Sharing the Passion: 70 Years of Building the Collection
14 March to 19 July 2026
Adad Hannah, Alex Colville, Alexander Young (A.Y.) Jackson, Billy Gauthier, Claude Tousignant, Cornelius Krieghoff, David Hockney, Deanna Bowen, Dondi White, Doug Kirton, Edward Burtynsky, Elizabeth Eastman, Frederick Horsman Varley, Gabriel Cohen, Imogen Cunningham, Isabelle Hayeur, Jack Bush, Jamelie Hassan, James Edward Hervey (J.E.H.) MacDonald, Jane Buyers, Jean McEwen, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Joseph Albers, Joseph Tisiga, Joyce Wieland, Ken Danby, Kenojuak Ashevak, Kent Monkman, Lawren Harris, Lois Andison, Louis Marius Amorim Ferreira de Moraes, Lynne Cohen, Marc Chagall, Marcel Barbeau, Maurice Cullen, Meryl McMaster, Michael Snow, Michael Thompson, Monica Tap, Norval Morriseau, Pablo Picasso, Pardiss Amerian, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Rita Letendre, Salvador Dali, Scott Conarroe, Shary Boyle, Sophia Mazaraki Kalogeropoulou, Tom Thomson, Tony Urquhart, Tristram Lansdowne, Victor Vasarely, Yvarel
Organized by KWAG Curatorial Committee
On 21 September 1956, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Association celebrated the official opening of the Gallery with an exhibition of paintings by artist Tom Thomson, made possible with loans from private and public collections, including the National Gallery, Ottawa. A.Y. Jackson’s remarks opened the exhibition. Seventy years later, KWAG continues to be a leader in the commissioning, display, research and care for the most exciting contemporary artists working today across the region, province, country and beyond.
As we celebrate our history and look out towards an exciting future, we embrace the stories and relations of donors who have supported the gallery over the years. Today, KWAG cares for more than 4,400 works of art in the Permanent Collection. This collection is held in the public trust – a special resource for the Waterloo Region and an incomparable gem in our community. Without the support and generosity of individual supporters, a Permanent Collection of this scope and quality simply would not be possible. In fact, donations and bequests represent roughly 95% of the Collection today.
Walk through the decades of KWAG history as we shine a light on the significant stories and relationships that have made the gallery what it is today, as told through the Permanent Collection and the people that made it all possible.
Related Programs:
Opening Celebration
Friday, 13 March
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Member’s Preview
7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Open to the public
Sharing the Passion: Panel Discussion
Saturday, 28 March
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Wells Resolutions
Through the Registrar’s Eyes
A special tour with Jennifer Bullock, KWAG Registrar + Assistant Curator
Thursday 23 April, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, 31 May, 2:00 p.m.
Free, RSVP Required (note: both tours are the same)
Sponsored by:
Image credits:
Header
Lois Andison, threading water (2014). Digital video, 11:52 mins. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: gift of the artist, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Artist.
Feature images
Edward Burtynsky, Nickel Tailings #39, Sudbury, Ontario (1996). Chromogenic print on Kodak Professional paper, 101.7 x 152.4 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Gift of the Artist, 2000. Photo: © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto.
Meryl McMaster, Keeper’s Crossing, 2015 (2019). Pigment print on watercolour paper, 116.8 x 78.7 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Purchased with the support of Women of Influence for Women’s Art, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Artist.
Kent Monkman, Kiss the Sky (2010). Acrylic on canvas, 151.1 x 120.6 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Gift of the Artist in honour of Shirley Madill, 2012. Photo by Robert McNair.
Pardiss Amerian, Narcissi (2022). Oil on linen, 91.4 x 76.2 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Purchased with funds donated by Senta Ross, in honour of Shirley Madill, Executive Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (2011-present), 2022. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid.
Billy Gauthier, A Beautiful Struggle (2024). Antler (caribou), horn (muskox), ivory (woolly mammoth), labradorite, serpentine, 64.8 x 31.8 x 28.6 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Purchased in part through the support of the Elizabeth L. Gordon Art Program, a program of the Gordon Foundation and administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation. With additional support from Morgan Anderson, Maaike Asselbergs, Michael A. Barnstijn and Louise A. MacCallum, Jim Blomfield, Ryan Boggs, Anne Brydon, Ron and Chloë Bullock, Janet Casciato, CFO Collective Inc., Brenda Cameron Couch, Al Coughlin, Mike and Deborah Ferguson, Maria Gabriele, Fraser Gibson, Susan Harrison, Allison Ho, Bryce A. Kraeker, Logan MacDonald, Valerie Maw, Mary Jane Patterson, Sheila Phillips, Robert and Margaret Nally Gifting Fund, Daniel Snow, Barbara Vann, Wells Resolutions, Peter Woolstencroft, and Anonymous (6), 2024. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid.
Michael Thompson, Light in a Small Room (2017). Acrylic on linen, 84.2 x 109.6 cm (framed). Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Gift of Michael Thompson, 2025. Photo by Scott Lee.
