Ranked the third largest film production location after Los Angeles and New York, Toronto plays host to the Toronto International Film Festival, the Toronto Student Film Festival, the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, and more than a dozen more cinema-related events. In addition to film, Toronto has many fine art venues and heritage sites which have tourists flocking to the city year round.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

• The Art Gallery of Ontario, commonly known as the AGO, was established more than century ago in 1900. Located in the Downtown Grande Park district, the gallery has a collection of more than 80,000 pieces that showcase artistic movements and media from the first century to today. In addition to the largest collection of Canadian art, the gallery is also home to many Renaissance and Baroque artworks, as well as Oceanic, African and European.

  Within the permanent collection reside works by Tom Thompson, Emily Carr, and the Group of Seven. There are also paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Rothko, and O'Keeffe.

  In addition to the exhibition galleries, the AGO boasts a formal restaurant, cafe, library and student spaces, artist-in-residence, research centre, lecture hall, and gift shop. The latter was designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.

• Located in the Church and Wellesley district, Gallery Arcturus is a public exhibition of contemporary art with a permanent collection of more than 200 pieces, including paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and more. Established in 1994, the gallery exclusively features North American artists, with artworks by Inuit sculptor Floyd Kuptana, E.J. Gold, the founder of Reductionism, painter Joan Cullen, and photography Pamela Williams.

  The gallery found a permanent home in 1997 in a beautiful historic heritage site in the downtown area. The building was in fact featured in the 1912 Lawren Harris painting "Houses, Gerrard Street, Toronto." The five gallery spaces within the facility include the Collage Gallery and the Ascending Gallery. Each space highlights works in a specific genre, from both the permanent collection and visiting exhibits.

• The Gardiner Museum was founded in 1984, and is Canada's national ceramics museum. Originally established to house the ceramics collection of George and Helen Gardiner, and is now home to various other collections of the media. The nearly 3,000-piece permanent collection spans the ages from the ancient Americas to contemporary works.

  In addition to the permanent exhibits, the museum also hosts three temporary exhibits each year, and offers lectures and pottery classes for all ages at their in-house clay studio.

• Formerly the Art Gallery of North York, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art was established in 1999, and is located in West Art + Design District of the city. Dedicated to the research, collection, exhibition, and promotion of contemporary art in Canada and around the world, MOCCA often showcases the work of emerging artists as well as established artists with "groundbreaking" or influential style.

  More than 800 artists have exhibited in the museum's two primary spaces, in over 80 exhibits and special projects arranged by the organization since 2005. The museum also has a permanent collection of about 400 works by well-known Canadian artists including installation artist Roland Brener, Abstract Expressionist Jack Bush, photographer Evergon, Expressionist painter Gershon Iskowitz, and conceptual artist Ian Wallace.

Art Galleries and Museums in Toronto:

• Koffler Centre of the Arts
• Design Exchange
• Canadian Sculpture Centre
• Aga Khan Museum of Islamic Art and Culture
• Open Studio Gallery
• CBC Museum
• Royal Ontario Museum
• Market Gallery
• Black Creek Pioneer Village
• York Museum
• Bata Shoe Museum
• Toronto Free Gallery
• Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre

ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS IN TORONTO

• The Ontario College of Art and Design is Canada's oldest dedicated arts university, which opened as the Ontario School of Art in 1876. Conveniently located next to the AGO, the school's various faculties in Art, Design, Liberal Arts, and Sciences, as well as other, alternative programs. Many notable figures have passed through the school's doors, including Jack Bush, Franklin Carmichael (Group of Seven), Barbara Astman, George Bures Miller, and sculptor Elizabeth Wyn Wood.

  The school offers a vast array of artistic, four-year concentrations which provide students with a Bachelor of Fine Arts or Design. The specialized programs include drawing and painting, environmental design, illustration, indigenous visual culture, printmaking, photography, installation and sculpture, material art and design, and more. In addition, further education is available with Master's programs such as contemporary art, inclusive design, interdisciplinary art, and digital futures.

• At the University of Toronto, artistically inclined students can study Art History, Interactive Digital Media, general Studio Art, and Visual studies, which concentrates on the social, cultural, and theoretical issues identified in art. The school also offers a Master's of Visual Arts in curatorial studies or studio art.

  First established as King's College in 1827, the University is located near Queen's Park, and is best known for its work in the areas of literary criticism and communication theory. The school is ranked within the top 25 schools in the world, and has graduated a number of prominent political figures. The campus is scattered with historic buildings and grand architecture, and houses the third-largest university library (measured by document) in North America.

• Established in 1959 and ranked as Canada's third largest university, York University is home to more than 50,000 students and eleven faculties. Primarily a public research school, the facility is often ranked among the top in Canada and the world.

  The School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design is home the first and largest design program in Ontario, and is offered by cooperation between York and Sheridan College in Oakville near Toronto. In addition to design, the school offers Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts programs in dance, digital media, film, music, and theatre, as well as a visual studies program that incorporates drawing, print, photography, paintings, and sculpture.

  Notable graduates of York University include actor Rachel McAdams, writer Orville Lloyd Douglas, artist Allyson Mitchell.

Other Art Schools and Classes In Toronto

• Take a six-week course or three-day workshop in painting, sculpture, drawing, and more at the Toronto School of Art.

• At Art Works Art School, children and adults alike can study digital photography, landscape painting, illustration, and portfolio techniques.

• Take a course in a unique art form like encaustic, mixed media, or pottery at Artbarn School. Kids can take a class in clay, comic drawing, and more.

• Freehand School of Art offers kids summer camps, as well as clay and life drawing classes for children, and ceramics, watercolour, figure drawing, and oil painting classes for adults.

• Kids and teens can receive instruction in photography, performing arts, cartoon drawing, pottery, and more at Avenue Road Arts School, while adults study painting, ceramics, drawing, photography, and theatre.

NATIVE ARTISTS

• Group of Seven artists Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, J.E.H. MacDonald and their fellow artists worked in and painted scenes of Toronto during much of the group's existence.

• Michael DeForge is a comic artist and illustrator who is a designer on the animated television show Adventure Time and creator of the comic series Lose.

• Northwest Territories native Floyd Kuptana is a well known Inuit sculptor who lives and works in the city.

• Charles Pachter is a contemporary artist who studied at U of T as well as Cranbrook Academy in Michigan. He is known for his work as a printmaker, painter, art historian, and more.

• A multi-genre artist who studied at OCAD, Michael Snow has shown his work at MoMA and the Whitney, and works as a musician and filmmaker as well as a visual artist.

• Actors Megan Follows, Michael Ironside, Howie Mandel, Eric McCormack, and Rachel Blanchard.

ART AND CURLTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• Over the course of four days in October, Art Toronto offers more than 100 galleries, 1,300 artists, lectures, and panels to about 20,000 art lovers who flock to the annual event. Started in 2000, the festival features modern and contemporary art displayed by the best national and international galleries.

• The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is well-long cartoon-centred literary festival that is summed up with a two day exhibition featuring hundreds of comic artists from all over the globe. In addition to artists showcasing their work, the event hosts panel discussions, readings, gallery exhibits and more. The unique festival is a free event open to the public.

• Held in September, the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition is dedicated to giving the public an opportunity to rub shoulders with artists without the formality generally found at indoor galleries. With more than 400 artists and an attendance of more than 100,000 guests, the TOAE, initiated in 1961, is the largest outdoor art fair in the city. Since 2011, the event has also hosted Art Now, a non-commercial contemporary exhibit.

• Toronto Art Expo, established in 2002, is a contemporary-focused exhibition that takes place each October. The event showcases the work of as many as 200 artists from 12 countries, in various genres including sculpture, painting, and glasswork. Though the art fair promises prices that suit every budget from student to corporate executive, it also joins ranks with The Affordable Art Fair to ensure everyone has access to beautiful art.

Other Events and Sights to See

• Take in art, culture, and natural history from around the world at the Royal Ontario Museum.

• At the Toronto Zoo, visit leopards, penguins, baboons, hippos, and many more furry and scaly critters.

• Hike the CN Tower to the glass-floored observation deck to take in spectacular, 360 degree views of the city.

• Be shocked and delighted by the technological exhibits at the Ontario Science Centre.

• Cheer on the Toronto Blue Jays and catch a fly ball at the Rogers Centre.

• Canada's Wonderland offers thrills and screams with its many amusement park rides.

• For more great things to see and do in Toronto, visit See Toronto Now.

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