Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery

Located in the Centre in the Square building at the corner of Queen and Margaret, KW|AG has been an important part the city's arts scene for over 50 years, opening officially in 1956 with an exhibition of works by Tom Thomson.  That exhibition was officially opened by A.Y. Jackson in the gallery's first home--a bicycle shed behind Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institution on King Street.

Through exhibitions and programs KW|AG aims to "connect people and ideas through art".  The gallery emphasizes contemporary art, often premiering works by Canadian and international artists, as well as drawing from a permanent collection of a 4,000 works--including etchings by Picasso.  (Some pieces in the permanent collection are so big that they won’t fit through the gallery doors. A tall slot had to be cut in the wall to allow large paintings by Claude Tousignant into the exhibition space.)

Admission to the gallery is free thanks to specific Free Admission Sponsorship.