Exhibitions

Our main Gallery features exhibitions of works by local, regional and nationally significant Canadian artists. Our mandate is to show artwork that is important to our community; themes include careers of significant artists, current events and the history of our region. Exhibitions are changed every six to eight weeks. Artwork on display typically includes a variety of media, including traditional techniques, contemporary innovations and new media. Some exhibitions or themes occur at regularly repeated intervals, such as our annual exhibitions of High school student art and our Biannual Juried Exhibition.

Beyond the Umber Chicken:
Bill Poole and The Poole Hall Press

Dates:  April 6 – June 9, 2019

Opening reception:  Sunday April 7, 2-4pm

Without Bill Poole would there even be a GPAG? Or a Wayzgoose? We suspect not! A significant force in the regional arts community, Bill Poole was the founding Director of the Grimsby Public Art Gallery as well as a crucial player in the revival of interest in letterpress and private press printing in the 1970s, including as one of the organizers of the first Grimsby Wayzgoose in 1979.

Poole established his own printshop, Poole Hall Press, at his Quarry Road home on the escarpment above Grimsby. Here he demonstrated and taught the basics of setting type to pretty much anyone who was interested enough to appear on his doorstep, inspiring many to continue learning and printing on their own. He also printed invitations, posters and catalogues for the fledgling GPAG and a similar range of materials for other regional organizations.

In 2015, Kristine Tortora (AmpersandAmpersand / Trip Print Press) curated an exhibit of Poole Hall Press publications, At the Sign of the Umber Chicken, to mark the donation of the Bill Poole fonds to Massey College in Toronto. Beyond the Umber Chicken will display many of the Poole Hall Press projects and publications that did not appear in the original exhibit. We are very grateful to Tortora for sharing her research with co-curators Lyndsay Dobson and Kate Pyatt, and to both of them for the hard work and time that they have committed to this exhibition.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Craig and Sue Tallman

Special Events

Special events held at the Gallery allow visitors to experience art in many ways and often provide the opportunity to interact directly with artists and creators. Community art-making projects encourage direct participation. Lectures, discussion groups and workshops are both educational and enjoyable. Some special events, such as our annual fundraising auction, are also opportunities to help support the gallery.

Annual Fundraising Auction - Back to the Garden

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets $35, available for purchase at the Gallery now!

Our annual auction is the largest and most important fundraiser of the year. Save the date for next year's event, Back to the Garden, a night of peace, music and ART celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival.

  • Woodstock Era music
  • Silent and Live auctions
  • Gourmet treats
  • Door prizes
  • and MORE!

Free Auction preview and artists reception on Friday March 29, 7-9 pm

Wayzgoose Book Arts Fair

Saturday, April 27, 2019

9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

FREE Admission

Always held on the last Saturday in April, the GPAG's Wayzgoose Book Arts Fair is an annual gathering of private press printers, bookbinders, print makers, paper marblers and other artisans celebrating the art of the hand-made book

Sunday Fun-days

Previously known as Second Sundays: same great program, new name. Bring the family one Sunday a month for FREE arts and crafts activities. Watch for a list of dates for fall Sunday Fun-day events.

Free Admission made possible by Grimsby Hyundai

Culture Days

September 28-30, 2018

Ontario Culture Days takes place every year on the last weekend in September, featuring FREE cultural activities for all Ontarians. Stay tuned for details of Grimsby Events, held at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery and Library.

Doors Open

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Explore some of Grimsby's best kept secrets. Residents and visitors are invited to discover hidden treasures, including the Grimsby Public Art Gallery.

 

 

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