The art galleries along and adjacent to Supercrawl’s festival corridor offer a vibrant and varied cross-section of Hamilton’s creative life.

Art Gallery of Hamilton

123 King St. W., Hamilton

Founded in 1914, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is the oldest and largest art museum in southwestern Ontario with a permanent collection that is recognized as one of the finest in Canada. Embracing Canadian historical, international and contemporary art, the collection consists of more than 10,000 works. You can see superb pieces by Alex Colville, Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, Emily Carr, James Tissot, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Gustave Doré, Norval Morriseau, Keith Haring, Ed Burtynsky, Kim Adams or Tyler Tekatch, to name a few. Current exhibitions include The Living Vault: The Collection and Performance (Level 1, through Jan 8, 2023) and RBC Artist In Residence: Nathan Eugene Carson (Level 2, through Mar 31, 2023).

ArtForms Youth Art Gallery

126 James St. N., Hamilton ON  905 978 3676

Art Forms is a youth arts organization designed to provide art-making opportunities to youth who are “on the fringe.” It was founded out of a belief in the transformative power of the arts, especially for marginalized groups. Located in the heart of Hamilton’s James Street North art district, which also houses a handful of youth services, the Art Forms space is perfectly poised to attract and engage a wide demographic variety.

The Assembly

68 King St. E.

The Assembly is an artist-run gallery organized by a co-operative of professional artists that present their work on a regular basis. The Assembly is uniquely positioned to present contemporary art in Hamilton in a timely and immediate pace while contributing to larger dialogues in contemporary art today. Originally sited near James and Cannon, The Assembly moved to a space within Redchurch Cafe in early 2019. Corinne Duchesne: Something like 8%… opens Sat Sept 10 from 12-4pm and runs through Wed Sept 28.

Centre [3]  

173 James St. N.

Centre [3] is an artist-run centre that is dedicated to promoting print and media arts in contemporary artistic discourse for practicing artists and the community at large. As a production, exhibition, education centre and animator of community arts, Centre [3] supports both traditional and experimental print media and media art practices. The centre encourages research and innovation and provides forums for discussion and examination of critical and theoretical issues. Centre3 supports artists in the development of their professional endeavours and acts as a resource centre for the visual and media arts community. Current exhibitions are Serena Lee: Playing the Mountain, curated by Lesley Loksi Chan (through Oct 8, 2022) and Maria Simmons: Growth Units (through Sept 30, 2022). Opening reception for both will take place Friday Sept 9, 7pm-10pm, alongside the Off Hours Supercrawl Staff Soireé, which brings together an array of techniques in printmaking, photography, ceramics, sound, video game and mixed media, it also brings together a motley crew of local lived experiences.

Gallery 4 Annex

55 York Blvd.

Hamilton Public Library’s Central branch has proudly made gallery space available to downtown customers since 1980. Gallery4 is located on the first floor of the Central Library. It has hosted a variety of artists using every medium, from all ranges of paint techniques, photography and 3D installations. Gallery 4 Annex is located on Circuit 4.0 (4th floor Central Library) and provides space for community organizations and individuals to share their works.

Hamilton Artists Inc.

155 James St N.

Hamilton Artists Inc. (popularly known as “The Inc.”) is committed to the presentation of contemporary art and related cultural practices. The Inc. facilitates a national dialogue surrounding issues in contemporary art through exhibitions, publications, performances, education and outreach projects. The Inc. actively engages in community arts programming and educational initiatives that represent the cultural life in Hamilton and beyond. On now: Meera Sethi Who’s Your Dadi? (through Oct 29, 2022) and If this is the party I want, you may not be part of it (through Oct 29, 2022), an experimental and curious multimedia project curated by Henry Heng Lu that features works by Jennifer Chan, Fang Di, Will Kwan, Alvin Luong, Midi Onodera, Rah, and Karen Tam. The Inc’s Cannon Project Wall features same problem my father had and what he dreamed (through May 29, 2023).

Studio on James

126 James St. N.

Studio on James is home to artist Tara Smith, where she uses the space as a creative studio for creative expression and photographic workshops and classes for children, teens, and adults.  There is always something happening at the studio, with a variety of special events such as open studios, one-day workshops, and rotating art exhibits.

Workers Arts and Heritage Centre

51 Stuart St.

The Workers Arts and Heritage Centre aims to preserve, honour and promote the culture and history of all working people, and learn from the past while challenging the future – for future generations. The contributions of working people (not only in Canadian history but worldwide) are showcased in art, exhibits, and performances. Their labour and advocacy has made this country a fair and vibrant place to live and work, and WAHC acknowledges these struggles. Now on: Future of Work: Letters from the Land and Water (through Dec 16, 2022) and All Together Now: Banners from the Permanent Collection (through Dec 31, 2022).

You Me Gallery

330 James St. N., Hamilton

Awakening the community to the eye and mind-widening force of art, you me gallery opened in May 2003. The storefront gallery is anchored in the vision of curator-proprietor and visual artist Bryce Kanbara, a founding member and first administrator of Hamilton Artists Inc. (1975-1981) who has held curatorial positions at the Burlington Art Centre, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, and Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant.

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