Contributed by: Don Valley Art Club Show Committee
The Don Valley Art Club (DVAC) is one of Toronto’s oldest and most vibrant art clubs, established in the mid 1940’s. The original clubhouse was a small cabin in the Don Valley, with their first Art Show held there in 1949. It is a volunteer run organization begun by a small group of artists that has grown to about 200 active members today.
The original founders had a passion for painting outdoors (en plein air) and that tradition has carried forward to this day. You may have seen members on the streets capturing the uniqueness of Cabbagetown and adjacent neighbourhoods.
DVAC was invited to relocate to Todmorden Mills Heritage Site in 1975 and remained until 2000. The club then moved to the newly renovated Brick Works, with increasing membership of artists from all areas of Toronto. Here program activities were expanded to include longer painting field trips, social activities, weekend workshops and Friday evening art lectures and presentations. In 2011, the move to a larger studio space allowed for activities available seven days a week for a growing active membership.
The club’s two annual Art Shows are usually held at the nearby Papermill Gallery at Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, Pottery Road and Bayview. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it impossible for indoor exhibits. But the show must go on! For the benefit of both the artists and art lovers, a “VIRTUAL GALLERY” was created for the past three shows, making it possible to connect and share a diverse group of artworks.
The general public can look forward to seeing the “Don Valley Art Club Holiday Art Show & Sale” online from November 15th to December 5th. Watch for details on the DVAC website https://donvalleyartclub.com/ . In the meantime, you can scroll through the artwork galleries of current members, and also learn more about the club.
Parliament Street News will have more information about the Art Show in the November publication.
