The Market Gallery — Attraction in Toronto

Another hidden gem of downtown Toronto. This beautiful gallery is inclosed within the St. Lawrence Market and is easy to miss in this bustling place. But if you look up from the market's upper level, you'll see the distinctive building which is actually a remnant (council chamber) of the Toronto's first city hall - (which now houses the gallery). It is free to visit (along with the other 9 city of Toronto museum sites) and is open from Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm. Currently (winter of 2023) there is an exhibit dedicated to the annual Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, which takes place every summer in front of the (new) City Hall, showcasing artwork purchased by former mayors of Toronto. 60 very interesting and thought provoking pieces are on display (different media, including photography, oil, watercolour, acrylic and mixed media). Staff is very welcoming, knowledgeable and happy to share the history of the building and facts about current exhibits. The gallery also contains some memorabilia, like the original mayor's chair. If you would like to see more pictures about the city and its history check out the photographs in the food court on the lower level of the St. Lawrence Market (under the gallery). I really recommend visiting this place - a nice break from the super busy market (and you get an awesome vista of it from the gallery windows). I wish the gallery was advertised more, as probably not that many of the market's visitors are aware that this little treasure is just steps away....

I live outside of Toronto, so I usually don’t come into the city unless it’s purposeful. But I had a meeting this morning, and my friend recommended I spend the day sightseeing. Since I take the train at Union, they recommended I check this place out, and I’m happy I did. I bought couple postcards, gotta help remind the City of Toronto that art is a good thing and should be financially supported. The only reason this is four stars and not five is that I wish there was more information about the two artists on exhibit. The art itself was so beautiful, and I wish I knew more about who the artists were and what was going through their heads when they made them. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a bio of either of them anywhere, nor any artist’s statements. Maybe they were there and I just didn’t see them? Regardless, this was a lovely way to spent my afternoon, and I’m happy I know about...

You need to improve your social media profile. I realize you may have resource shortages (staff and $$) but this is so important for audiences these days. There is currently a great show on the gallery and I'm trying to refresh my memory as to it's title, the artists and organization involved and there's nothing on the website or instagram. ( I don't do Facebook so I don't know about that venue). I was wanting to send info by DM on instagram and couldn't find anything. It's the African Canadian Pride exhibition that's about's about a celebration of a Goddess and involves men dressing up as women in elaborate masked costumes and dancing that I'm talking about. I would have given 5 stars if I wasn't so frustrated about getting info on your current exhibition - even a link to the artists...