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Collection

Origin stories

A year ago, we paid homage to the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art, for celebrating its first anniversary. 

Installation view of J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous and Canadian Art.

Installation view of J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous and Canadian Art. Works shown from left to right: Florence Carlyle, The Tiff and The Studio; Joanne Tod, Chapeau Entaillé; Anishinaabe. Bandolier Bag, 3 Cherries; Rebecca Belmore, Rising to the Occasion.

It's been 2 full years since the J.S. McLean Centre was renovated, reinstalled and renamed as part of the AGO-wide Look:Forward project. Following a complete renovation of the individual galleries and the reinstallation of over 75 works, the Centre reopened for Canada Day 2018 as the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art. And since we’re open this Canada Day weekend – including Monday, July 1 from 10:30 am to 4 pm – it’s the perfect time to check out the incredible art on display there!

Located on Level 2 of the AGO, the Centre presents our Indigenous and Canadian collections in an engaging and accessible way. Co-led by Wanda Nanibush, AGO’s Curator of Indigenous Art, and Georgiana Uhlyarik, AGO’s Fredrik S. Eaton Curator of Canadian Art, this project brought together works by Indigenous and Canadian artists to better reflect the Nation to Nation relationship that Canada was built upon. Unique to the space, and in recognition that the AGO is located on Mississauga Anishinaabe territory, all texts in the McLean Centre are presented in Anishnaabemowin, English and French. The works in the Inuit collection feature texts in Inuktitut, along with English and French.

The J.S. Mclean Centre is organized thematically, with spaces devoted to exploring origin stories, issues of land and water, how we construct our sense of self and how artists engage with the spirit. Designed to spark conversations between artists and across time, these thematic groupings of Indigenous and Canadian art live alongside dedicated exhibition spaces for Indigenous artists.

Since the reopening, the space has been home to works by Indigenous artists such as Barry Ace, Shuvinai Ashoona, Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, Ruth Cuthand, Robert Houle, Mike Macdonald, Robert Markle, Shelley Niro, Jessie Oonark; and Canadian artists such as Florence Carlyle, Emily Carr, June Clark, Jamelie Hassan, Kazuo Nakamura, Joanne Tod, Joyce Wieland and Winsom.

Admission to the AGO Collection and all special exhibitions is always free for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass holders and visitors 25 and under. For more information, please visit the website.

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