Drastically Short of Exhibition Space
Scarborough’s Gallery Space — A Short Comparative Analysis
Scarborough, with a population of approximately 630,000, lacks sufficient public gallery space to support large-scale art exhibitions. Existing facilities are modest in size and often serve multiple purposes, limiting their capacity for dedicated exhibitions.
Scarborough’s Current Public Galleries, 2025
Cedar Ridge Studio Gallery — former 14-room mansion, about 5,000 sq. ft. (much used for dual purposes of art courses). Doris McCarthy Gallery — University of Toronto Scarborough, 3,000 sq ft. Clarke Centre For The Arts — 6,000 sq ft, mostly art studios; corridor walls used for display.
How Scarborough Compares
Newmarket: population 88,000, 2,000 sq ft (can hang over 75 paintings). Etobicoke Civic Centre: population 375,000, 2 spaces (70 paintings each; not dedicated galleries but nice). Thunder Bay: population 130,000, 37,000 sq ft (new gallery under development). Windsor: population 347,000, 15,000 sq ft (Art Gallery of Windsor Essex). Barrie: population 300,000, 24,000 sq ft (MacLaren Art Centre, collection of 4,000 works). London: population 425,000, 20,000 sq ft (Museum London). Sudbury: population 166,000, 30,000 sq ft (Art Gallery of Sudbury). Guelph: population 143,700, 31,000 sq ft (Art Gallery of Guelph). Ingersoll: population 13,693, 4,500 sq ft (Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre).
Scarborough has far less gallery space than many smaller Ontario cities — despite its size and vibrant artistic community.
Creating a rough average from the above figures a single person would be allotted .101 square feet. With a Scarborough population of 630,000 we should have a total of at least 63,000 square feet of gallery space. That would be a low figure for a city of our size. We have approximately 14,000 square foot of mostly dual purpose space, which leaves us short by well over 50,000 square feet! Although the figures are a little bit vague in some ways it is definite that Scarborough is far short of suitable exhibition space.
Scarborough has long been overlooked in cultural planning and deserves a landmark art gallery its residents can be proud of. Local artists and the wider cultural community need a spacious, dedicated venue capable of showcasing the richness of global art. Scarborough’s talent deserves the opportunity to exhibit with pride, professionalism, and sophistication. The numbers speak for themselves — change is not just needed, it’s overdue.
You can join the ranks of those striving for this aim of a substantial gallery building by subscribing at galleryxscarborough.com. Tell your friends, and neighbours, and fellow artists. Thank you.
