Funders and Supporters

The Art Gallery of York University is a supported Unit of York University within the President’s Division. We are externally funded as a public art gallery through the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, local and international foundations, embassies, and our membership who support all of our programs.

AGYU Major Donors

Joan and Martin Goldfarb have historically generously supported the arts at York University, funding the Joan Goldfarb Study Centre, giving multiple donations of major artworks, and supporting pedagogical programs. In 2019, through a substantial financial contribution, the Goldfarbs have facilitated the building of a new stand-alone art gallery on the University’s Keele Campus. Their gift has enabled a 670 square meter building dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions and public programs with three distinct gallery spaces, plus a pavilion for performances and events. This new building, designed by the lauded architect Siamak Hariri, re-visions the AGYU into The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University. This transistion includes a reimagination of our current exhibition spaces in Accolade East as a Visible Vault and Study Centre to care for, house, and research the University’s art collection.

The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery will uphold and strengthen the essential need for art on campus and in the community. The new gallery’s distinctive butterfly design sits as a connection point for the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design, and will be a focal point on the Harry Arthurs Common of the University’s main campus and to the greater public, being only metres from the subway.

Additional 2023–24 Supporters

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation; Outset Contemporary Art Fund UK; Partners in Art Toronto; Heritage Canada (Young Canada Works); Ontario Arts Foundation; and Morton Rapp

AGYU Founders (Supporting the Accolade East Gallery space, 2006)

Carol & David Appel, Salah J. Bachir, Hal Jackman Foundation, Steven & Lynda Latner, Philip B. Lind, Nancy McCain & Bill Morneau, Carol & Morton Rapp, Laura Rapp & Jay Smith, Judy Schulich & David Stein, Sandra L. Simpson

Donate to the AGYU

To make a donation to the AGYU, please refer to AGYU_donations.pdf for step-by-step instructions which will help you navigate York’s Advancement website. Your generous contributions support our ongoing programs and events throughout the year.

Advisory Committee

The AGYU Advisory Committee acts as an advisory body to the AGYU and the University on matters of art acquisitions, strategy, and public relations within the internal University, as well as the Greater Toronto Area arts and business communities, in accordance with the AGYU’s mission and mandate and with the relevant university policies and procedures.

Warren Crichlow, Chair (Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education, York University)

Mari Spirito, Vice Chair (Director and Founder, Protocinema, Istanbul and New York)

Sarah Bay-Cheng (Dean, School of the Arts, Media, Performance, and Design [AMPD], York University)

Mary Bunch (Associate Professor, Cinema & Media, AMPD, York University)

Kareem Bennett (Artist, York University Student)

Sean Hillier (Co-director, Indigenous Council and Assistant Professor, Department of Health, York University)

Naomi Johnson (Director, ImagineNative, Toronto)

Priyanka Debnath (Chief of Staff, York University)

Krys Verrall (Artist and instructor, Department of Humanities, LA&PS, York University)

Brandon Vickerd (Professor and Chair, Department of Visual Art and Art History, AMPD, York University)

Acquisitions Committee

The primary function of the University Art Acquisition Committee (UAAC) is to determine whether proposed artwork donations to the University’s collection meet the University’s objectives with respect to teaching and research and are of appropriate quality and significance.

Jenifer Papararo (Director/Curator, AGYU)

Lillian O’Brien Davis (Curator of Collections and Contemporary Engagement, AGYU)

Carlyle Farrelle (Associate Professor, Global Management Studies Department, Toronto Metropolitan University)

Tammer El-Sheikh (Associate Professor, Department of Visual Arts and Art History, York University)

Suzanne Morrissette (Assistant Professor, OCAD University)

Susana Gajic-Bruyea (Vice President, Advancement, York University)

Len Milley (Associate Director, Advancement, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, York University)

Anna Hudson (Professor, Graduate Program in Art History, Department of Visual Art & Art History, York University)

Archer Pechawis (Assistant Professor, Visual Art & Art History, York University)