60 Works/60 Years

Toronto Outdoor Art Fair at 60 runs until June 7, 2023. 

Market Gallery is open to the public.
Gallery Hours: 
Wednesday-Saturday 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

2nd Floor, St. Lawrence Market, 
95 Front Street E.
416-392-7604
Free admission

The City of Toronto began collecting art for display in civic buildings in the 1850s. Since then, The City of Toronto Art Collection has grown to include over 3000 works of art including paintings, watercolours, prints and sculptures. A large majority of these are on permanent display at City Hall, Metro Hall and other civic buildings across the city. 

The Mayor’s Purchase Award at the annual Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is an important moment for the collection. Each year the Mayor, assisted by City curators, selects a work to be brought into the municipal collection from the fair. This is an excellent opportunity to purchase works from new and emerging artists and enrich the collection with diverse perspectives. Past winners include George Boyer, Clint Griffin, Dionne Simpson, Ruby Zhang and Raoul Olou. The exhibition will also features the works by the 2021 recipient of the Mayor’s Purchase Award, Vanessa Dion Fletcher.

The Purchase Award, which does not have a set value but covers the purchase price of the selected work, was first awarded in 1979, the year of the opening of the City-operated Market Gallery, where many of these works have been exhibited. 

TOAF would like to acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Government of Ontario, Business for the Arts, the City of Toronto and Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation. Special thanks to the 60th Anniversary Lead Patron, the Koffler Family Foundation. The exhibition will also feature the works by Vanessa Dion Fletcher 2021 recipient of the Mayor’s Purchase Award. 

Below is a small sample of the display.

We are thrilled to announce the 2022 receipient of the Mayor’s Purchase Award, Emily MacLennan. The selected artwork ‘Bread Factory‘ is also on view at the 60 Works/60 Years exhibition at The Market Gallery.

Vanessa Dion Fletcher
Zigzag in Twenty Nine Parts 19
2D Works
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2021

Vanessa Dion Fletcher
Zigzag in Twenty Nine Parts 20
2D Works
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2021

Cheryl Rock 
B.G.M. 3.0 (Black Girl Magic)
Mixed media 
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2020

Raoul Olou 
Former Honest Ed
Oil on panel 
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2019

Sarah Pais
Toronto City Hall
Watercolour on paper 
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2018

Ruby Zhang 
Bugs on Queen
Watercolour on paper 
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2017

Susan Gale 
Good Will
Acrylic on panel 
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2016

Todd Stewart 
Cudia Park, Scarborough
Panel, ink
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2015

Chris Albert 
AGO Stairs 
Panel, photographic paper, resin
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2014

Kelli Jerome 
Toronto Island 
Paper, ink, acrylic paint 
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2013

Dawn Harmer 
Shield Me 
Panel, photographic paper, ink, acrylic resin
City of Toronto Art Collection 
Mayor’s Purchase Award 2012