Museums & Galleries in Toronto

Ben Navaee Gallery is dedicated to two causes: first, to present and promote local Canadian artists in its gallery space, and second, to raise funds and awareness for philanthropic causes related to poverty, homelessness, and natural disasters. With classes, the gallery aims to educate its visitors, helping them learn about the work of a new artist or teaching them how to paint a heartfelt message onto that artist's car. During each calming session, students leave outside stress behind as they unlock hidden artistic talents with the help of gentle, encouraging instruction. This nurturing environment is an extension of Ben Navaee himself; a veteran painter, sculptor, and photographer, Ben has spent the last 25 years helping students better their lives through art, as well as yoga and meditation.

Founded by William Ho, a Goodwill Ambassador for One Heart Beat and a longtime instructor at the Royal Ontario Museum, The One Gallery strives to expose Canadians to the appreciation and practice of international art. The business has dispensed art rentals and sales for private and corporate use and film productions, and instructed apprentices in private or group courses since first opening its doors in June of 2010. William Ho's paintings and sculptures have adorned museums, galleries, the United Nations, and Parliament Hill of Canada. On select Friday and Saturday night at Meeting the Master: Renaissance at The One, spectators can witness Ho conjure a stirring landscape or stick-figure version of the Venus de Milo before their very eyes.

Lou and Marianne Fenninger founded Art Source in 1978 in a 200-square-foot basement. When demand for the couple's poster prints exploded, they soon expanded their products and services. Within a few years they'd outgrown the basement, and moved into the 6,000-square-foot showroom they occupy today.

Nowadays, Art Source reaches every corner of the globe, distributing art for both retail and wholesale clients as far-flung as Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. The shop helps customers find perfect pieces for complementing their room decor and covering up unsightly fire extinguisher cases with 10,000 stock images of classic, modern, local, and international art, as well as an original art design service, all available for custom printing. Additionally, Art Source's staff help patrons preserve cherished pieces with custom framing services that can wrap works of any size in a carefully designed and assembled border.

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection was set in motion in 1952, when Robert and Signe McMichael purchased the property and, inspired by their surroundings, began collecting artworks of similar beauty. Today, the museum—which is built of fieldstone and hand-hewn logs—remains enveloped by 100 acres of conservation land, and houses a permanent collection of nearly 6,000 pieces devoted solely to Canadian artists. Its 13 galleries showcase ongoing exhibitions, including a tribute to the McMichael legacy. The facility's floor-to-ceiling windows look out upon the surrounding Humber River Valley, where dense woodlands and oaks sporting powdered wigs influenced many of the collection's works. In addition to its permanent displays, the McMichael frequently hosts internationally acclaimed touring exhibitions, as well as lectures, musical performances, and workshops for aspiring creators.

In 1754, Richard Stockton, a leading attorney who would go on to be a signer of the Declaration of Independence, acquired land on his grandfather's 5,500-acre tract to build a home. The house later traded hands among Stockton family members until the 20th century, when it served as the state's first Governor's Mansion, eventually housing five governors.

Since its restoration and conversion into the Morven Museum & Garden in 2004, galleries on two floors of the dwelling have housed permanent and temporary exhibitions relating to New Jersey history and culture, as well as the Morven property, now a National Historic Landmark. As guests wander the museum’s halls, Stockton family portraiture and decorative art speaks of past eras while contemporary art and photographs keep visitors grounded in the present day. Meanwhile, 5 more acres outside host a massive garden that includes a recreation of Morven's old Colonial Revival¬–style blooming garden and its charismatic, singing Venus flytrap.