'Art in Scarborough is art in Toronto': Artists and supporters say community needs more gallery space

Framed art pieces practically cover the walls of Peter Marsh’s home in Scarborough — most from local artists, he said.

“All of these people are from Scarborough in one way or another,” he said, gesturing to the collection around him.

A watercolour painter of 65 years, and interim president of The Existential Art Gallery of Scarborough, Marsh is proud of his collection. But, he said, he’s concerned about what will happen to it in the future.

“Who's going to keep this up if I kick the bucket tomorrow?” he said.

Marsh is calling on the city to build a permanent, large-scale art gallery in Scarborough to showcase local talent and host exhibitions of art from around the world. He believes many curators, like himself, would donate their collections.

“There's a lot of talented people who should have a dignified place to exhibit their work,” he said.

In 2024, the City of Toronto adopted a 10-year culture plan to invest in cultural spaces in underserved neighbourhoods. The city aims to increase investments in culture to $35 million by 2025 and support the development of “one million square feet of new cultural space in Toronto,” according to the plan.

CBC Toronto asked Deputy Mayor of Scarborough, Paul Ainslie, if a dedicated art gallery is part of the city's culture plan or something that he would bring before council.

There are two permanent city-run art galleries in the Scarborough community, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre and Clark Centre for the Arts, Ainslie's office said in a statement replying to the request.

Fostering local talent

Though grateful for existing spaces, Beth Helmers with Scarborough Arts said the borough should be considered for something bigger.

“I think there is a momentum and eagerness for this to happen within Scarborough and [there’s] a lot of people who've been doing this work already who are really excited and hungry for more,” she said.

Helmers said, with few permanent art spaces, artists are getting creative and hosting galleries in schools, parks and homes, but they deserve more visibility.

“We need to preserve space for arts and culture because it's such an important part of what makes the city livable and vibrant and improves quality of life for people,” she said.

The arts scene in Scarborough is in need of more support and resources in general, according to multidisciplinary and founder of artist resource initiative Capsules Studio, Rajni Perera.

Without it, she said, talent goes elsewhere.

“I'm not the only artist from Scarborough who felt they had to move downtown because of a lack of dedicated studio space and space to showcase the arts from Scarborough, in Scarborough,” Perera said.

But the lack of space is a problem across the city, Perera said, as studio spaces are becoming harder to find. She said artists are looking for somewhere to go.

With the right support in place, like more galleries and access to transit,  Perera said Scarborough has the potential to become a hub.

“Art in Scarborough is art in Toronto,” she said. “It's something that we need to house here and develop.”