Concept drawing by Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects

York University and the Art Gallery of York University are celebrating the official groundbreaking for the new Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University (GGYU). Thanks to an original gift of $5M — and a new commitment of an additional $1M — from Joan and Martin Goldfarb, the GGYU is poised to be an integral point of connection where we celebrate local and international artists and audiences.

Designed by the distinguished architect Siamak Hariri from Hariri Pontarini Architects, this exquisite stand-alone art gallery will be a focal point in the heart of York University’s Keele Campus, and in the broader community of York Region.

This new public gallery will redefine the Art Gallery of York University into a multi-site space that includes this purpose built art gallery with a re-imagining of our current spaces into a visible vault to form a unified art institution to magnify the breadth of AGYU’s contemporary art program while also re-envisioning the scope of the University’s art collection.

Only steps away from York University’s subway station and adjacent to the Harry W Arthurs Common, the GGYU will highlight architectural innovation and define a space for the exhibition of contemporary art, including an event space, atrium, pavilion, and three separate gallery spaces set within a redefined xeriscape garden.

This new purpose-built art gallery is a legacy project for the University, and the AGYU that envisions the importance of art in and of itself as a form of learning that produces knowledge, debate, and experience.

Rendering of GGYU facade (top) and lobby (bottomw) by Hariri Pontarini Architects

For press inquiries, please contact Michael Maranda: mmarand@yorku.ca

Acknowledgements:

The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) is a public, university-affiliated, non-profit contemporary art gallery supported by York University, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and by our membership. 

The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) acknowledges our presence on the ancestral territory of the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Huron-Wendat. We offer this land acknowledgement as an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those on whose territory we reside. It is a small way of honouring the Indigenous people who have for generations cared for this land and its waterways. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the history of what has brought us to reside here and understand our place within this history. 

We are cognizant that we cannot separate the histories of York University from the history of settler colonialism and slavery in Canada, and in this regard, we also recognize thousands of African descendants have been enslaved, displaced, and judicialized on this same territory. Today, in Toronto, non-Indigenous people exist as settlers and as displaced peoples on traditional Indigenous lands which are currently held under treaty by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. 

Knowing that colonial legacies continue through various modes of systemic oppression that affect the everyday lives of far too many people, we encourage our communities to take the time to learn about the history and to support the struggles and demands of Indigenous peoples as well as other communities who experience oppression and share the territories we occupy. 

Through AGYU’s programming, we strive to build reciprocal relationships with Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities on and off campus and continually work to improve our anti-racist and anti-hate, equity, and ecological practices. We welcome your suggestions on how we may continue to grow in this regard.