The Power Plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Power Plant is a contemporary art gallery located in Toronto, Ontario at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. It has been described as Canada's leading contemporary, non-collecting art gallery, featuring international and Canadian artists and works.
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[edit] History
The Power Plant facility was constructed in 1926. Its original purpose was to house the heating and refrigeration equipment for the Toronto Terminal Warehouse (now Queen's Quay Terminal).
The Power Plant gallery was established in 1976 as the Art Gallery at Harbourfront and incorporated on October 31, 1979.
In 1987 the gallery moved into the newly renovated former powerhouse located on Toronto's waterfront, thus becoming The Power Plant.
[edit] Mandate
The Power Plant is Canada’s leading non-collecting public art gallery dedicated to contemporary visual art. It is a vital forum for the advanced artistic culture of our time that offers an exceptional facility and professional support to diverse living artists while engaging equally diverse audiences in their work. The Power Plant pursues its activities through exhibitions, publications and educational programs. More specifically, it fulfills its mandate by generating:
- Exhibitions that represent the range of advanced practice in the visual arts;
- Publications that increase knowledge of contemporary art;
- Lectures and symposia that encourage debate and further understanding;
- Interpretative tools that invite visitors to explore and reflect upon their experience;
- Programming that incorporates other areas of culture that intersect with visual art.
[edit] General Information
The Power Plant’s ambitious exhibitions feature the most exciting artists working today in all media while its publications are admired and consulted around the world. The Power Plant’s International Lecture Series and off-site symposia are hotly anticipated cultural events that typically sell out. Its innovative special events, like the annual Power Ball, enjoy national coverage and broad popularity. The Power Plant is a reliable source of visual pleasure and civic pride for sophisticated and culturally astute Torontonians.
The Power Plant is a registered Canadian charitable organization supported by its members, sponsors, donors, and funding bodies at all levels of government.
[edit] Geographic Area and Audience Served
As a site, Harbourfront Centre is Toronto’s leading cultural venue, with annual attendance estimated at 12 million. The Power Plant is one of Harbourfront Centre’s major attractions, and as such occupies a unique position in its ability to attract a broad audience. Its association with Harbourfront Centre provides The Power Plant with many first time visitors – an audience for which The Power Plant has developed various interpretive tools that ensure an informative introduction to contemporary art. The Power Plant audience includes the art community, gallery members, students, educators, first-time visitors and tourists from the Greater Toronto Area, across Canada, the USA, and around the world.
