space will allow us to show about 60 pieces in a single show.

Number of exhibitions each year
There will be two exhibitions each year, one during the school year featuring our permanent collection, and a curated-exhibit in the summer months, which may include works from other collections.

The history of the collection
The acclaimed Artists for Kids Collection, housed at the Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art, has been amassed over more than 22 years. The collection now contains work from almost 50 artists, and almost 500 pieces of contemporary Canadian art, valued at more than $2.5 million.

Who are some of the artists in the collection?
The collection contains some of our country’s greatest contemporary artists, including our founding patrons, Gordon Smith, Jack Shadbolt and Bill Reid, as well as Robert Davidson, Angela Grossman, E.J. Hughes, Kenojuak Ashevak, Rodney Graham, Guido Molinari and Toni Onley.

The Gallery doors
The doors were carved by Xwalacktun, a Coast Salish carver and North Shore artist. The doors represent the cultural makeup of the people of the area — the Squamish people, represented by the Thunderbird, and the Burrard or Tsleil-Waututh people, represented by the wolf.

Gallery shop and print shop
There will be a Gallery shop on the main level, where visitors can purchase items such as gift cards. On the mezzanine level, the Print Shop will display the collection of limited-edition original prints available for purchase. Funds from the sale of these prints supports the Gallery and its educational programs.

Artists for Kids
Since 1990, Artists for Kids has been supporting the legacy of art. By bringing together Canadian artists, teachers and students, Artists for Kids creates fun, memorable, hands-on experiences that kids cherish. In this way, we help the next generation of artists thrive. Artists for Kids is unique in that through the sale of prints, we are able to fully fund our school-based enrichment programs. Through Artists for Kids, artists share their insight, talents and stories with the next generation; kids are able to explore their own talents and develop their own creative problem-solving skills; and we all benefit from the ongoing legacy of Canadian art.