Maclaren Art Centre

The MacLarenArtCentre is a public art gallery located in downtown Barrie, Ontario. Our mission is to integrate the visual arts and culture within our community. The MacLaren promotes understanding and awareness by creating accessible means for the visual arts to be an intrinsic part of everyday life. The Centre presents a year-round programme of local, regional, national and international exhibitions of contemporary art, complemented by occasional exhibitions of historical and modern art. Exhibitions are presented both at the Centre and across the city as part of the MacLaren's ArtCity™ programme, which places permanent and temporary artworks throughout Barrie's public spaces.

The MacLaren houses a permanent collection comprising 26,000 works of art, including a unique archive of 23,116 vintage Soviet press photographs. The balance of the collection represents visual culture in Canada with an emphasis on contemporary art. Education provides the unifying link that activates our collection and exhibitions. By presenting programmes that engage the hands, heart and mind, we invite people to "start thinking art".