Venue - Art Gallery of Windsor
Located along the banks of the Detroit River, the striking Art Gallery commands an inspiring view of Windsor's waterfront and the skyline of Detroit beyond. Home to an extensive collection of visual art, travelling exhibitions, community programs and much more, the Art Gallery offers many amenities and ample space for BookFestWindsor.
As the Art Gallery of Windsor welcomes back BookFestWindsor for the second consecutive year, it's timely to acquaint new visitors with the institution—a part of Windsor's community for over sixty years. The present building was opened to the public in 2001, but the impetus to have a gallery goes back to 1936: the AGW has occupied three premises—a mansion in Walkerville, a retrofitted brewery warehouse, and, briefly, a shopping mall—before settling into its purpose-built facility at 401 Riverside Drive West for the new millennium.
Let's take a tour, top down. Oriented diagonally overlooking the Detroit River and landscaped parkland along its shore, the building commands a view of the River from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle, and of the cityscape of Detroit to the north and downtown Windsor to the south and west. The east side of the building houses vaults for a large permanent collection of chiefly Canadian art acquired over sixty years, workrooms for art staff, the receiving area for incoming or outgoing art, and the "mechanicals" for climate control in the building.
Visitors to the Windsor's public gallery may sample contemporary art from the permanent collection in Greatest Hits, Volume II on the second floor, and historical or traditional art in Greatest Hits, Volume I in the ground floor gallery opposite our main meeting room. In addition, there will be visiting or AGW-generated exhibitions on the third floor and works from Art Rental and Sales visible in various events rooms throughout the building, including "Bamboo" restaurant, as well as in the studio adjacent to the ground floor gift shop.
An active education program brings children and others to a working studio on the second floor, overlooking the river view. Year round, hordes of students are shepherded up and down the grand staircase, and samples of their work are framed and mounted in the indoor court on the ground floor.
The AGW has become a favourite location for weddings, parties, concerts, and meetings of all sorts. In January 2006, the reception for international media covering Super Bowl XL was hosted here. Every two or three years, a dedicated group mounts Artrageous, a glitzy social event—most recently on a Motown theme—designed to raise major funds for the AGW. Annually, the Art Gallery, like other riverside spots in both Canada and the U.S., attracts hundreds of viewers for the spectacular international fireworks display launched from barges on the Detroit River and celebrating Canada Day and Independence Day together in one grand show.
The new visitor may well wonder about the lands surrounding the Gallery,
including the "hole in the ground" to the east. Their history would form
the subject of a short course in urban development! Suffice it to say that
lands were once assembled for a "superanchor" to balance the casino development
on the east side. Now the challenge is to find some suitable substitutes
to complete the Art Gallery neighbourhood. Maybe by BookFestWindsor 2010...?
Enjoy your visit and please return!