About Us
Mandate & History
The Art Museum is comprised of the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (Hart House) and the University of Toronto Art Centre (University College). Located just a few steps apart, the two galleries were federated in 2014 and began operating under a new visual identity as the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, one of the largest gallery spaces for visual art exhibitions and programming in Toronto.
Building on the two galleries’ distinguished histories, the Art Museum organizes and presents an intensive year-round program of exhibitions and events that foster—at a local, regional, and international level—innovative research, interdisciplinary scholarship, and knowledge of art and its histories befitting Canada’s leading university and the country’s largest city.
The Art Museum’s programs are distinguished by:
- fostering emerging artists and curators through mentorship, experiential learning opportunities, and in collaboration with academic programs and studies across disciplines;
- developing histories and knowledge of contemporary art and artists at a local and international level;
- supporting original and experimental curatorial statements and positions;
- and featuring interdisciplinary projects on critical subjects or thematic concerns relevant in contemporary culture.
Land Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Wendat Nation, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.
Staff List
General Information
416-978-8398
artmuseum@utoronto.ca
Executive Director / Chief Curator
Barbara Fischer
barbara.fischer@utoronto.ca
416-978-2453
Assistant Director
Noa Bronstein
noa.bronstein@utoronto.ca
Senior Curator, Exhibitions and Programs
Srimoyee Mitra
Curator, Indigenous Contemporary Art
Mikinaak Migwans
mik.migwans@utoronto.ca
Curator, Academic and Collections Initiatives
Denise Birkhofer
denise.birkhofer@utoronto.ca
Collections Coordinator
Alex King
alexandra.king@utoronto.ca
416-946-7090
Communications Coordinator
Marianne Rellin
marianne.rellin@utoronto.ca
Exhibitions and Projects Coordinator
Micah Donovan
micah.donovan@utoronto.ca
Assistant Coordinator, Exhibitions and Projects
Daniel Hunt
griffen.hunt@utoronto.ca
Operations Assistant
Melody Lu
mel.lu@utoronto.ca
416-978-8017
Collections Assistant
Johnny Pham
johnny.pham@utoronto.ca
Communications and Outreach Assistant
Nicholas Markowski
nicholas.markowski@utoronto.ca
Advisory Board
Liza Murrell, Chair
Ayeza Ahmad
Erika DeFreitas
Francois Le Moine
Kajri Jain
Kelly Dixon
Libby Barnicke
Nyssa Komorowski
Rina Greer
Robert Levit
Robin Anthony
Sameer Farooq
—
Ex Officio Members
Markus Stock
Principal, University College, University of Toronto
David Kim
Warden, Hart House, University of Toronto
Sandy Welsh
Vice-Provost, Students, University of Toronto
Annual Reports
Learn more about the Art Museum’s exhibitions and programming.
2022–24 Biannual Report
PDF version available upon request.
Opportunities
As a university-based institution and steward of nationally significant art collections we are deeply engaged in mentorship, education, training, and experiential learning opportunities for students, emerging professionals, and volunteers.
Volunteering for the Hart House Art Committee
For more opportunities, visit the Study + Research page.
For Artists
Exhibition Proposals
The Art Museum accepts artists’ submissions in the form of printed material and digital images for research purposes only. Materials will not be returned.
OAC Exhibition Assistance Program
The Art Museum is a sanctioned Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant Recommender Organization for Region 3.
The program provides grants of $500 to $2,000 to assist individual artists with costs related to presenting their work for an exhibition.
The Art Museum’s deadlines are July 10, 2026 (1pm) and October 16, 2026 (1pm). Applications and guidelines are available through the Ontario Arts Council. For inquiries, please contact Noa Bronstein at noa.bronstein@utoronto.ca.
Press
For more information, images, or to join the Art Museum’s media list, please contact Marianne Rellin.
Core Arts Funders
The Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Ontario, and the Toronto Arts Council.
