History

by Joseph Muscat – March 28, 2025 In 1996, a group of graduating art students at the Ontario College of Art & Design decided to take control of their own destiny. Instead of hoping that some gallery somewhere would exhibit their work, they formed a collective. Propeller Centre For The Visual Arts was born at

In August 2023, Artscape Inc, our past landlord, announced it would enter receivership. On February 11, 2025, Propeller Art Gallery purchased its space.  Propeller Art Gallery is in Toronto’s Queen West Triangle district at 30 Abell Street. This area, just south of Queen and west of Dovercourt has a multitude of relatively new condominiums. Previously,

We are thrilled to announce that thanks to hundreds of individual donations, plus generous funding by both the Government of Canada, through its Cultural Spaces Fund, and the City of Toronto, we now own our own gallery space! With this incredible support, Propeller has successfully secured its long-term future in Toronto’s West Queen West Art

by Grace Sarabia Propeller Gallery has a strong foundation in its community of members and long-time supporters. Since its conception in 1996, Propeller has moved locations twice without losing its artist-run focus. Propeller is proud to have put on roughly 540 exhibitions since its beginning. Originally called Propeller Center for the Visual Arts, the group

By Lisa Johnson, AOCA, Painter and Propeller member since 2007 Propeller’s Resilient Roots Most young artists launching their careers immediately face an endurance test of survival. The 1996 cohort of Ontario College of Art (OCA) graduates were no exception. Facing an uncertain future, and with no galleries willing to exhibit their work, an enterprising group of OCA

Propeller’s annual curated exhibition has been a key part of the gallery’s programming since 1997. The program has involved notable guest curators from a range of cultural and professional fields, including important Canadian artists, gallerists, writers and critics.  The first annual curated exhibition was held in 1997 in order to celebrate the gallery’s inaugural year.

By: Simone Rojas-Pick Propeller Center for the Visual Arts was established in Toronto, August 1996, by a group of Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) students. Propeller was created in order to organize young and emerging Contemporary Canadian artists into a community, offering them with a professional venue to exhibit and sell their works,