With its abundance of art galleries, artisan studios and antique shops, not to mention its eclectic collection of outdoor art, Niagara is a creative hotspot you won’t want to miss.

Get an eye-full of beauty and an infusion of creative energy as you discover a stunning painting or mural. As you lovingly touch a fine antique. Or as, in a clearing, you come upon a sculpture that strikes a thousand chords within your soul.

Galleries are a wonderland of delights and a great place to begin exploring Niagara’s art scene. Several world-class artists call Niagara home and a talented new generation of painters and potters, sculptors and illustrators, is coming into its own.

Niagara’s wealth of art galleries includes, among others: Rodman Hall Arts Centre in St. Catharines, which presents regional, national and international art in new and exciting exhibitions each season; RiverBrink Art Museum in Queenston Heights displays the wonderful Samuel Weir fine art collection in a stately home setting.

Artisan studios, another way to feel Niagara’s robust creative pulse, are also abundant throughout the region. One emerging destination is Queen Street in downtown Niagara Falls, which boasts a thriving arts community and diverse mix of galleries and independent boutiques.

If antiques appeal, Niagara is a must. Antique shops can be found almost anywhere you look, with clusters in such communities as Jordan, Vineland, St. Catharines, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ridgeway and Crystal Beach. Whether you make a day of it or visit a single site, you’ll find a charming array of wares, from silver, vintage clothing and jewelry to glassware, linens and lamps—plus furniture, of course!

Outdoors in Niagara, the visual feast continues with murals that liven up urban landscapes. With monuments that reference Niagara’s rich and colorful past. And with sculptures that celebrate the human spirit while accenting the vibrant natural settings in which they appear.

Striking outdoor sculptures can be found, among other locations, at Brock University’s main campus in St. Catharines; and at the Rodman Hall Arts Centre, a Brock site complete with its own botanical gardens in the heart of the city.

Niagara’s many monuments include, in Queenston Heights, an impressive 56-metre tower marking the gravesite of war hero General Isaac Brock; and, not far away, a smaller monument honoring Canada’s most famous heroine, Laura Secord.

Giant murals with historic Niagara themes can be found in various parts of Welland, especially the downtown core. Also check out the stretch of murals along the Thorold section of the Greater Niagara Circle Route. Several depicting various facets of Thorold history are visible from the Welland Canals Parkway section of the route, starting at Lock 7 and heading north.  

Other sneak peeks

•    In west Niagara - Grimsby Public Art Gallery in Grimsby, and Jordan Art Gallery and Ninavik Native Arts in Jordan, each well worth the drive

• •    In St. Catharines - Niagara Artists’ Centre, one of the oldest artist-run organizations in Canada, featuring regional, national and international art shows
• •    In Niagara-on-the-Lake - Niagara Pumphouse Visual Arts Centre, a community art centre offering exhibitions, classes and workshops in a restored water-pumping station
• •    In Welland - Welland-Crowland War Memorial, a nationally significant piece of Canadian sculpture commemorating the First World War; and the Welland Canal Memorial, a tribute in bronze to the hardworking people from across Canada and around the world who came to Niagara to build the canal
• •    In Port Dalhousie - Rennie Park, site of a granite and stone peace garden as well as sculptures and monuments that celebrate the sport of rowing; Rennie Park is located at the finish line of the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course

 

Special events sampling

•    May -Pelham Art Festival
•    May - Niagara Artists Studio Tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Queenston, St. Catharines and Port Dalhousie
•    May - Thorold Arts and Crafts Show
•    May and August - Art in the Garden, Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens,
Niagara Falls
•    June - Crystal Beach Art Festival
•    September - Grimsby Festival of Art
•    October - Vineland Thanksgiving Artfest
•    October - Ball’s Falls Thanksgiving Festival Craft Show and Sale

Websites to assist you further

•    Niagara Artists’ Centre, St. Catharines and Area Arts Council