Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada

The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA), formerly known as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), is a museum and art gallery in Toronto, Ontario. It is an independent, registered charitable organization.[2] It has the mission to "exhibit, research, collect and nurture innovative contemporary art and cultural practices that engage with and address issues and themes relevant to our times".[3] The museum is affiliated with the Canadian Museums Association, the Ontario Museum Association and the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.

Museum of Contemporary Art
Toronto Canada
Former nameMuseum of Contemporary Canadian Art
Established1999 (1999)
Location158 Sterling Road
Toronto, Ontario
Coordinates43.6545°N 79.4451°W / 43.6545; -79.4451
TypeArt museum
DirectorRachel Hilton & November Paynter
CuratorDavid Liss[1]
Websitemuseumofcontemporaryart.ca

Floor 1 of the museum houses partners, Forno Cultura and Art Metropole. Forno Cultura, opening in Fall 2018, offers light fare such as artisanal sandwiches, biscotti, coffee and a range of beverages. Art Metropole carries a wide range of artist-initiated publications, multiples and MOCA Toronto merchandise. MOCA has also partnered with Akin Collective to provide affordable rental space to 32 visual artists and cultural practitioners (Floor 4).[4]

History

The museum, originally known as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), was founded from the former Art Gallery of North York in 1999.[2] In 2005, MOCCA relocated to a repurposed textile factory in the West Queen West Art + Design District in downtown Toronto.[5] The City of Toronto government funded the half-million dollar renovation of the building.[2]

In 2015, with its building about to be demolished and replaced by condominiums,[6] MOCCA hosted an interactive exhibit by Dean Baldwin entitled Queen West Yacht Club.[7][8] At its former location on Queen West, the museum functioned as a hub for creative exchange and played a critical role in shaping the city's contemporary art scene. Through a commitment to collaborative partnerships with leading like-minded artists, organizations, institutions and festivals from Toronto and further afield, MOCCA connected the city to a national and global network of peers.

MOCCA featured the work of over 1,100 Canadian and other international artists, hosted 200+ exhibitions and welcomed 40,000 annual visitors. As the lease on Queen West wound down, the need to move provided an opportunity to seek a larger space that could accommodate the museum's ever-growing aspirations and significance.[9]

In September 2018, the museum was moved to the Tower Automotive Building.

In 2016, the museum changed its name to the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA). In September 2018, MOCA moved into a 55,000 square foot purpose-designed home in a former industrial space at the heart of a new neighbourhood in the Lower Junction.[9] The museum received funding from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund.[10]

Award

During its time on Queen Street West, the museum presented the MOCCA Award in Contemporary Art. In 2010, the award was given to Edward Burtynsky.[11]

Exhibits

The museum's former Queen Street West location featured two large exhibition spaces, a 5,000 sq ft (460 m2) Main Space and a 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) Project Room. More than 80 exhibits and projects were presented in this space, involving about 800 artists, including Suzy Lake and Kris Knight.[12] The museum has also mounted group exhibitions of work by non-Canadian artists. Since 2001, the museum has also presented exhibitions and projects in the United States, China, Taiwan, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

See also

References
  1. "MOCA Toronto announces opening date and inaugural show | The Star". thestar.com.
  2. " Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art is on the move". James Adams, The Globe and Mail, 2 October 2012
  3. "Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada – About the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada". museumofcontemporaryart.ca. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  4. "PARTNERS IN ART WINS PRESTIGIOUS ARTS PRIZE Donates Proceeds of Award to Toronto Artist Shary Boyle". 14 April 2013.
  5. "MOCA delays launch to fall, puts house in order". Toronto Star, Murray Whyte, 29 November 2016
  6. "Is Toronto's West Queen West neighbourhood turning into the next Yorkville?" Archived 20 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Metro, Jessica Smith Cross 2016/01/17
  7. Whyte, Murray. "Artist Dean Baldwin turns soon-to-be-demolished building into Queen West Yacht Club"'. Toronto Star, 29 June 2015.
  8. "Bon voyage, MOCCA: Queen West gallery set adrift in high style | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  9. "About the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada".
  10. "Canada Allocates $5.1 Million to Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto". artforum.com. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  11. "Edward Burtynsky gifts photos to Vancouver Art Gallery". CBC News, 18 February 2014
  12. "Dean Baldwin and MOCCA turned a museum into a yacht club". Lise Hosein · CBC Arts 24 July 2015
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